Goodguide.com: Shampoo and Conditioner

After our class discussion about Goodguide.com, I decided to pursue a self assessment of the products I use in daily life.

I decided to start with my shampoo and conditioner.

Suave For Men 2-in-1 Shampoo and Conditioner: Goodguide Rating- 7.2, Health- 7.0, Environment - 8.9, Society- 5.8

Detailed Ratings: Health: General Health-0 out of 10, Reproductive Health: 10 out of 10, Cancer: 8 out of 10, Long-Term Health: 10 out of 10, Short-Term Health: 10 out of 10

Environment: Energy Management: 8 out of 10, Water Management: 9 out of 10, Toxic Waste: 8 out of 10

Society: Customer Satisfaction: 5 out of 10, Quality and Safety: 2 out of 10, Philanthropy: 6 out of 10, Workplace Diversity: 6 out of 10, Working Conditions and Benefits: 4 out of 10

The Health ratings confused me, but as I read below at the ingredient ratings I found a few orange dots and one red dot, indicating controversial ingredients and an ingredient of concern. The controversial ingredients included Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, both labeled as possibly carcinogenic and skin irritants even in the low concentrations used in products, such as my shampoo. DMDM Hydantoin was another controversial ingredient. DMDM Hydantoin is a preservative that releases trace amounts of formaldehyde, which can also be a skin irritant. Another controversial ingredient was fragrance. As I have been browsing this site and doing some research, I find that almost always the fragrances used in consumer products are causes for concern or controversial. There seems to be a lack of adequate research on this matter. Methylisothiazolinone was the ingredient of concern and the data says that this ingredient was banned in Canada. This is not reassuring . . . After doing some research on this ingredient, I found that this ingredient was found to kill nerve cells in the brain according to a study done by the Neurobiology Dept. of the University of Pittsburgh. Other research has been inconsistent, stating that the research done on animals and the exposure levels used can not be valid in humans.

On the Environmental side of the goodguide's assessment, my shampoo faired well. It had above average scores in resource management but had no data on air pollution or global warming.

The Society ratings were generally low, with only Philanthropy and Workplace Diversity receiving scores over 5.

Overall, my thoughts of my shampoo is that it is generally an O.K. choice, but I would now like to find a replacement due to the potential adverse health effects because of controversial and concerning ingredients. I am confused why, with these potentially dangerous ingredients that the Long-Term Health score was 10 out of 10. . . The site listed no neurotoxins present...they should try to look into the research done by the University of Pittsburgh, but maybe they already have and deemed it inconclusive. I will be assessing more of my personal products and the products of my family and friends, while spreading the word of this site and its potential to change the products we buy.

References:

1. http://www.goodguide.com
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylisothiazolinone