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Vitamin Shampoo?


All right readers it is time to crack this one open. Vogue international has a shampoo and conditioner line called "Vitamin Shampoo". Vogue international advertises their natural sulfate and paraben-free shampoos and conditioners. Infact, if you visit their website it simply states: "We desire to make better choices. We're concerned about what we put in our bodies. We try to eat better, exercise, drink bottled water, and take better care of ourselves." Wait let’s stop there!
  • Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate
  • Parfume
  • Cocamide DEA, Glycol Distearate
  • DMDM Hydantoin
  • Tocopheryl Acetate - Vitamin E
  • Water - Aqua
  • Panthenol
  • DIMETHICONE COPOLYOL
  • Cetyl Alcohol
  • Polyquaternium-11
  • Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
  • Coconut Oil
  • Coconut Milk
  • Silk Amino Acids
  • Egg White Proteins
  • Gogi Berry Extract
  • Green Tea Extract
  • Vitamin A
  • Vitamin B
  • Vitamin C
We had a few customers who mentioned they were using Vitamin Shampoo. They told us Vitamin Shampoo says they are natural. We respect our customers choices and use their feedback to make better products. Our policy here at Opas Soap is to educate you. We are not looking to take away any business. Our hearts are warm and we only want the best for our customers and their family and friends. We will reveal the truth for you. I randomly picked a list of ingredients for Vogue international's Vitamin Shampoo. The dangerous ingredients and chemicals I will reveal are from Gogi Berry Green Tea Shampoo. Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate (MES), 1,4-Dioxane, Cocamide DEA (DEA-related ingredients), and DMDM Hydantoin (a Formaldehyde releasing agent)

Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate is listed as the 2nd ingredient.

Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate (MES) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) are very much alike. They are both Anionic Surfactants with foam enhancing abilities whereas they are used in facial cleansers, detergents, bubble baths, and car washes. Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate can also be used as an emulsifier and humectant. Based on research, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate is an ethoxylated surfactant and is considered to be carcinogenic because of its manufacturing process, in the process, which, the toxic chemical 1,4-Dioxane is generated. Please see 1,4-Dioxane at cosmeticdatabase.com.

1,4-Dioxane is listed as a carcinogen and may exert it's effect through inhalation, skin absorption, and Ingestion. Overexposure may irritate eye, mucous membrane, and skin. Also causing Nervous system depressant, Nephrotoxin (a toxin that affects the kidneys), and Hepotoxin (a substance capable of causing damage to the liver)

1,4-Dioxane at acute exposure causes irritation, head ache, dizziness, and narcosis(deep unconsciousness produced by a drug or other chemical substances) Chronic inhalation exposure can produce damage to the liver and kidneys, and blood disorders.

One containing a or many medical conditions aggravated by exposure to 1,4-Dioxane / Sodium Laureth Sulfate preclude from exposure those individuals with disease of blood, liver, kidneys, central nervous system, and those susceptible to dermatitis.

Please research the ingredients in the body care products you are purchasing. Just because a company advertises natural, vitamins, or well-being and just because they are in a mainstream magazine i.e "Womens Health", "Vogue", "Womans Day", "Lifestyle" doesn't mean they are all natural and safe to use on your skin and body. It is called "Greenwashing". Greenwashing can be a number of misleading words and or advertisement for a certain product. You will need to make the decision on your own but it could be the fact that Vogue international and their "Vitamin Shampoo”, which, #1 all ready makes me feel as a consumer that there are some vitamins in this shampoo to help with my hair and #2 because any consumer can correlate and associate the title "vitamins" with being natural, #3 because I am convinced I need vitamins for my hair I am therefore distracted and or uneducated by the main and or toxic ingredients that are listed before my eyes and #4 because I have trusted my local government to protect me and my family against these harmful chemicals.

Cocamide DEA is the 4th listed ingredient on the list.

