P&G Beauty is striving to stop using potentially harmful cosmetic ingredients by next year. P&G, the parent company of popular brands like CoverGirl, Herbal Essences and SK-II will eliminate phthalates and triclosan from all of its products. Currently, 70 percent of all the products produced by the company are phthalates and triclosan free.
There is some evidence that these ingredients can pose risks to respiratory and thyroid systems, but it is still unclear whether the small concentrations in which these ingredients are used are enough to cause harmful effects or not, but given the fact that these can be found in everything from shampoos to fragrances, the findings were worrisome, which is why many companies found ways to eliminate these ingredients from their products.
Dr.Scott Heid, Ph.D., P&G Communications noted that the measure is meant to offer safer options for worried customers: “While the only phthalate we used in our product formulations is safe (DEP), we know that there is the potential for people to confuse DEP with other phthalates that are banned from certain product types. We want people to also feel safe about using our products and not have any misperceptions about the product ingredients we use.”
Similar statements about the safety of tricosan can be found on the company’s website: “Although triclosan is known to be safe through numerous studies and regulatory reviews, there are ongoing discussions about how effective it is for reducing bacteria compared to regular soap. Due to our limited use of the ingredient, we have decided to eliminate triclosan from our products by 2020.” Until then, those who are concerned about its effect can check whether a product contains triclosan or not on the label. More information concerning controversial cosmetic ingredients and their use can be found on the company’s website in the Sustainability category.
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