Use of hidden chemicals.

[Devil]

I was recently given a packeted hand towel which was labelled:

Green Tea XXXXXXXX makes this towel so fresh, besides its tissue is enriched with natural emollients that give it a good moisturising effect

In tiny letters underneath there was a list of ingredients the first of which was Aqua (a.k.a. water), followed by polyethylene glycol-40, hydrogenated castor oil, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, sodium gluconate, alpha-iso-methyl ionone, benzyl alcohol, butylphenyl methylpropional, hexyl cinnamal and a number of derivatives, mostly synthetic.On the back of the packet, it was printed "with green tea aroma"!
Under that it was stated "dermatologically tested, nickel tested, no silicones, free of synthetic colourant, vegan friendly".

I ask the question whether the blurb which I have quoted above really describes the contents?

[Dominic]

Um, you aren't supposed to eat it, so what is the problem?

And how could the chemicals be hidden if you read them?

[Dominic]

It’s a hand wipe. What do you expect to have on it if not chemicals to clean? Which chemicals are questionable?

[Devil]

It’s a hand wipe. What do you expect to have on it if not chemicals to clean? Which chemicals are questionable?

What's wrong with soap and water? Yes. soap is a chemical, e.g., sodium stearate or similar (from memory C17H35COONa) produced by reacting a fatty acid with an alkali. The milder soaps (e.g. olive oil reacted with potash) are a mixture of many natural chemicals but are basically harmless for most people (millennia of experience), while remaining slightly alkaline (pH usually ~9 for toilet soaps, 10 for ordinary, possibly higher for special cleaning products). The alpha-iso-methyl ionone is there as a perfume and is officially classed as harmful and an environmental hazard. Butylphenyl methylpropional is also a low-risk fragrance but is an allergen for sensitive skins. Are these and the other named chemicals "natural emollients"? etc.!

[Dominic]

Hand wipes are for situations where soap and water aren't available. You wouldn't use them when soap and water was available as there would be no point.

Where were you when you were given your hand wipe? If it was at a location where soap and water was available you should be admonishing them.

[Devil]

Where were you when you were given your hand wipe?

Reception area of a luxury car dealer, along with a glass of carbonated water (my choice!).

[Dominic]

Well what do expect if you hang about in posh places like that? Really Devil, panhandling is not the answer.

[Devil]

Well, not really posh. A long distance from Lamborghini or even Ferrari. No, it was merely an up-market Toyota with a five letter name.

[jagwheels]

Well, not really posh. A long distance from Lamborghini or even Ferrari. No, it was merely an up-market Toyota with a five letter name.

Good on you Devil. Its got to be a Lexus

[Kili01]

Talking about hidden chemicals. have you looked at what goes into most of the popular toothpastes sold by supermarkets? Some very nasty chemicals including a ‘foaming agent’. I was reliably told that some are actually poisonous and should be kept in the garage. Certainly 2 famous makes that I used to use gave me receeding gums plus inflamation of the gum. I was advised to change To a natural toothpaste containing aloe Vera and other natural ingreduents. Almost immediate results. Healthy gums and teeth.
I will never go back to these popular mass produced chemical toothpastes.
I could give you names but don’t want to be sued possibly.
Dee

[Kili01]

What I posted about toothpaste isn't a scare story, Just look on the boxes for the ingredients of some well known brands, you might be surprised. And this goes in the mouth, not the hands..
Dee

[Kili01]

As regards plastic water bottles, they are apparently OK, providing they are not exposed to the sun.

Dee

[WHL]

Some of the things, people put in their mouths, toothpaste is the last thing to worry about

[WHL]

Trust you to lower the tone WHL

In that regard, an earthy friend of mine used to have an interesting theory about brides returning from honeymoon with sore throats

What I posted about toothpaste isn't a scare story, Just look on the boxes for the ingredients of some well known brands, you might be surprised. And this goes in the mouth, not the hands..Dee

I guess you're talking about fluorides Dee? And yet, amazing isn't it, how peeps live to be a hundred even after absorbing the 'nasty' old chemicals in toothpaste.

One of the chief culprits for inserting poisons in the mouths of innocents were NHS dentists. You may care to reflect that for decades they created tooth fillings from mercury amalgam. Now that REALLY is a poison. How many protested about that at the time? I had all my amalgam fillings removed two decades two.

