Updates and Corrections
p. 11: Siloxanes: Yes, Environment Canada announced certain siloxanes were toxic and persistent and said it would restrict them via draft regulations. But once industry complained that there weren’t enough siloxanes in their products to cause problems, Environment Canada caved and revoked its toxic designation.
p. 32, 35, 116: EarthScience A-D-E Creamy Cleanser may be a wallet-friendly pick that washes off makeup well, but it also contains PEGs and retinyl palmitate, both on the Ecoholic Mean 15 list. Now, Earth Science says its PEG-10 Soya Sterol is not contaminated with 1,4-dioxane or ethylene oxide. They say they have measures in place to ensure this ingredient is not contaminated by either of these as part of their ingredient approval process. Also, its “parfum” is actually naturally derived. Still I’m not mad about retinyl palmitate in products intended for daytime use (combining retinyl palmitate and UV on skin is controversial) so at the end of the day, I’d rather you wash your face with Andalou’s Creamy Cleansers, in same price range.
p. 50: Goddess Garden Sunscreen: I gave this one high scores in Ecoholic Body but since they reformulated to improve its texture and now offer a spray version, figured I’d try it again. It is milkier now and isn’t oily like Green Beaver, which many love. It worked well enough on pasty, hairy white guys, fine on a half Greek girl (me), not so good on darker complexions. Used to give this a 4.5 but considering the competition, I’d drop that by half a point. 4/5
p. 51 Green Beaver Sunscreen: As I say in the book, these guys were among the first to offer absolutely zero white residue organic protection, which is why I gave them a 5, but they got a lot of complaints that they were way too greasy. Their new formula is a little lighter and comes in spray, face, kids formats BUT is still greasier than others and considering the current competition I’m demoting it from a 5/5. Nonetheless, greasiness offers it more water/sweat resistance and it gets extra points for Canadian-made, certified organic. New spray formula: 4.5/5
For more updated sunscreen reviews see ecoholic.ca
p. 56: How Do I Get Rid of Conventional Body Care Products? Turns out some communities, like Mississauga, Ontario actually accept body care products in their household hazardous waste depots. Even if yours doesn’t officially accept them, bring anything with persistent/toxic ingredients like triclosan and siloxanes to your local haz waste depot. My depot doesn’t even check what I’ve brought in but if they question you, tell them these ingredients are officially recognized as toxins and a danger to the environment.
p. 62: Avalon deodorant discontinued
p. 65: Dr. Mist roll-on discontinued
p. 129: Avalon Shampoo/Conditioner: All products now contain 70% organic content and they got rid of the siloxanes. Hooray!