In early 2007, a cancer-causing petrochemical was found in dozens of children’s bath
products and adults’ personal care products, in some cases at levels more than twice the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recommended maximum.

Laboratory tests revealed the presence of 1,4-Dioxane in products such as Hello Kitty Bubble Bath, Huggies Baby Wash, Johnson’s Baby Wash, Scooby-Doo Bubble Bath and Sesame Street Bubble Bath. The tests also found the carcinogen in Clairol Herbal Essences shampoo, Olay Complete Body Wash and many other products for adults.

1,4-Dioxane is a petroleum-derived contaminant considered a human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Toxicology Program. It is also on California’s Proposition 65 list of chemicals linked to cancer and birth defects.

But because it is produced during manufacturing, the FDA does not require it to be listed as an ingredient on product labels. Also, the agency has little authority or enforcement capacity over the cosmetics industry.
The FDA has been measuring 1,4-Dioxane levels since 1979 and is working with manufacturers to reduce levels on a voluntary basis.

In 2000, the FDA recommended that cosmetic products not contain 1,4-Dioxane at concentrations greater than 10 parts per million; yet 15% of products tested exceeded these guidelines. This limit, however, also does not take into account that people exposed to 1,4-Dioxane from shampoo may be exposed at the same time to 1,4-Dioxane from bubble bath, body wash and other products.

The tests were conducted by West Coast Analytical Service, an independent testing laboratory specializing in trace chemical analysis, and results were announced by the Campaign for Safer Cosmetics.