Baby Bath Products Don't Have Toxic Ingredients Listed

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics today will reveal which brands of children's shampoos, bubble baths and baby lotions tested positive for formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, two chemicals that have been linked to serious health problems, including cancer.

You won't find these chemicals on ingredient lists, though you might find marketing claims like "gentle" and "cure" on the suspect products, according to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a national coalition of nonprofit health and environmental organizations.

Of 48 products tested, 67% had 1,4-dioxane. Of 28 products tested, 82% had formaldehyde. See below for a list of brands that did and did not have the chemicals.

Not waiting for the full report, the cosmetics industry attacked the group in a press release, calling the allegations "patently false and a shameful and cynical attempt by an activist group to incite and prey upon parental worries and concerns in order to push a political, legislative and legal agenda." The Personal Care Products Council questioned the scientific integrity of the report, and said that levels of the chemicals found were extremely low, within regulatory limits and safe for use. It defended the use of formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing compounds as a safe preservative.

True, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is pushing a political, legislative and legal agenda, and the $250 billion global cosmetics industry has come to show concern about publicity over the group's reports.

The Campaign has previously exposed high levels of phthalates, formaldehyde and toluene in nail polish, leading to the phase-out of the use of those chemicals by several major brands; exposed the presence of lead in many lipsticks (see 11 lead-free lipsticks). The campaign supports both the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database of chemicals in cosmetics and personal care products, and state and federal proposals to regulate the use and disclosure of certain suspect chemicals in cosmetics and personal care products.

Check out this list of 10 non-toxic baby shampoos from Greenopia.

Brands That Tested Positive For 1,4 Dioxane

*According to The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

• Baby Magic "Soft Baby Scent" Baby Lotion (Ascendia Brands, Inc)
• CVS Baby Shampoo (CVS/Pharmacy)
• Johnson’s Baby Shampoo (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies)
• L'Oreal Kids Extra Gentle 2-in-1 Fast Dry Shampoo – Burst of Cool Melon (L’Oreal USA)
• Suave Kids 2-in-1 Shampoo – Wild Watermelon (Unilever)
• American Girl Hopes and Dreams Glistening Shower and Bath Wash (Bath & Body Works)
• American Girl Real Beauty Inside and Out Shower Gel – Apple Blossom (Bath & Body Works)
• American Girl Real Beauty Inside and Out Shower Gel – Apple Blossom (Bath & Body Works)
• American Girl Real Beauty Inside and Out Shower Gel – Apple Blossom (Bath & Body Works)
• American Girl Real Beauty Inside and Out Shower Gel – Sunny Orange (Bath & Body Works)
• Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Creamy Wash (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies)
• Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Creamy Wash (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies)
• Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Creamy Wash (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies)
• CVS Kids Body Wash – Blueberry Blast (CVS/Pharmacy)
• Equate Tearless Baby Wash (Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.)
• Gentle Naturals Eczema Baby Wash (Del Pharmaceuticals, Inc.)
• Grins & Giggles Milk & Honey Baby Wash (Gerber Products Company)
• Huggies Naturally Refreshing Cucumber & Green Tea Baby Wash (Kimberly-Clark)
• Johnson’s Moisture Care Baby Wash (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies)
• Johnson’s Oatmeal Baby Wash – Vanilla (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies)
• Mustela Baby Shampoo (Laboratories Expanscience)
• Mustela Dermo-Cleansing Gel for Hair and Body Newborn/Baby (Laboratories Expanscience)
• Night-time Bath Baby Wash (Target Corporation)
• Barbie Berry Sweet Bubble Bath (Water-Jel Technologies)
• Dora the Explorer Bubble Bath (MZB Personal Care)
• Hot Wheels Berry Blast Bubble Bath (Water-Jel Technologies)
• Mustela Multi-Sensory Bubble Bath (Laboratories Expanscience)
• Sesame Street Bubble Bath – Orange Mango Tango (The Village Company)
• Tinker Bell Scented Bubble Bath (Goldie LLC)
• Soft & Beautiful Just for Me! No-Lye Conditioning Creme Relaxer, Children’s Super (Alberto-Culver Company)
• Pampers Kandoo Foaming Handsoap – Magic Melon (Procter & Gamble)
• No-Ad Sun Pals SPF 45 UVA/UVB Sun Protection (Solar Cosmetics Labs Inc.)

Brands That Tested Positive for Formaldehyde

*According to The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

• American Girl Hopes and Dreams Shimmer Body Lotion (Bath & Body Works)
• Baby Magic “Soft Baby Scent” Baby Lotion (Ascendia Brands, Inc)
• Baby Magic “Soft Baby Scent” Baby Lotion (Ascendia Brands, Inc)
• Baby Magic “Soft Baby Scent” Baby Lotion (Ascendia Brands, Inc)
• Tinker Bell Body Lotion (Goldie LLC)
• CVS Baby Shampoo (CVS/Pharmacy)
• Johnson’s Baby Shampoo (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies)
• Johnson’s Baby Shampoo (Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies)
• L’Oreal Kids Extra Gentle 2-in-1 Fast Dry Shampoo – Burst of Cool Melon (L’Oreal USA)
• American Girl Real Beauty Inside and Out Shower Gel – Apple Blossom (Bath & Body Works)
• American Girl Real Beauty Inside and Out Shower Gel – Apple Blossom (Bath & Body Works)
• American Girl Real Beauty Inside and Out Shower Gel – Apple Blossom (Bath & Body Works)
• CVS Kids Body Wash – Blueberry Blast (CVS/Pharmacy)
• Equate Tearless Baby Wash (Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.)
• Gentle Naturals Eczema Baby Wash (Del Pharmaceuticals, Inc.)
• Grins & Giggles Milk & Honey Baby Wash (Gerber Products Company)
• Huggies Naturally Refreshing Cucumber & Green Tea Baby Wash (Kimberly-Clark)
• Barbie Berry Sweet Bubble Bath (Water-Jel Technologies)
• Dora the Explorer Bubble Bath (MZB Personal Care)
• Sesame Street Bubble Bath – Orange Mango Tango (The Village Company)
• Tinker Bell Scented Bubble Bath (Goldie LLC)
• Hot Wheels Berry Blast Bubble Bath (Water-Jel Technologies)
• Mustela Multi-Sensory Bubble Bath (Laboratories Expanscience)
• Huggies Soft Skin – Shea Butter (Kimberly-Clark Global Sales Inc)
• Pampers Kandoo Foaming Handsoap – Magic Melon (Procter & Gamble)

Brands That Had Neither 1,4-Dioxane Nor Formaldehyde

Note that several brands were tested for only one of the two chemicals; consult the The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics report to see those brands that tested clean for the one chemical tested.

• Dark & Lovely Kids Beautiful Beginnings No-Mistake Nourishing No-Lye Children’s Relaxer System, Fine Hair Types (SoftSheen-Carson, owned by L’Oreal USA)