The Myths and Realities of 5 Harmful Ingredients in Soap and Cosmetic Products
Please Note: We are not healthcare providers. This article is not intended to be used as an alternative to advice given by a healthcare professional. This article is for informational purposes only. Please contact your healthcare provider with medical questions or concerns.
When I first started getting into soap making I started looking at the ingredients commonly used in soap. When I stumbled upon a search for “bad ingredients” to put in soap I was hit with article after article on numerous terrible ingredients.
The warnings of cancer and toxicity and other awful descriptions are everywhere. And I mean everywhere!
The thing that hit me the most and what I kept coming back to while reading dozens of these pieces was how do these people know this? Where were they getting their information from? What studies were done to discover these awful “truths”?
And that line of questioning led me on a mini research project of all the various “bad ingredients” to discover if they really were bad or not. Below I have captured the summaries of 5 of these “bad ingredients” and what the myths and realities truly are.
Let’s dive into 5 “bad ingredients” in soaps and cosmetic products:
Parabens
Formaldehyde
Retinyl Palmitate and Retinol (Vitamin A)
Triclosan and Triclocarban
Synthetic Colors
Parabens
Parabens have been getting a lot of attention recently. There are numerous articles on the potential risk of cancer and toxicity, so we took a dive into the research to see if these claims were substantiated.
First off, parabens are used in cosmetics and other products as a preservative. It helps a product have a longer shelf life (1).
As parabens have been added to all sorts of products over the years we now see them everywhere. There are likely parabens in your home, in the ground outside your home, even in your drinking water (1).
If you are looking to see if something has parabens added to it you should look for a word that ends with -paraben. Some common parabens include: methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, and ethylparaben.
Scientists have developed a hypothesis that exposure to parabens can be estrogenic and may cause breast cancer. However, scientists and the data collected working through this hypothesis are split on if it’s supported or not (1).
Currently, the FDA says exposure to parabens is safe and there is no serious risk to the inclusion of them in cosmetics (2). The 2013 scientific article by Kirchhof and Gannes also notes that the research so far says not to worry and that we do not need to take preventative steps when it comes to paraben exposure (1).
However, in a more recent article that we found published in 2020, the authors note that excessive exposure to parabens do pose a health risk (3).
Our Stance: To air on the side of caution we never include any parabens in our products. With so many things in life already including parabens, we feel there is no need to add more.
Summary: It is unclear if parabens in soap and cosmetics increase the risk of cancer because the research on parabens in soap and cosmetics simply is not there. There is a lot of research to indicate that large amounts/constant exposure to parabens can cause cancer. We would air on the side of caution and avoid parabens if possible.
Formaldehyde
While researching formaldehyde we kept seeing blog posts noting that it is a known carcinogen that can cause asthma, neurotoxicity, and developmental toxicity. But is this true?
Formaldehyde can have different names on products. Some common names include formalin, formic aldehyde, methanal, methyl aldehyde, methylene glycol or oxide (4).
There are also chemicals that are used, oftentimes as preservatives, that can release formaldehyde. These include benzylhemiformal, quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, diazolidinyl urea, sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, and 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3 diol (Bronopol), to name a few (4).
According to the American Cancer Society, formaldehyde and chemicals that release formaldehyde are used in small amounts in cosmetics. Some nail polishes, shampoos, lotions, and conditioners have a low concentration of formaldehyde (4).
When using these products it can increase the concentration of it in the air for a short time (4).
When formaldehyde is put into cosmetics and products that are applied to skin it can cause an allergic reaction on the skin (4).
Exposure to high amounts of formaldehyde has been linked to some types of cancer in humans (4).
Our Stance: It’s just not worth it. None of our products use formaldehyde because the risk of allergy and the potential of cancer just isn’t worth it. Why would we want to put that in our products? So we don’t.
Summary: It is a truth that formaldehyde is a known carcinogen. We were unable to find studies done on formaldehyde in cosmetics and soap leading to cancer, however formaldehyde in these products can cause an allergic reaction on the skin. We would air on the side of caution and avoid using products with formaldehyde if possible.
Retinyl Palmitate and Retinol (Vitamin A)
There are numerous claims online that Retinyl Palmitate and Retinol (Vitamin A) can damage DNA and speed up skin tumor growth. Serious issues, if they’re true.
From our research we found that there have been many studies and investigations into Retinyl Palmitate and Retinol (Vitamin A). The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has looked at and continues to look at the use of Retinol but has continuously found it safe (5, 6).
However, we did find that when it comes to topical retinoid use, if you put it in soap and then used that soap on your body, for example, there is research to suggest that peeling and erythema (skin redness) may be seen at the site of application (7).
To attain an amount classified as toxic, the sheer amount of Vitamin A that would need to be absorbed through the skin or consumed (we don’t suggest eating soap) would be extremely high (7). The likelihood of getting enough Vitamin A in your system through cosmetic use is astronomical.
Our Stance: While we have yet to see any research that would indicate the inclusion of Vitamin A in your cosmetics and soap would cause DNA damage and tumors, it can cause skin peeling and irritation. So we do not include Vitamin A in our soaps for this reason.
Summary: It is a myth that Retinyl Palmitate and Retinol (Vitamin A) can damage DNA and speed up skin tumor growth. However, research does indicate topical use can cause irritation and skin peeling. If you notice these symptoms while using we would recommend discontinuing use and talking to a healthcare professional.
Triclosan and Triclocarban
I stumbled across multiple articles that referred to the negative impacts that Triclosan and Triclocarban can have on human reproductive systems along with potential organ system toxicity.
