The natural hair community has added yet another product to the chopping block...ECO Styler Gel. Let's talk about it!
What's all the hype about?
A very popular Youtuber recently created a video warning us of the dangerous chemicals used in ECO Styler Gel. She was experiencing extreme eye irritation and an unbearable smell coming from her newly purchased jar of ECO Styler Gold. She began searching the internet for answers, and what she found was SHOCKING!
"She began searching the internet for answers, and what she found was SHOCKING!"
What's in it?
Triethanolamine (TEA), Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, Polysorbate 20, Tetrasodium EDTA, Yellow 5, and Frangrance are the ingredients we'll be talking about in this article.
Triethanolamine is reactionary byproduct of two toxic substances: ethylene oxide and ammonia. It's used to balance pH levels, emulsify ingredients that don't usually mix well (such as oil and water), and also used as a foaming agent. This chemical is a skin irritant, eye irritant, immune and respiratory toxicant and causes inflammation, dry itchy scalp, dry hair, chemical damage to the skin, and a full body allergen. If that wasn't enough, in clinical trials done on animals, high doses of Triethanolamine caused liver, bladder and testicular cancer. Wow!
"...a reactionary byproduct of two toxic substances: ethylene oxide and ammonia."
Small doses of Triethanolamine are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) for use in cosmetics and personal care products intended for “discontinuous use,” meaning that it should be washed off briefly after application. However, because of its toxicity, the FDA recommends no more than 5% concentration of Triethanolamine in any one product formula because it can be dangerous in large doses or over long-term use. According to the FDA, this chemical is safe to use in small doses but there's two problems with this: 1. This chemical when used in personal care products is intended for "discontinuous use". Most of us aren't applying gel then washing it out right away. Some of us are using these gels (and other hair products) daily, possibly multiple times in a day. 2. The FDA recommends no more than 5% concentration of this chemical in any one product, but what if we're using multiple products with Triethanolamine multiple times a day over a long period of time (such as soaps, lotions, multiple hair products, and skin products)? We have no way of knowing what percentage of this chemical we're coming into contact with.
"According to the FDA, this chemical is safe to use in small doses...intended for 'discontinuous use'."
Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate is a preservative that releases formaldehyde and has a rancid odor. This chemical is a known skin and eye irritant and has even been linked to cancer (although, I didn't find strong evidence of this chemical causing cancer in my personal research).
"This chemical is a skin and eye irritant."
Polysorbate 20, in it's original form, is a harmless sugar alcohol. However, it's treated with ethylene oxide—thus, the name “polysorbate 20.” It's treated with 20 parts of ethylene oxide and is used as an emulsifier.
"Harmless sugar alcohol used as an emulsifier."
The problem with any ingredient that is treated with ethylene oxide (or “ethoxylated”) is that it can then become contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, a potentially dangerous by-product. 1,4-dioxane is a known animal carcinogen that penetrates readily into the skin and has also been linked to skin allergies. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics reported that the levels of 1,4-dioxane found in many personal care products are 1,000 times higher than those found to cause cancer in animal studies.
"1,4-dioxane found in many personal care products are 1,000 times higher than those found to cause cancer in animal studies."
This chemical can be found in many hair products, skin products, body washes, soaps, deodorants, aftershaves, mouthwashes, and even baby wipes (to name a few).
Tetrasodium EDTA (Edetate sodium, Tetrasodium edetate, Tetrasodium salt, TEA-EDTA) is a water-soluble ingredient used as a chelating agent in cosmetics and personal care products because of its ability to sequester metal ions and allow them to remain in formulas but lose their ability to react with other ingredients. The main goal behind using Tetrasodium EDTA is to prevent the growth of mold and development of rancidity. This ingredient is created from component chemicals; formaldehyde, sodium cyanide, and ethylenediamine. Tetrasodium EDTA has been linked to cancer, can cause eczema, an eye irritant, and can break the skin barrier. This chemical can be found in many products, including face creams, shower gels, hair care products, and many other personal care items.
"Tetrasodium EDTA has been linked to cancer, can cause eczema, an eye irritant, and can break the skin barrier."
Yellow 5 (tartrazine, E102) is a dye commonly used in food and personal care products. It has been linked to asthma, migraines, thyroid cancer, anxiety, depression, blurred vision, purple spots on skin, itchy skin, and hypersensitivity in children.
Fragrance can literally be ANYTHING! Essential oils are commonly used as fragrances also.
My Thoughts
After learning about SOME of the potentially harmful chemicals used in our personal care and hair products, I feel it's unfair to cancel ECO Styler Gels and not cancel everything else. ECO Styler was NOT the start of this. They are just one business in a pool of thousands. These chemicals can be found in everything from eye creams to baby shampoo. I advise everyone to be informed consumers, decide for yourselves what you should put on (and inside) your bodies, and stay prayed up!
I know this was a lot of information! I barely made it to the end of this article...LOL. What do you think about companies putting these chemicals in our hair, skin, and makeup products? Did you cancel ECO Styler Gel? What other products have you cancelled?
Below, I've linked some videos worth watching!
(Resources: Naturaveda.com, Annmairegianni.com, Truthinskincare.com, Thedermreview.com)