Another scare story doing the rounds a year ago - on this forum too - was that unless you encapsulated your credit cards with alumnium sachets available from Amazon, nasty villains would sneak up on you in supermarket queues and skim your contactless credit cards for every last penny. I denounced this theory at the time - to some condemnation it has to be said - but I have never since heard of a single person being defrauded in this way, though I am sure someone will be a able to find links to newspaper articles highlighting real cases.

Must be your smutty mind HIC, I was thinking more of cigarettes,

[WHL]

do any of us know/worry/care what goes into that product?

in this one HIC I do care. In fact I haven't personally used any soap, shampoo or other substance on myself for 5 years and have skin and flowing locks in perfect condition, they really are unnecessary products for me. I don't use toothpaste but occasionally use a paste made from Bicarb. Its not the saving in financial terms its simply that I don't want to use chemicals all over myself that certainly do have a leeching into your system, ordinarily dry the skin (needing then to be moisturised) and leaving strange odours that are in my opinion unwelcome.

There are studies that prove certain chemicals contribute to poor long term health such as infertility (a booming business particularly in the West), asthma, skin conditions etc and the list of chemicals is growing daily making it almost impossible for the layman to understand an ingredient list. Almost designed to bamboozle.

The hand sanitiser is a terrible addition in my opinion (if necessary I will don a pair of gloves) as it affects skin.

But also to the thread there should be a difference between simple hand wipes and hand sanitisers and clearly marked. These products were initially introduced as 'baby wipes' and then if over chemicalised contribute to nappy rash. They then became a household product deemed to be 'essential'.

If a restaurant or place offering refreshments needs to offer these then use a piece of lemon and finger dip instead, or raise yourself up and go wash in the bathroom.

Could you tell us what you use in place of soap, shampoo etc.

[Devil]

If a restaurant or place offering refreshments needs to offer these then use a piece of lemon and finger dip instead, or raise yourself up and go wash in the bathroom.

You use lemon? Its very low pH (about 2.1) must be very bad for the skin. Not to mention all the other chemicals in it, such as alkaloids, phenols, flavonoids, terpenes, steroids, glycosides etc. Not to mention dihydrogen monoxide: do you dare use that on your skin?

[DavidatLWH]

If a restaurant or place offering refreshments needs to offer these then use a piece of lemon and finger dip instead, or raise yourself up and go wash in the bathroom.

You use lemon? Its very low pH (about 2.1) must be very bad for the skin. Not to mention all the other chemicals in it, such as alkaloids, phenols, flavonoids, terpenes, steroids, glycosides etc. Not to mention dihydrogen monoxide: do you dare use that on your skin?

"dihydrogen monoxide"? Are you serious???

[galexinda]

Likewise follow guidelines similar to Tanny as I find most chemical and many natural products irritate my breathing and/or skin conditions. Looking at the list of items on that particular handwipe I wouldn't feel safe if anyone used it near me. Dematologically tested doesn't mean much when you have many allergies as I do.

For years UK doctors would look at my skin and prescribe lotions, creams and sprays but it wasn't until I saw a specialist in 1999 who told me to throw away all the prescriptions items and look at my diet and drink plenty of water and keep the skin clean and dry that my skin cleared completely and in doing so alleviated the breathing problems. Rarely use moisturising and no hair products but since February when I got an eye infection and the optician recommended bathing the eyes with camomile tea I now use it as a facial cleanser and toner.

Not such a purist as I do use some chemicals, but the washing up liquid doubles as a hand soap, use the same brand of laundry detergent and a bit of washing up liquid mixed with a small amount of bleach to clean all household surfaces. Also wear the plastic gloves whenever I touch anything outside the home.

[Devil]

Also wear the plastic gloves whenever I touch anything outside the home.

As raw plastics are generally not flexible, volatile chemicals are generally added to make them thus.

A plasticizer (UK: plasticiser) is a substance that is added to a material to make it softer and ... esters provide utility in a wide range of elastomers including nitrile, polychloroprene, EPDM, chlorinated polyethylene, and epichlorohydrin.

Unless you use latex within its use by date.