Green cleaning is a crowded marketplace. Many brands are struggling to project their USP’s (Unique Selling Points) and this is largely because so many products are similar. Most brands outsource manufacturing to contract facilities where the same ingredients are used repeatedly, and it is often only labelling & packaging that stamp some individuality on cleaning products.
Evidence is the only way we can truly identify whether a product is sustainable, green or non-toxic. Evidence is expensive for companies to produce and so most rely on unsubstantiated claims. Evidence comes in the form of reputable third-party certifications and laboratory reports that can be reproduced. Check out our evidence-based assessment explaining why Greenscents is the only healthy option for household products.
What goes in the bottle will enter your body
Household products are not safe for most people and particularly children, the elderly, those with allergies or a compromised immune system and those who clean. Toxic ingredients that are cheap to produce underpin most cleaning & laundry formulas. There is a growing body of evidence showing that household products are responsible for some serious health issues.
As well as asthma, research has concluded that lung function decline in women working as cleaners or regularly using cleaning products at home is similar to smoking 20 cigarettes a day over 10 to 20 years. (source).
Cleaning and cancer
For many years, Breast Cancer UK has promoted natural cleaning because there is a link between endocrine disruptors present in many industrial chemicals in conventional household products, and in pesticides that treat plant-based ingredients and cancer risk. Other ingredients that can increase cancer risk include VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) present in many cleaning products (source). Often associations are difficult to prove, for example with the ingredients SLES & SLS although contamination with 1,4-Dioxane (a manufacturing by-product) is still suspected. At Greenscents, we have a ‘No Nasties Guarantee’ that protects all Greenscents customers from these harmful, known toxic chemicals.
Can laundry products trigger allergies?
Research has shown that conventional laundry products (containing harsh chemicals and enzymes) that come into contact with skin from birth, damage and degrade the skin barrier. Microscopic holes in the skin allow molecules including allergens & pollution into the blood system, leading to allergen sensitisation (source). This risk is particularly serious for babies and small children but long-term effects for adults are still likely to be significant.
The above diagram illustrates three pathways for allergens and pollutants to penetrate the skin and enter the bloodstream:
- Intracellular Pathway: Molecules pass directly through skin cells.
- Intercellular Pathway: Molecules move between skin cells.
- Transappendageal Pathway: Molecules enter through hair follicles and sweat glands.
Greenscents laundry liquid and laundry conditioners are made from hyperallergenic organic soap nuts & shikakai pods and other organic ingredients. Therefore, unlike conventional cleaning products, we can say that there are no harsh skin degrading chemicals in the Greenscents product range that could cause allergies.
The link between indoor air pollution and your cleaning products
VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) are found in ‘green’ & conventional cleaning products in fragrances, perfumes & dyes. VOC’s commonly emitted from cleaning products have been investigated as the cause for respiratory harms and have been associated with other chemical hazards including cancer, neurotoxicity, and reproductive problems (source) as well as eye, nose, and throat irritation; headaches; nausea; and long-term damage to the liver, kidneys and heart. See below a diagram taken from ScienceDirect that shows how in the U.S market, even the ‘green’ cleaning brands contained a total of 148 VOCs.
To avoid VOC’s in household products opt for organic non-scented versions (see our Nonscents Collection). Greenscents fragranced products use only organic essential oil blends. Although essential oils do produce some VOC’s the concentrations are low and usually reduce rapidly through time (source).
Is your dishwasher product potentially lethal?
Have you looked with despair at the extended list of complex-sounding ingredients on dishwasher product labels and wondered what the long-term effects of these chemicals could be? Or worried that inhaling fumes after a dishwasher cycle may impact your breathing and lungs?
A recent study by The Danish Consumer Council has discovered that dishwasher detergents may contain suspected endocrine disruptors and other harmful chemicals. The results showed that 13 of the 41 products contained a suspected endocrine disruptor called benzotriazole. 18 products contained artificial perfumes which can cause allergies (source).
New research on professional dishwasher products has focused on gut health and the ‘Epithelial Barrier Hypothesis’ which is associated with the rise in allergic, autoimmune, and metabolic diseases. These epithelial barrier–damaging agents include toxic substances present in laundry and household detergents, as well as surfactants, enzymes and microplastics all of which are present in conventional dishwasher products (source).
Every ingredient in Greenscents dishwasher powder is listed on the label and Greenscents has already come top of the latest review of ‘green’ dishwasher powders.
There is a better way
Organic cleaning is different. It is certified, checked and non-toxic. It relies upon up-to-date evidence to justify all health claims. Organic cleaning is good for the health of humans & all living things and it is planet-positive. Over 70% of the ingredients in Greenscents products are certified organic and all other ingredients are natural and approved by The Soil Association. But this is just the starting point. Once you have taken the big step to base your range on certified organic ingredients, there are so many wins.
Ready to make your home toxic-free? Explore the Greenscents range here.
