I got a free sample of a fragrance oil when I ordered from a large supplier of soap making products.
The thrifty part of my brain got to thinking..."yeah maybe some people might like this scent, maybe I'll make a small batch, some people don't really care about the whole all natural thing, blah, blah....."
And the practical side got to thinking..."well what is this stuff, let's read more about it, and I don't really feel comfortable even cracking open the bottle to take a sniff."
So I got investigating....it actually has a Materials Safety Data Sheet! Um, ok.... Here is what I found out:
-it contains diethyl phthalate...what the heck is that? A quick Google search and I found this article about it.
Read here for your reference, but anything that is listed on the Toxic Substance & Disease Registry website sure isn't something I really want in my soaps. Basically, this is nasty stuff! It affects your liver and reproductive health (especially in kids) Great! Not only is it a main component in this fragrance oil, but it is also found in plastics....toothbrushes & food packaging are the ones that I took notice of.
Also on the Materials Safety Data Sheet you will find that.....
-it can cause a reddening and burning sensation when applied to your skin --WHAT! people add this to many soaps to add scent.
-it shouldn't be inhaled -- WHAT! it is a fragrance oil.
-if applied to skin, wash with soap and water. Ok, now this just doesn't make sense to me. People are to buy and add this fragrance oil to soaps, lotions, etc, but are told on the Materials Safety Data Sheet to wash with soap and water if applied to skin
-avoid exposure to vapors -- this just gets me laughing...isn't that the whole point behind these fragrance oils....to smell, but technically you shouldn't inhale or be expose to the vapors
-avoid contact with eyes, skin and clothing -- well, I'm just about done here seriously how is this stuff even being sold let alone added to personal care products that we lather and slather all over our bodies. This is down right scary!
-and the last two that I won't even comment on are.... wear an approved MESA (whatever that is) respirator when working with this product and wash hands after use.
Holy smokes people! This stuff is in a lot of things too. Sometimes I feel ignorance is bliss, like the less you know the better, but in this case maybe not. I started making soap after I had children since I didn't want to use Sodium Laurel Sulfates on their skin. I never even thought about these other things...scents, colors, etc. I always knew in the back of my mind they weren't good, but I never would have guessed all this!
Now, I'm so glad I didn't crack the seal on the bottle....basically it is toxic stuff. What in the world do I do with it now?
Dusty Tree Soap is, will and always will be free of this stuff - thrifty or not! I never use scents/dyes/colors so my soaps are people & earth friendly.
Thanks for stopping by for a read and I hope I educated you a bit and not freaked you out too much. People laugh at me all the time since I'm a 'label reader', but it seems like you have to be these days.
*
steps off soapbox* (no pun intended)
