Chemicals in personal care and cleaning products. Should we be worried?

0:00This show is sponsored by Primidine, a clean, natural and science-based spermidine supplement that's been a long-time staple in my own longevity stack. Because studies suggest that through autophagy, spermidine increases healthspan and upregulates a range of health markers, from memory and cognitive function to heart health, hormone balance, fertility, and even hair growth. Plus, you can be assured that all ingredients undergo rigorous third-party testing. Buy Primadine now at OxfordHealthSpam.com and use the discount code DrSophie, that's D-R-Sophie for 20 % off. This show is sponsored by Microbes, an award-winning liquid probiotic that's now a staple for me because Microbes, with a Z on the end, is different.

0:47For one thing, they source directly from the soil on their Wiltshire farm, meaning more diversity with at least 15 strains of good bacteria in every single shot. It's brewed so it can survive in the stomach and a remarkable 92 % of customers say it makes a difference. Plus they offer micro-friendly cleaning, gardening and even microbes for dogs. Buy now at microbes.co.uk and use the discount code sophie20 for 20 % off. Hi I'm Sophie and this is Age Well with Dr Sophie Schotter, a space devoted to all things health, wellness and longevity. Because for me, aging well is about looking and feeling like the best possible version of ourselves inside as well as out.

1:31So together with my producer Fee, I'll be deep diving into the latest research sifting fact from fiction. I'll also be talking to all kinds of trusted experts tapping into their knowledge, along with bringing you conversations from a range of interesting women and men finding out how they age well. So this is my show. Welcome along. And as always, thank you so much for listening.

2:00Dr Sophie Shotter:So Sophie, this is a conversation on everyday chemicals in everyday household products, including a few beauty products. The internet's quite a noisy place, obviously, on all of this. what do we know for sure? So to start with cleaning products we do know that several ingredients can cause quite serious issues. So let's take asthma and breathing problems for one example. Research published a couple of years ago found that people who work in the cleaning industry are 50 % more likely to develop asthma and also other lung disease because of their regular exposure to harmful chemicals. And ammonia and chlorine are two of the real baddies highlighted here.

2:44Another separate study following 14 ,000 children found that frequent use of household cleaning products and other chemicals was also linked to their asthma. But perhaps more seriously, household cleaners continue to be of interest to cancer researchers, as a number of them contain ingredients which do cause cancer in animals such as nitrobenzene which is often found in soaps and methylene chloride which is often found in fabric cleaners. For example a study back in 2010 found a possible link between methylene chloride and breast cancer but as always this is possible rather than definite and we need much more data, much much more research and it's obviously hard to do studies on humans when we already suspect that some of these chemicals can do serious harm.

3:31I will link into all of those studies in the show notes. But moving on to another body of research, and two chemicals in particular might play a role in the development of neurological disorders like autism and multiple sclerosis. And these are called, and this is a bit of a mouthful, quaternary ammonium compounds, also called quats, as well as something called aganophosphate flame retardants. Quats can be found in everything from body washes, fabric softeners to shampoos and shaving creams. And these flame retardants can be found in electronic devices and furniture, amongst other things. One of the issues is that many household cleaning product ingredients can also release what's called volatile organic compounds into the air.

4:17Now, not all of these VOX are hazardous. VOX is the abbreviation. But some such as phthalates and benzene have been linked to various issues including cancer and fertility problems. All of this is without going into the adjacent issues around what happens when we throw these chemicals down the sink and they end up in various water sources or the microplastics within the packaging or the fact that this packaging isn't recyclable or the forever chemicals in non-stick pans, make-ups, grease-proof papers, some carpets and flooring. The list just goes on and on and it feels like a complete minefield.

4:53There simply isn't enough time to dive into all of this in a single podcast episode. So I'm going to try and focus on the main things you might want to either consider, particularly if you're trying to conceive or to try and avoid. And all of this is probably a sister episode to our drinking water and water filter episodes from last year. Just to say, none of this is intended to scaremonger, but knowledge is power. And the data sets are getting more and more robust. I also think if you look at what this podcast is all about, ageing well, we do need to look at this from all angles. It's not just, for example, skincare and nutrition.

5:31It's our stress levels. It's our gut health. It's our mental health. It's everything. And this includes the environments we live in and the products we use within our environments.

5:40Dr Sophie Shotter:Yeah. Thank you so much for all of that. And before we get much deeper, You've mentioned people trying to conceive. Can you do a quick 101 on endocrine disruptors? Because I know that Liberty Mills also touched on this when we interviewed her as well. Yes. So endocrine disruptors are anything that can interfere with the normal function of our hormone system or any chemicals that increase the production of certain hormones or decrease the production of others. So some of these chemicals can even imitate certain hormones or potentially even turn one hormone into another and interfere with the way they signal our body cells.

6:19Studies have linked some of these endocrine disruptors to some cancers, to a reduced sperm count, to reduced IQ, thyroid disease, birth defects and also developmental disorders. I will say it's incredibly hard to escape exposure to hormone disrupting chemicals. These are found in plastics, loads of different personal care products, household cleaners, fragrance, food and food packaging, furniture, electronics, pesticides and our drinking water. But we can minimise our exposure by making a few kind of strategic changes to what we buy and how we live. And again, I'll add a list on the show notes so people can do their own research.

7:00Because to be honest, again, there's far too much here to discuss each one individually. Yeah.

7:06Dr Sophie Shotter:OK, well, if we start with personal care products, what are the main things that we need to look out for? I'd put this into five separate categories. So first is fragrance. And the issue here is that companies are generally not required to disclose what the fragrance actually is. And there are dozens, if not hundreds, of potentially toxic fragrance types of chemicals. Category two is parabens. These are a type of preservative that have been linked to hormone and fertility issues. So look out for any word that ends in paraben, like methylparaben or propylparaben. And you do have to be careful even with more ingredients like aloe, because sometimes they've been pre-preserved with parabens.

7:48But the manufacturers will still claim that the product is paraben or preservative free, because the actual ingredient that they've used isn't a paraben in its own right. And I will also say that the answer isn't to have no preservatives in your skincare either. we need preservatives in skincare we just can maybe be a little bit careful about the ones we choose yeah so our next one is sodium lauryl sulfate which you may have heard of sls this can cause skin irritation and allergies and a much bigger problem that is that in the process of making it less harsh for the skin which is something called ethoxylation a carcinogenic byproduct emerges called dioxane it's never listed on an ingredient label because it's a contaminant but it's often present where the acronym S-L-E-S appears.

8:38So avoid S-L-E-S whenever you can. Formaldehyde is my number four. This is another preservative that you'll never actually see listed on the label. It's also a carcinogen and it's linked to asthma, neurotoxicity, and developmental toxicity. It's likely present with certain other ingredients and I'll leave a list on the show notes. And finally, look out for phthalates. These are generally abbreviated to DBP, DBHP and DEP. And they're used to make products more pliable. And in perfume, they make fragrance stick to the skin. They're also really common in nail products and phthalates are now widely known to be endocrine or hormone disruptors.

9:21So that's kind of a brief overview.

9:25Dr Sophie Shotter:so so useful shall we move on to specific cleaning products yes although just to flag that there are many many studies that have been published and we really can't cover everything in one podcast episode but to give an overview one of the biggest concerns in the kitchen is anything antimicrobial most antibacterial soaps and hand sanitizers contain something called triclosan and this is a really nasty petrochemical that's also devastating to the environment. Plus sodium lauryl sulfate, which I've already mentioned, and a preservative called methoisothiozolinolinone, sorry I'm not even sure if I've said that right, but I think I have, which can cause allergies and various fragrances and dyes which often aren't fully declared on the labels.

10:13And this becomes its own issue when the inky list just says fragrance or parfum. Just to take a single study in isolation, in 2013 researchers at something called the Environmental Working Group tested 30 household products in the US and concluded that all but one released measurable levels of these Vox I was just talking about. Interestingly, even some of these were so-called green cleaning products, which I think you'll agree is quite shocking. But just like the supplements industry and a lack of regulation, there's a fair bit of greenwashing going on in the cleaning and the household cleaning space.

10:47So we've really got to be so so careful to understand what we're using and read those inky lists should we try

10:54Dr Sophie Shotter:and run through some of the common household cleaning products and possible alternatives now i have a list in front of me that i already sent to you and this will be a quick whiz through as we also want to briefly cover perfumes and little on spfs and just to also say that with all of these where as you've said we're going to put loads of info in the show notes so let's start with rather unglamorously, oven cleaners. Yes, and oven cleaners often contain a really heady cocktail of really toxic chemicals. And one of the key things is using artificial musks as a cheap fragrance. The two main kinds of musk, nitro and polycyclic, are known to get into the body and don't break down easily.

11:34They bioaccumulate, which means they build up in our body fat. These chemicals have actually, for example, been found in breast milk. Also, in studies on mice, the mice exposed to the artificial musk xylene went on to develop cancer. And again, manufacturers don't always state what type of fragrance they use in their products. And the label often simply reads parfum or fragrance. So my best advice is to avoid anything when you're not sure and Google some fiber alternatives, which we're going to get into in a moment.

12:02Dr Sophie Shotter:Yeah. Okay. Let's talk washing up liquid and also dishwasher taps. And again, Liberty Mills, I think, was discussing some of these when we interviewed her. Again, these often contain artificial musks, which, by the way, we also ingest when the residues become attached to food and drink. Antibacterial detergents are also a common concern, especially the chlorine-based agent triclosan, which appears in many household products. So do look out for that one. The ECOVA brand is a pretty safe bet if you're looking at an alternative. I also like the Dishwash from Ashley & Co. and the Iona washing up tincture is bleach free and is made up of plant extracts and essential oils so that's really lovely as well.

12:43As for dishwasher tabs this is a growing space in terms of alternatives. DIP or DIP is an interesting brand plus small which I've personally used. Kits and Kin is another one and many of these offer a free trial or a free sample so you can gauge whether they work well for you. Sonnet dishwasher tablets is another one and they're totally free from chlorine, phosphates and harmful enzymes that I'll also talk about. And instead they use a combination of sodium carbonate, silicates and sulfated castor oil, all of which dissolves fat in leftover food. And they're also 100 % biodegradable. As an aside, washing up gloves are usually made out of latex mixed with chemical plasticizers like phthalates to prevent them from biodegrading.

13:31You could use pure natural rubber instead, but do be wary of bioplastic gloves because while they may be made with biodegradable materials such as cornstarch, research has found that post-manufacturing they can contain as many harmful chemicals as conventional plastics. So doing your research is the headline, but is also easier said than done.

13:53Dr Sophie Shotter:Yes, because as you said, it's a real minefield. What about laundry products? Most detergents and conditioners contain artificial musks and again phthalates and phthalates are a real issue because they build up in the body and tests on animals have shown that they can cause birth defects and quite serious damage to the liver even at low exposure levels but again I will reinforce in animals. They get into our body through our skin purely by contact with clothes that have been washed in these detergents. In terms of alternatives you could try one of the laundry balls like Eco Ball. I've got my eye on a really beautiful US brand called Laveray that I hope is going to come to the UK soon.

14:33But there are many, many options out there, too many for me to list. Google is your friend here and we will leave some resources in the show notes. Okay.

14:42Dr Sophie Shotter:And let's talk about some of these kitchen and bathroom cleaning sprays. You can probably guess what I'm going to say. They're making surfaces, but they also blast the air with a load of chemicals. That's why you can smell them, you know, because they've blasted the air around you with what they contain, including fragrance. Many contain phthalates and lots of other highly toxic chemicals. A lot of people prefer to use natural alternatives like baking soda. But again, there's a lot of very sophisticated brands doing interesting things. Colton Willow, for example, have a whole range of sustainable plant-based products and the Geranium Leaf All-Purpose Cleaner is really popular.

15:22There's also Neat Clean, Method, Green Scents. Dalesford has some viable alternatives. So many choices. You can really shop around now. I love the Method products. That's what I'm using at home.

15:34Dr Sophie Shotter:Yeah, we use Method as well. I really like Method. And what about air fresheners? It seems that they do the exact opposite of freshen the air. Exactly. Many are, ironically, a source of indoor air pollution. the kinds of ingredients to look out for are formaldehyde which can irritate the eyes nose and throat and it's also worth knowing that when some of the conventional air freshener ingredients mix with ozone either indoors or outdoors it then creates new substances which are secondary pollutants so again these are concerns for human health air freshener chemicals can also be absorbed by furniture walls and surfaces like carpets so they effectively continually create this toxic atmosphere.

16:17My personal feeling is that you really can't beat a beautiful candle. Look for candles made with 100 % natural waxes like soy or beeswax and scented with 100 % essential oils or even I guess unscented and made with cotton, paper or wooden wicks.

