Wow, it’s been a long time since my last blog. I do apologize, but we had a death in the family which kinda threw a wrench into my world a little bit. But now I’m back and so anxious to talk about great green products!
Well, the mystery has been solved. . . sort of. As you know, I stopped using California Baby Super Sensitive Shampoo & Bodywash with No Fragrance as well as Seventh Generation Free & Clear Laundry Detergent for my daughter because she had developed a rash, but I wasn’t sure which product was the culprit. Well, after the rash cleared, I reintroduced the California Baby (CB) product, and much to my surprise, the rash came back. Seventh Generation isn’t totally off the hook because when this rash clears up, I’m going to go back to using their laundry detergent to see how she reacts to that as well, but I’m guessing there won’t be any reaction. I’m going to write to CB and let them know of my daughter’s reaction to see what they have to say about it. As I've said in a previous post, I did like the product and think that CB is a great company. My fellow blogger, MommaVerde, along with other friends of mine have used CB products with no problems at all. It just seems weird to me that my daughter would react to a body wash with no fragrance that is specifically designed for super sensitive skin but yet be fine with a more toxic product like Baby Magic. I’ll let you know CB's response.
Now, onto Seventh Generation (SG). I must say that the claims SG makes about their company on their website are very impressive. They claim that they are committed to becoming the world's most trusted brand of authentic, safe, and environmentally-responsible products for a healthy home. They say that they were one of this country’s first self-declared “socially responsible” companies. Although, there are no specifics on how they do that. They get their name from the Great Law of the Iroquois. "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." And SG donates 10% of their pre-tax profits to charitable organizations.
Now for my observations: They do list all of the ingredients on the label along with what each ingredient does, even though, as they state on their website, there are no regulations requiring that. One of my concerns is the second ingredient, Sodium Laureth Sulfate. There are a lot of differing views regarding this chemical. Some talk about it as if it’s the worst thing in the world, while others think it’s totally safe. The Skin Deep Website gives it a rating of 4 out of 10 for toxicity which would be considered a moderate hazard. I’m not concerned with using it on my clothes as much as I’m concerned about it going into our water supply. This is a subject that I’ll have to look more into.
The label says that the detergent is non-toxic, biodegradable, and hypo-allergenic. I looked into these claims a little deeper on a website called A Little Greener. It says that the “non-toxic” claim implies that a product, substance, or chemical will not cause adverse health effect, either immediate or over the long-term. However, there are no specific standards for the “non-toxic” claim. Also, on Consumer Reports Greener Choices site, it states that there are no standards for the terms hypoallergenic or biodegradable either. Hypoallergenic implies that a product will be less likely to cause allergic reactions, but there is no federal standard or definition of this term. Biodegradable does have some guidelines but no specific standards. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), biodegradable should mean that a product is degradable when exposed to air, moisture, bacteria or other organisms and that the materials will break down and return to nature within a reasonably short time after customary disposal. That sounds good, but just because a product is biodegradable, doesn’t mean that it’s good for the environment. Chemicals can be biodegradable but still harmful.
On the plus side, the detergent is formulated for standard and HE machines. It’s free of dyes, fragrances and masking agents. It’s formulated to work well in cold water to save energy. It’s not tested on animals and there are no animal ingredients. And the bottle contains a minimum of 25% post-consumer recycled plastic. As far as getting my clothes clean, this detergent has done its job. If you like your laundry to smell fragrant, this detergent is not for you. There is no smell whatsoever.
I’m a little torn over this product. I like using it, and it seems like SG is a company that’s looking out for the environment, but I don’t want to be naïve, they exist to make money. I don’t like the fact that there is Sodium Laureth Sulfate in the product, but I’m willing to trust that SG is doing their best. I will say that I’m not done searching for a better product if there is one.
Until next time!
Well, the mystery has been solved. . . sort of. As you know, I stopped using California Baby Super Sensitive Shampoo & Bodywash with No Fragrance as well as Seventh Generation Free & Clear Laundry Detergent for my daughter because she had developed a rash, but I wasn’t sure which product was the culprit. Well, after the rash cleared, I reintroduced the California Baby (CB) product, and much to my surprise, the rash came back. Seventh Generation isn’t totally off the hook because when this rash clears up, I’m going to go back to using their laundry detergent to see how she reacts to that as well, but I’m guessing there won’t be any reaction. I’m going to write to CB and let them know of my daughter’s reaction to see what they have to say about it. As I've said in a previous post, I did like the product and think that CB is a great company. My fellow blogger, MommaVerde, along with other friends of mine have used CB products with no problems at all. It just seems weird to me that my daughter would react to a body wash with no fragrance that is specifically designed for super sensitive skin but yet be fine with a more toxic product like Baby Magic. I’ll let you know CB's response.
Now, onto Seventh Generation (SG). I must say that the claims SG makes about their company on their website are very impressive. They claim that they are committed to becoming the world's most trusted brand of authentic, safe, and environmentally-responsible products for a healthy home. They say that they were one of this country’s first self-declared “socially responsible” companies. Although, there are no specifics on how they do that. They get their name from the Great Law of the Iroquois. "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." And SG donates 10% of their pre-tax profits to charitable organizations.
Now for my observations: They do list all of the ingredients on the label along with what each ingredient does, even though, as they state on their website, there are no regulations requiring that. One of my concerns is the second ingredient, Sodium Laureth Sulfate. There are a lot of differing views regarding this chemical. Some talk about it as if it’s the worst thing in the world, while others think it’s totally safe. The Skin Deep Website gives it a rating of 4 out of 10 for toxicity which would be considered a moderate hazard. I’m not concerned with using it on my clothes as much as I’m concerned about it going into our water supply. This is a subject that I’ll have to look more into.The label says that the detergent is non-toxic, biodegradable, and hypo-allergenic. I looked into these claims a little deeper on a website called A Little Greener. It says that the “non-toxic” claim implies that a product, substance, or chemical will not cause adverse health effect, either immediate or over the long-term. However, there are no specific standards for the “non-toxic” claim. Also, on Consumer Reports Greener Choices site, it states that there are no standards for the terms hypoallergenic or biodegradable either. Hypoallergenic implies that a product will be less likely to cause allergic reactions, but there is no federal standard or definition of this term. Biodegradable does have some guidelines but no specific standards. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), biodegradable should mean that a product is degradable when exposed to air, moisture, bacteria or other organisms and that the materials will break down and return to nature within a reasonably short time after customary disposal. That sounds good, but just because a product is biodegradable, doesn’t mean that it’s good for the environment. Chemicals can be biodegradable but still harmful.
On the plus side, the detergent is formulated for standard and HE machines. It’s free of dyes, fragrances and masking agents. It’s formulated to work well in cold water to save energy. It’s not tested on animals and there are no animal ingredients. And the bottle contains a minimum of 25% post-consumer recycled plastic. As far as getting my clothes clean, this detergent has done its job. If you like your laundry to smell fragrant, this detergent is not for you. There is no smell whatsoever.
I’m a little torn over this product. I like using it, and it seems like SG is a company that’s looking out for the environment, but I don’t want to be naïve, they exist to make money. I don’t like the fact that there is Sodium Laureth Sulfate in the product, but I’m willing to trust that SG is doing their best. I will say that I’m not done searching for a better product if there is one.
Until next time!
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