Cocamide DEA is used in shampoos as an emulsifier and as a foaming agent. Cocamide DEA is linked to cancer. The Federal National Toxicology Program completed a study in 1998 that found an association between the topical application of diethanolamine and certain DEA-related ingredients cause cancer in animals. Although it does not state it causes cancer in humans, these chemicals are restricted in Europe because they are known for their carcinogenic effects. Dr. Samuel Epstein Professor of Environmental Health at the University of Illinois says that repeated skin applications of DEA-based detergents resulted in a major increase in the incidence of liver and kidney cancer. Studies show DEA-related ingredients (including Cocamide DEA) directly inhibits fetal brain development in laboratory studies by blocking the absorption of choline, a nutrient required for brain development and maintenance. The following has been quoted:

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers have discovered that when DEA was applied to the skin of pregnant mice at concentrations similar to those found in shampoos, the fetuses showed inhibited cell growth and increased cell death in an area of the brain responsible for memory - the hippocampus.

“I don’t believe any woman who’s been using these products needs to have a sleepless night about having caused harm to her child,” said Dr. Steven Zeisel, Kenan Distinguished University Professor of nutrition in UNC’s schools of public health and medicine and associate dean for research in the School of Public Health.

At this point it is a caution,” he added. “But it would probably be prudent to look at labels and try to limit exposure until we know more.”

DEA is also associated with miscarriages in laboratory studies. “We saw smaller and smaller litters as we gave higher doses. No one has ever noted that before,” Zeisel said.

“This agent not only affects brain development, but at higher doses probably affects some other development in a way that is fatal to the fetus,” he said.

So that’s what diethanolamine does to animals. But what about humans? An average bottle of shampoo contains up to 10 ml diethanolamine. When we use this shampoo, we massage the diethanolamine into our scalp, pouring in hot water to increase absorption. After 30 shampoos, we are exposed to 10 ml (0.3 oz) of pure, undiluted diethanolamine - more than poor lab mice were!

Cocamide DEA will not improve the health of your hair instead it puts your health at risk. For pregnant women it is safe to avoid Cocamide DEA and all DEA-related ingredients. Please educate your loved ones about Cocamide DEA and DEA-related ingredients.

DMDM Hydantoin is the 12th listed ingredient.

DMDM Hydantoin is used as a preservative in cosmetics, shampoo and conditioners. DMDM Hydantoin is a formaldehyde-releasing agent. Formaldehyde is a colorless, flammable, strong smelling chemical used to manufacture building material and to produce many household products such as; permanent press fabrics, glues, insulation materials, and plywood. We are exposed to formaldehyde on an every day basis. According to a 1997 report by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, formaldehyde is normal present in both indoor and outdoor air at low levels, usually less than 0.03 parts of formaldehyde per million parts of air.  Materials containing formaldehyde can release formaldehyde gas and or vapor into the air. For example, formaldehyde exposure in the air can come from an automobile tailpipe, emissions. Formaldehyde can cause cancer. In 1980 a laboratory studies showed exposure to formaldehyde could cause nasal cancer in rats. This finding raised the question whether formaldehyde exposure could also cause cancer in humans. In 1987, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classified formaldehyde as a probable human carcinogen under conditioner of unusually high or prolonged exposure. Since then, some studies of industrial workers have suggested that formaldehyde exposure is associated with nasal sinus cancer and nasopharyngeal cancer (Cancer located in the upper part of the throat behind the nose), and possibly leukemia (Cancer that starts in blood-forming tissue such as the bone marrow and causes large numbers of blood cells to be produced and enter the blood stream). In 1995 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that formaldehyde is a probable human carcinogen. In June 2004, after evaluating all existing data, the (IARC) reclassified formaldehyde as a known human carcinogen.

DMDM Hydantoin can be found in the following products; baby shampoo, herbicides, copy paper, adhesives, floor waxes, and hair conditioners. A study on DMDM Hydantoin (a formaldehyde releasing agent) was conducted using 12 patients. Each patient was given 1% DMDM Hydantoin cream to apply on his or her arm using twice daily for one entire week. 4 patients or (33%) developed dermatitis. As quoted below: An increase in the use of DMDM Hydantoin in cosmetic products will also inevitable increase the risk of cosmetic dermatitis in consumers allergic to formaldehyde.

