3.16.2010 12:16 PM

Herbal Essences Reduces Toxic Chemicals

The popular hair care company reduced levels of a toxic chemical from its products.

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Photo: Viorika Prikhodko / IStock

By Julie Gerstein

Good news for Herbal Essences shampoo lovers – the hair care company announced it will reformulate 18 shampoos in its line to reduce levels of the chemical 1,4-dioxane, which has been linked to cancer.

Herbal Essences, which is owned by Procter & Gamble, agreed to reduce the levels of 1,4-dioxane in the shampoos after health advocate David Steinman (author of Diet for a Poisoned Planet) filed a notice of intent to sue under California’s Proposition 65. Proposition 65 allows individuals to take action against companies that produce products with 1,4 dioxane levels above 10 parts per million. The Herbal Essences line had 1,4-dioxane levels of 24 parts per million.

Said Lisa Archer, national coordinator for the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics from the Breast Cancer Fund, “We’re glad Procter & Gamble is reducing the levels of carcinogenic contaminants in Herbal Essences. It’s a good step, but even more is needed to assure customers that P&G products are free of toxic chemicals.”

The EPA considers 1,4-dioxane a probable human carcinogen, and it’s on California’s Proposition 65 list of chemicals known to cause cancer. Still, the FDA doesn’t require 1,4-dioxane to be listed on the labels of personal care products because it’s considered a contaminant, not an ingredient because it’s produced during manufacturing.

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