However, it didn’t take long to realize that in 2016 the FDA issued a ruling making it so that Triclosan and Triclocarban could no longer be marketed in the United States (8). Triclosan and Triclocarban were used in antibacterial and antimicrobial soaps, both in liquid and bar form (8).
The FDA in their final ruling indicated that there was no evidence to support that these antibacterial soaps actually cleaned better than normal soap and water (8). On top of this, some data indicated that long term exposure could cause bacterial resistance and hormone effects (8).
There has also been research conducted around the impact of Triclosan to the environment. Not only is the ingredient dangerous to consumers’ health but the health of aquatic life. High amounts of Triclosan can harm aquatic plants and fish (9).
However, it is important to not that the FDA ruling only impacted soap products. Triclosan and Triclocarban are still being used in toothpastes, mouthwashes, and other personal care products (10).
Our Stance: The FDA made the right call to ban the use of Triclosan and Triclocarban in soap products but should have gone further to encompass all products.
Summary: It is a myth that Triclosan and Triclocarban can cause organ system toxicity, as we could not find research to substantiate this claim. However, it is a truth that the FDA ruled Triclosan and Triclocarbanon can no longer be marketed in soaps due to their potential long term effects on bacterial resistance and hormone effects (8). And it is also true that Triclosan and Triclocarban can still be found in personal care products within the United States to this day (10).
Synthetic Colors
A quick search online will inform you that while synthetic colors make up the beautiful bright colors we see in soaps and cosmetics (along with foods), all have been found to be carcinogenic and can cause skin allergies.
Now let's dig into the research! Is this true or simply a myth?
Synthetic colors are everywhere. When looking for if your products have any, synthetic colors are usually abbreviated as FD&C or D&C, followed by a color and number.
According to the FDA, synthetic colors fall under “color additives”. There are two types of color additives: exempt colors and certified colors (11).
Exempt colors are pigments made from natural sources, such as vegetables and minerals (11).
Certified colors or “synthetic colors” are those that require FDA approval to be included in foods due to them not being from natural sources. The FDA says that when used to their requirements certified colors are not a health concern (11).
The FDA regulates colorants to ensure that they are not harmful to those who use them (12). The FDA has put out articles to say that colorants are very safe when correctly used (13).
In rare cases, people can have allergic reactions to color additives. Usually this can be seen in the form of itching or a hive-like reaction (13).
A 1978 In Vitro rodent study concluded that certain food dyes were carcinogens (14) and a 2012 study of all 9 approved colorants found each to have varying degrees of concern with Red3 causing cancer in animals and three others to be contaminated with carcinogens (15). At least four dyes were found to cause hypersensitivity reactions (15).
This is a highly debated topic and one that is very much ongoing. The research on this spans decades and still there is no one collective answer.
Our Stance: We air on the side of caution. Research does seem to point in the direction of possible carcinogens in synthetic colors, while the FDA assures us their colors are safe. For us we feel like why bother putting a potential toxic ingredient in our soaps when it’s completely not needed.
There are so many natural colorants from plants that are just as beautiful. While you won’t get the neon colors that artificial and synthetic colors can produce, we still think the colors from natural colorants are quite beautiful!
Summary: It is a grey area with authoritative bodies landing on both sides of the argument, not agreeing if synthetic colors are carcinogenic or not. Research indicates synthetic colors could be carcinogens and we feel why use synthetic colors when there are so many beautiful natural pigments you can use instead!
The Bottom Line
There are a lot of myths and simply misinformation about what is and isn’t safe to include in soaps and other cosmetic products. We answered the question of what ingredients are bad to put in soap with the research we were able to find.
Parabens
It is unclear if parabens in soap and cosmetics increase the risk of cancer. There is a lot of research to indicate that large amounts/constant exposure to parabens can cause cancer. The research on parabens in soap and cosmetics is not there. We would air on the side of caution though and avoid parabens if possible.
Formaldehyde
It is a truth that formaldehyde is a known carcinogen. We were unable to find studies done on formaldehyde in cosmetics and soap leading to cancer, however formaldehyde in these products can cause an allergic reaction on the skin. We would air on the side of caution and avoid using products with formaldehyde if possible.
Retinyl Palmitate and Retinol (Vitamin A)
It is a myth that Retinyl Palmitate and Retinol (Vitamin A) can damage DNA and speed up skin tumor growth. However, research does indicate topical use can cause irritation and skin peeling. If you notice these symptoms while using we would recommend discontinuing use and talking to a healthcare professional.
Triclosan and Triclocarban
It is a myth that Triclosan and Triclocarban can cause organ system toxicity, as we could not find research to substantiate this claim. However, it is a truth that the FDA ruled Triclosan and Triclocarban can no longer be marketed in soaps due to their potential long term effects on bacterial resistance and hormone effects. And it is also true that Triclosan and Triclocarban can still be found in personal care products within the United States to this day.
Synthetic Colors
It is a grey area with authoritative bodies landing on both sides of the argument, not agreeing if synthetic colors are carcinogenic or not. Research indicates synthetic colors could be carcinogens and we feel why use synthetic colors when there are so many beautiful natural pigments you can use instead!
Our Stance: To reduce the potential of chemicals entering your body that may have harmful side effects we recommend finding products that use natural ingredients versus those that opt for ingredients that are manufactured.
Our Sources:
Source: https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetic-ingredients/parabens-cosmetics
Source: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/formaldehyde.html
Source: https://www.cir-safety.org/sites/default/files/rp_buff_092012.pdf
Source: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1091581817716657
Source: https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/risk/docs/guidance/dwec/triclosaninfo.pdf
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6126357/
Source: https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/color-additives-questions-and-answers-consumers
Source: https://www.fda.gov/industry/color-additives/color-additive-science-and-research
Source: https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/how-safe-are-color-additives