DMDM Hydantoin can be listed as the following chemicals:

1,2-dimethylol-5,5-dimethyl hydantoin
1,3-bis (hydroxymethyl)-5,5-dimethyl-2,4-imidazolidinedione Dantoin DMDMH Dimethyloldimethyl hydantoin DMDM hydantoin DMDMH Glydant Glydant Plus (95:5 misture of DMDM hydantoin and Ido propynyl butyl carbamate) Mackgard DM Nipaguard DMDMH

International Journal of Toxicology states the following:

Final Report on the Safety Assessment of DMDM Hydantoin

DMDM Hydantoin is a preservative, which is used in cosmetic products at concentrations up to 1%. This ingredient is a formaldehyde donor containing up to 2% of the free aldehyde in equilibrium with the hydantoin. When 14C-DMDM Hydantoin was applied to the middorsal area of Sprague-Dawley rats, more than 98% of the recovered radioactivity was confined to the dose site. The LD50 dermal and oral toxicity of DMDM Hydantoin was greater than 2 g/kg. No significant toxic effects were noted in a subchronic oral toxicity study. In skin irritation studies using product formulations, results ranged from non-irritating to moderate skin irritation. At most, transient minimal irritation was noted in albino rabbits treated with DMDM Hydantoin formulations. The mutagenicity of DMDM Hydantoin formulations varies in accordance with the test system. The ingredient was not mutagenic in one Salmonella/microsome assays but was in another. Both positive and negative mutagenic activities were reported when DMDM Hydantoin was tested in the L5178y TK± mouse lymphoma assay. The ingredient was mutagenic in the chromosome aberrations and unscheduled DNA synthesis assays but was not mutagenic in unscheduled DNA synthesis and DNA strand breaks/crosslinks assays. A comparison of Ames test results from studies of DMDM Hydantoin product and formaldehyde indicates a similar number of reversants per formaldehyde equivalent. In clinical studies, skin irritation ranged from none to observations of intense erythema and edema when various formulations containing DMDM Hydantoin were applied. DMDM Hydantoin formulations did not induce sensitization in some clinical studies. DMDM Hydantoin formulations were neither phototoxic nor photoallergenic. Use of DMDM Hydantoin at its current concentration of use in cosmetic products would not expose the consumer to levels of formaldehyde above the limit previously considered as acceptable in cosmetic products. Based on the available data included in this report, it is concluded that DMDM Hydantoin is safe as a cosmetic ingredient in the present practices of use.

International Journal of Toxicology, Vol. 7, No. 3, 245-277 (1988)
DOI: 10.3109/10915818809023133

The relationship between contact allergy to formaldehyde and positive patch test reactions to DMDM hydantoin was investigated– 35 formaldehyde-allergic patients were patch tested with serial dilutions of formaldehyde (0.1% 0.3% 1.0% aq.) and DM hydantoin (the non-formaldehyde-containing parent compound of DMDM hydantoin), 21 were also patch tested with MDM hydantoin (1 molecule formaldehyde) in serial dilutions: 7 (33%) reacted to 1 or more concentrations. The other 14 were also tested with DMDM hydantoin (2 molecules formaldehyde) in serial dilutions: 8 (57%) reacted to 1 or more concentrations. Patients patch-test-positive to formaldehyde 0.1% and. or 0.3% tended to show more patch test reactivity to (D)MDM hydantoin than those who resided only to 1%. Aqueous solutions of (D)MDM hydantoin in concentrations as used in cosmetic products therefore contain enough fret formaldehyde to cause dermatitis in a patch lost system in some formaldehyde-allergic patients: 12 such patients applied a cream containing 1% DMDM hydantoin to the flexor aspect of the lower arm twice daily for 1 week; 4 (33%) developed dermatitis. The use of a cream containing 0.25% DMDM hydantoin in these 4 patients still caused dermatitis in I and provoked itching in another. Increases in the use of DMDM hydantoin in cosmetic products will also inevitable increase the risk of cosmetic dermatitis in consumers allergic to formaldehyde.

Accepted for publication 24 October 1987

Is DMDM Hydantoin (a formaldehyde releasing agent) safe to use on the skin? Cosmetic Database gives it a 7 and 9 as a high hazard. Based on research, studies, and laboratory test it is best to come to a conclusion, that, DMDM Hydantoin, and its relationship to formaldehyde, is not safe to use on the skin, body or hair.

We hope all the research has been very useful and understandable to most, so that you may make a solid judgment and decision when buying skin, body and household products. You deserve to be educated and here we will strive to provide you with the most accurate information.