Comments on Chris' review of Delicate Care Laundry Detergent
Delicate Care Laundry Detergent
Description: Non-toxic and biodegradable laundry detergent.
"Delicate Care"? ALL marketing hype! Not even close to safe, natural and a LONG WAY from green!
Give me a break - please. Has anyone bothered to read the ingredients In Seventh Generation products? If not, this list is for this product: Aqua (water), pareth-7, coceth-7 and sodium laureth sulfate (plant-derived cleaning agents), sodium hydroxide (alkalinity builder), sodium borate (alkalinity builder and soil dispersant), sorbitol and sodium gluconate (anti-redeposition agent to wash away soils), sodium citrate (water softener), calcium chloride (cleaning enhancer), hexahydro-1,3,5-Tris (2-hydroxyethyl)-s-triazine (preservative, less than 0.05%) The entire Seventh Generation line is a collection of chemical soups. I did my homework and was shocked! They cleverly attempt to disguise the triazine which has a 9 rating (10 being the worst possible health hazard). Let's see...it's linked to cancer; allergies; immune system toxicity; skin, eye and lung irritation; organ system toxicity; ecotoxicology...need I go on? I can't understand how the people running these companies can look at themselves in the mirror. Cute kids, green leaves, blue skies blanket their products and site. They state: "In our every deliberation we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." Okay, now I at least know where the name came from. I guess seven generations ought to be long enough to make us all sick or kill us.
Geesh... A good reference to check out ingredients is Skin Deep's Safety in Cosmetics database. You'll find it if you want to. Amazing that SLS is the fourth ingredient. Well at least that only rates as a 4 (moderate hazard). Too bad there's an awful lot in it (being the fourth ingredient). Oh, thanks for letting us know it's plant derived (as many poisons are). Sorry, but this would be better labeled as a bio-hazard.
Want quality products? Try NaturOli's Soap Nuts or Ecos' Detergents. No comparison. Both are honest companies that really care. You'll find truly effective, eco-friendly and healthy products. Good luck! :-)
Chris' keywords: laundry detergents, detergents, Seventh Generation
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Danielle T. says:
Awesome way to do your homework. Companies who are proud of their products and honest post an MSDS (material safety data sheet) on their websites. That way you know exactly what is in there. Hiding behind "trade secrets" is the biggest scam in the detergent arena.
Chris S. says:
Hi Danielle!
I must give points to SG for the full disclosure of their ingredients. Wish more companies would do so.
As far as their MSDS pdfs, that's cool, too. However, one point about every SG MSDS that I have read is that they are virtually useless. NAV and NAP are everywhere. Not available and not applicable in 90% of the fields? Hmmm... The only real info for the average person is the common sense stuff (i.e., flush eyes with water if..., etc.). Only a chemist will find the rest of the data useful. I've they were more information rich for the CONSUMER, I'd feel differently. Hence, nice - but no cigar. I bet not one in a thousand consumers even look at them, particularly after viewing just one.
Interestingly, I see the MSDS posting more as a "smoke and mirror" tactic. If it's being provided, it must be good, right? That's simply marketing 201 - human nature and the anticipation of the assumption. I think it's all part of SG's overall marketing strategy. I don't think it has anything whatsoever to do with "pride".
Couldn't agree more with you about the "trade secret" curtain. I think most people are picking up on that one quickly. Once again, this takes us to SG's overall marketing strategy. This is actually marketing 101 - differentiation.
I should have actually named my post "Seventh Generation: Marketing at its Finest." Better yet, that should be a new post. There's certainly a ton to write about. I like it! Whatcha' think?
Danielle T. says:
I am currently working on an article on Greenwashing for a janitorial trade magazine, and this is the exact kind of thing I plan to draw attention to.
SC Johnson (the family company of toxins) is pretty explicit and honest about their use of yuck chemicals. The MSDSs that they post are easy to read and understand. If you don't know the chemical names, it is simple enough to google them and figure out whats in each product before you buy it.
http://www.scjohnson.com/msds_us_ca/default_en.asp
Procter and Gamble are gambling that no one will ever look. The layout is deceptive. It provides the data on individual ingredients and does not address the products. Fishy fishy fishy.
http://www.pg.com/company/our_commitment/material.shtml
Green Marketing is a huge mega movement right now. The "fad" of going green is too powerful. We prove with our dollars every day how we feel about the environment and how effective marketing is. Every dollar is a vote for our environment's future. Informed purchasing is the most effective way to demand change in our consumerist society.
Chris S. says:
Hi Danielle,
If I can be of help, drop me a note. Being the founder and original formulator for a truly open and honest natural skin care company, NaturOli, I have a somewhat unique and different perspective on the detergent and cleanser industry. If it were not for soap nuts we never would have entered the industry. (Saponin, the active ingredient in soap nuts, has opened entirely new doors for us that fit our mission perfectly. We've embraced it much as we have the olive and its extracts for skin care. Both are amazing natural gifts.) It's interesting when you enter one industry, coming from another that actually is ahead of the game as far as having at least "some" standards. And I thought the beauty industry was ugly as far as deceptive marketing! This is worse! It's totally carte blanche. Thanks to organizations like Skin Deep and people like Stacey Malkin, there is simply a heightened awareness that already exists in skin care and cosmetics. I see this now beginning to pour over into the detergent industry. It will take time, but we need people like you to help expose all the lies, games and trickery. Now that I am knee deep in this industry, too, consider me a potential resource - and an ally in your cause. I maintain the same passion for the truth as always. It's getting those truths to the consumer that is our greatest challenge. Unraveling a lifetime of programming is a daunting task. Thankfully we have forums like this. It certainly helps. :-)
Chris