Dove Deodorant: Toxicity Findings

I use Dove’s ultimate clear, cool essentials antiperspirant deodorant everyday. I am pretty consistent with choosing Dove brand deodorant, which is why I chose to examine this product. Just from looking at the labeling on the front, there is no indication that this product could be physically harmful, but then again most products don’t. While reading the ingredients, I became a little worried. Out of the 15 ingredients I only recognized two; seed oil and fragrance. All the ingredients in this product are as follows.

·      Aluminum Zirconium (Active Ingredient)

·      Tetrachlorohydrex GLY(Active Ingredient)

·      BHT

·      Seed Oil

·      Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower)

·      Steareth-100

·      Fragrance (Parfum)

·      Polyethylene

·      Dimethicone

·      Hydrogenated Castor Oil

·      Butyl Ether

·      PPG-14

·      C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

·      Stearyl Alcohol

·      Cyclopentasiloxane

FINDINGS

None of these idgredients were listed on the Toxicity list in the OED, but the Environmental Working Group’s online database gave identity to all the unfamiliar ingredients. According to the site, this specific product has an overall hazardous rating of 5 (out of 10). This puts my deodorant at a moderate hazard level. This isn’t too alarming, but I would prefer a product that’s less hazardous.

Reluctantly, none of the ingredients in this product are linked to cancer or developmental/reproductive toxicity. Those are major risks that I would not want to expose myself to. On the other hand, taking a look at each individual ingredient revealed some other concerns including neurotoxicity and organ system toxicity (non-reproductive). However, all these concerns have high “data gaps”. This means much is unknown about the ingredient or there is little research that has been conducted to support the connection.

I researched more about the ingredient Polyethylene. This ingredient had one of the higher levels of concerns on the Environmental Working Group’s online database, with regards to the Dove deodorant. According to Wikipedia, it is the most popular plastic in the world. The plastic bag is one of the most recognizable products that this plastic is used for. Polyethylene can be recycled, but a majority of the time it ends up in landfills and our oceans. This plastic usually takes centuries until it is successfully degraded. However, it’s not just plastic bags that are a problem. Polyethylene is commonly found in cosmetic products such as mascara, lipstick, eye shadow, blush, and much more. Not only is this substance harmful to the environment, but it also brings up health concerns. This plastic has been known to be linked to harming the immune system and cancer, in some studies. There is minimal research that supports the health risks, but there is no doubt that polyethylene is damaging to the environment.

MY ACTIONS

            I could easily cut this product from my daily routine. The Enviromental Working Group website listed all the deodorants that had lower concern levels than my current Dove product. This gives me a variety of alternative options. One product, which had a score of zero, stuck out to me; Crystal Body Deodorant. My mom actually gave me one of these sticks, encouraging me to use it. She claimed it was better for me, but I had doubts. This deodorant has no fragrance and looks like a giant salt rock. I never tried it, but still have it. After examining my current Dove deodorant and comparing it to the Crystal deodorant, I am convinced that the once doubted “salt rock” is the better choice. From now on, after using up my current deodorant (I don’t want to be wasteful), I will use Crystal deodorant. I guess mother really does know best.