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What's actually in your skin and hair care products?

Company Name: Johnson & Johnson’s (New born wash & shampoo)- this is marketed towards newborns and babies, let alone toddlers. 

Ingredient Name: PEG-150 PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRASTEARATE

How Sourced: synthetic

PEG-150 pentaerythrityl tetrastearate is produced by reacting pentaerythritol with 150 equivalents of ethylene oxide. This ingredient can be found not only in commercial use but also in a variety of skin and hair products from shampoos, creams to lotions. 

Pros: This ingredient functions as a viscosity-increasing agent-aqueous in cosmetic products.

Why Companies choose & value this ingredient? PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate is a high-performance thickener at low concentrations. This polymer is a proven counter-irritant that reduces the irritation potential of surfactants (cleansing agents, which clean hair and skin in skin and hair products). Commonly used in products. 

But lets see what  ethylene oxide is, since this long, hard to pronounce ingredient is contains it...

Ethylene oxide (EtO) is produced in largely at some chemical manufacturing facilities. This colorless gas is primarily used to make other chemicals that are used to make a variety of products such as antifreeze, textiles, plastics, detergents, and adhesives. It is also used to sterilize devices that can’t be sterilized using steam or radiation (i.e., medical and dental equipment).

Short-term inhalation or exposure to high amounts of EtO can cause headache, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, respiratory irritation, vomiting and other types of gastrointestinal symptoms.

EtO is a human carcinogen or causes cancer in humans. EtO is mutagenic, meaning it can damage DNA. During child development, they are more susceptible to the harmful effects caused by chemicals, including chemicals such as this one which is mutagenic.

What About the PEGs?

PEG's usually contain 1,4-dioxane (found in PEG-6, PEG-8, PEG-32, PEG-75, PEG-150, PEG-14M, and PEG-20M), which, on top of being a known carcinogen, may also combine with atmospheric oxygen to form explosive peroxides — which is not ideal or very appealing as an ingredient to apply on your skin.

Yes, its possible, that certain manufacturers or companies may remove impurities of 1,4-dioxane such as through methods like vacuum stripping without an unreasonable increase in raw material cost. This is not guaranteed and there’s no way to prove as such unless you are an auditor, inspector or employee at these companies. Unfortunately, PEG compounds are also used by natural cosmetics companies.

Although you might find conflicting information online regarding Polyethylene Glycol, PEGs family and their chemical relatives, it is something to pay attention to when choosing cosmetic and personal care products.

Sensitive or damaged skin might not be such a good fit for products containing PEGs.

Sources:

1.  https://www.ewg.org/cleaners/substances/4133PEG150PENTAERYTHRITYLTETRASTEARATE/

2  https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1091581818794457

     https://cosmileeurope.eu/inci/detail/10496/peg-150-pentaerythrityl-tetrastearate/

4   https://inci.guide/polymers/peg-150-pentaerythrityl-tetrastearate

5   https://www.cosmeticsinfo.org/ingredient/polyethylene-glycol-peg-150-pentaerythrityl-tetrastearate/

6. https://www.epa.gov/hazardous-air-pollutants-ethylene-oxide/our-current-understanding-ethylene-oxide-eto

h  https://medium.com/@cosmethics/everything-you-need-to-know-about-peg-family-2176b788e378