16:35Dr Sophie Shotter:Great advice. Any other products or chemicals to be aware of with household cleaning? I mean we've covered quite a few there but anything else. Another one to think about is carpet shampoos. These can contain dangerous chemicals such as perchloroethylene, which is carcinogen that can damage the liver, the kidneys and the nervous system. And just for reference, it's also known as tetrachloroethylene or tetrachloroethylene. And the Environmental Protection Agency in the US has classified this as a likely carcinogen. Furniture polish is another culprit. Again, the ones you're looking out for here are phenol and nitrobenzyne.

17:13Don't shoot the messenger, but these have been linked to skin and lung cancer. Actually, a study in 2018 found that inhaling these high chemical pet furniture polishes could cause as much lung damage as smoking a 20 pack of cigarettes a day. And that is really shocking. Again, there's one by Method, which I quite like. So several things for you to look out for. And we'll, again, we'll list everything in the show notes. But once again, There's loads of really good brand alternatives now. A few I've already mentioned, but also Eco do offer a really nice floor cleaner. And this reviews really well online.

17:45I can't say I've tried that one though.

17:47Dr Sophie Shotter:Okay. What are your thoughts on bleach? Not much. I think nearly all major brands of bleach contain chlorine, which is extremely toxic and a very reactive chemical that accumulates in our bodies and in the environment. So look out also for sodium hypochlorite, which is a derivative of chlorine. I appreciate that in some environments particularly in hospitals it's really important to keep everything clean but I also think that at home we should start thinking about viable alternatives yeah I don't think we're getting too clean before we get onto fragrance and SPF and other things let's talk more about some of these non-toxic brands I mean you've been brilliant you've mentioned a few already but what else is out there because we're going to put loads in the show notes so people can go and investigate yes and remember by switching to eco-friendly or more natural organic products you're not only keeping harmful chemicals out of your body and out of your home but you're also preventing these ingredients from seeping into the water supply and I speak here as an impassioned diver.

18:47Ecova is one of the ones that people will have heard of and you can see in a standard supermarket but there are loads more here that I think we could and should support. I like Ecozone which is a British company specializing in ecological cleaning products. I also like Norfolk Natural Living which again they have really lovely biodegradable non-toxic formulas. You might have seen Purdy and Fig online, this is another British firm all family run and the founders have designed a cleaning system based on essential oils. For laundry I like the Labco which again is a British company, their formulations are plant derived and the ingredients are biodegradable.

19:26I have to say the scents are gorgeous with things like ylang ylang, grapefruit, cinnamon, cedarwood, definitely worth checking out. Care, which is spelt K-A-I-R, is a luxury clothing care label that uses kind to skin ingredients. Everything's in glass bottles, which can be refilled. The formulations are vegan, cruelty free and free from chemicals that can negatively impact the planet. There are lots of gorgeous fragrances to choose from and different options for wool, silk or delicates. There's also Bio D washing powder, Colton Willow I've already mentioned. There's a company called Co spelt K-O-H and their starter kit is pretty good for a variety of different cleaning products.

20:10Mrs Mayers which is spelt M-E-Y-E-R-S is an American company but you can buy some of their kit in the UK and their hero products include the hand soap, they've got a multi-surface spray and a washing up liquid, all made from plant-derived ingredients.

20:26Dr Sophie Shotter:Great list. What about soap in the loo? Because I think we all want to stay clean after using the loo. Absolutely we do. And again, shop around. You could try Tom Daxon's hand wash. It's a really gentle formula with virgin cedarwood oil and hyaluronic acid alongside lime, junica, angelica and iris and the antimicrobial properties found in cedarwood oil also act as a cleanser. The Vermont Soap Castile Liquid Soap reviews really well, that's another one. There's also Nursen, which some of you may have seen on Dragon's Den. It was developed by a paediatric intensive care nurse who experienced the painful effects of constant hand washing, which left her hands really sore.

21:09I mean, there's now a real array of choice and last year the independent did a roundup of what it thinks are some of the best natural cleaning products so I'll also link to that. I can't officially endorse anything but I can certainly signpost to some good resources.

21:22Dr Sophie Shotter:I have to say we got Nursum last week and it smelled absolutely beautiful. We've tried a few actually but Nursum smelled divine and of course it's not just the cleaning products it's the sponges and the cloths as well isn't it? Yes and again this is a whole podcast episode so go online and find the alternatives but do check the credentials so you're not falling for marketing nonsense. I've heard good things about the e-cloth, general purpose cloth, for example, or Loof Co's washing up pad. Maystick do a microplastic free floor cloth. Eco Egg do bamboo reusable towels. Norfolk Natural Living do a copper scouring pad.