Keep it pure, clean and simple. This is the billion dollar tag line that has persuaded consumers for over a century. Ivory soap products, produced by Proctor and Gamble, have been the choice of homemakers as far back as 1879. The Ivory brand includes the classic bar soap, liquid hand soap, body wash, dish liquid, and a mild laundry detergent product called Ivory Snow, which is marketed as the laundry detergent gentle enough for babies and for those with sensitivities. Find out how it really affects our health as we undress this product.
“Laundering with Love”
“Laundering with love” is a catch phrase that can be found on the top navigation bar of the Ivory Snow website (www.ivorysnow.ca) as well as the following:
“Care for the precious one you love the most! Baby’s skin is soft and delicate to the touch. That’s why Moms have trusted Ivory Snow for over 60 years to safely clean little clothes and leave laundry feeling soft and comfortable against delicate skin.”
Even the image on the box, a mother and baby surrounded in soft pastel colours of pink and blue, conveys a message of trust and safety that plays on the heart and purse strings of parents only wanting to buy and use the best product for their little bundles of joy. If the product is good enough to use on your child, and is endorsed by mothers, then it must be safe and good to use. This type of psychology and marketing lures you in and ultimately wins your trust and loyalty.
Trust and Loyalty
Trust and loyalty is what builds a brand and convinces people to believe anything, even if it’s bad for your health. For decades, Ivory Snow has built a reputation on trust and has gained the loyalty of mothers everywhere. Unfortunately, this relationship is based on false pretenses because what they claim as being safe enough for a baby’s skin is not the truth.
And the reality for consumers is that most of these big companies care about what makes money, not for what is good for us. Fortunately, we a have choice. Consumers need to learn to make informed decisions and ask questions about what they purchase, and thanks to the internet and websites like The Naked Label, information and education is just a click away.
So what’s really lurking in one of the most beloved laundry detergents of our time?
Ivory Snow Liquid is like the rest of conventional detergents, full of chemicals that irritate the skin and that are harmful to the body. It is composed of the following: Ethanol, Ethanolamine and Surfactants. The consumer product package has a caution statement:
“CAUTION: Eye irritant. Harmful if swallowed. KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN. If swallowed, give a glassful of water. Call a physician. In case of eye contact, flush with water.”
Even after the dangers are spelled out for us, consumer still purchase this product with confidence.
Ethanol
Ethanol is a harmful group of chemicals known as alcohols that is made from ethylene gas by oil companies. It is commonly found in toiletry and drug preparations, deodorants, soaps, shampoos, hair sprays, paint, glues and disinfectants. It can enter the body by ingestion, inhalation or absorption through the skin. It can cause:
- irritation to eyes
- skin and nose
- drowsiness
- fatigue
- loss of concentration
- nausea
- mental excitement and vomiting
Repeated contact can dry the skin resulting in cracking, peeling and itching.
Ethanolamine
Ethanolamine is an organic chemical compound, also derived from the chemical group of alcohols. It is a toxic, colourless, flammable, corrosive liquid with an odour similar to that of ammonia. It can be found in scrubbing agents, acidic gases, detergents, polishes, pharmaceuticals, and corrosion inhibitors.
It is harmful if absorbed through the skin, causes skin burns, eye burns, harmful if inhaled or swallowed causing gastrointestinal and chemical burns to the respiratory tract.
Surfactants
Surfactants are compounds that lower the surface tension of a liquid. They may act as detergents, wetting agents, emulsifiers, foaming agents, and disperants. They are found in basic soaps, and laundry detergents. Most surfactants are non-toxic but prolonged exposure to the skin can cause chaffing because they disrupt the lipid coating that protects the skin and other cells. Some can also interfere with the life-cycles of some aquatic organisms, so care should be taken to prevent run-off into streams.
These three ingredients suggest that Ivory Snow Liquid can be harmful to us and the environment.
Our Call to Action
Fortunately, we live in a time of greater selection and increased awareness. Today’s consumers are more educated and savvy than the generation before. We are no longer limited in our choices, we have selection. The saying “knowledge is power”, holds great truth. We have the power and the available tools to make informed choices and decisions about what we use, purchase and consume. However, there are still a great number of consumers that are lured towards products that are marketed as being safe and environmentally friendly. These companies sink millions of dollars into advertising that relates to consumers on an emotional level.
Consumers must take their power back and remember, that ultimately they dictate the supply and demand that fuels the economy. And thanks to many who have already demanded safe products, there is an ever increasing supply of natural products, like detergents, that are already on the market and can be found in health food stores, online and in all major grocery stores.
Natural detergents are amazing!
Natural detergents are amazing! Not only are they safe and environmentally friendly but they get the job done, leaving clothes clean and bright, without the chemicals. Some popular natural detergents include:
- Nature Clean
- Seventh Generation
- Baby Ecos
- Eco Me
- Biokleen
If you’re feeling more ambitious, you can even make your own liquid laundry detergent. Try this recipe from the David Suzuki Foundation: Queen Of Green -Green Cleaning Recipes.
Ultimately we have the final say on what we use and endorse. Now is the time to make informed decisions. It is our responsibility and duty to become responsible stewards for our health and of this planet.
What kind of detergent do you use? Let us know in the comment section below. Do you have a loved one that could benefit from this information? Help share this important information with them using the Twitter and Facebook links below.
Sources:
www.ivorysnow.ca
The Proctor & Gamble Company, P & G Household Care, Material Safety Data Sheet Ivory Snow Ultra Liquid Detergent, May 25, 2010
Dr. J Krop, Healing the Planet One Patient at a Time (Alton, ON: KOS, 2008) 102
Natural Laundry Liquids – Retrieved from: http://www.naturecleanliving.com/laundry_liquid
Seventh Generation – Retrieved from: http://ca.seventhgeneration.com
Baby Eco’s – Retrieved from: http://www.ecos.com/baby_Ecos_Laundry.htm
David Suzuki Foundation, 2013, Retrieved from: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/publications/downloads/2011/QueenOfGreen-Green-cleaning-recipes.pdf
