Product Review: Ecos Magnolia and Lily Liquid Laundry Detergent Costco

     Ecos Magnolia and Lily Laundry Detergent

     This week a friend of mine asked me to look into Ecos Laundry Detergent and whether or not they were as they advertised.  Ecos is sold in a very large and reasonably priced container at Costco Wholesale.  Admitting that I knew nothing about the company or the detergent my friend kindly sent me a photo of the back of the container so I could look into the matter further.  Surprisingly, the information on the label provides little about what ingredients make up the detergent.  They are listed as follows:

   "Ingredients:  100% anionic coconut kernel oil-based sulfactant, horsetail plant, coconut oil-based fabric softener, essential oils of magnolia and lily, purified water.  (This product is free from 1, 4 Dioxane)".

     GREAT, right?.  NO!.  No, that is NOT great.  The label of a company who claims to be environmentally conscious will not print what makes up their "coconut kernel oil-based surfactant" and "coconut oil-based fabric softener".  How do you, the consumer, know what you're getting by those broad generalizations?.  I would also like to know what printing, "This product is free from 1, 4 Dioxane" is supposed to accomplish?.  By reading the ingredients list, I see no ingredient which may produce that chemical bi-product.  

     I then went to http://www.ecos.com/ in search of the real ingredients list.  As you explore their website you will find all of the awards and recognition that they have recieved for their "Green Works".  Proudly they announce the following:

    "

• FIRST To eliminate 1,4 Dioxane, a carcinogen, from all products.
• FIRST To stop use of salts in all cleaners, an action necessary to protect water supplies.
• FIRST To eliminate Formaldehyde, a pernicious toxin.
• FIRST / ONLY To introduce a patented neutral pH automatic dishwashing product, WAVE® Gel.
• TOP SELLING Green Laundry product worldwide, ECOS® laundry detergent.
• ONLY Green manufacturer with plants strategically located in 5 regions.
• FIRST To generate more than 50% of our plant electrical needs by using solar panels.
• FIRST In sustainability.
• ONLY Green primary manufacturing company. We're a one-link supply chain. We don't contract our manufacturing to others. We control the entire process. We respond to new research and customer preferences immediately".

     Great again, right?.  It would be if it weren't so difficult to find their "Ingredients List" on-line.  At the bottom left of the page beside the "Products" Tab, there is another Tab listed "Ingredients List".  It reads as follows:

      "Ecos Magnolia and Lily Liquid Laundry Detergent

          Water
          Cocamidopropyl Betaine (coconut based surfactant)
          Sodium Coco Sulphate (coconut based surfactant)
          Cocamidopropylamine Oxide (coconut based surfactant)
          Phenoxyethanol (Preservative)
          Natural Fragrance Mixture
          Methylisothiazolinone (Preservative)
          Equisetum Hiemale (Horsetail Plant)"                                    

       I am familiar with the Coconut based surfactants that they use.  Amongst the new wave of toxin free personal body care and household cleaning products, they are what makes them much more environmentally friendly.  There were only two ingredients which raised my eyebrows,  "Methylisothiazolinone", "Phenoxyethanol", and the generic, "Natural Fragrance Mixture".

     Phenoxyethanol is an organic chemical compound, a glycol ether often used in dermatological products such as skin creams and sunscreen.  This ingredient starts out as phenol, a toxic white crystalline powder that’s created from benzene (a known carcinogen) and then is treated with our good friend, ethylene oxide (which as we know from how SELS is created, the bi-product of Dioxane is a result) and an alkalai 2. It is a colorless oily liquid. It is a bactricide and is used in many applications such as cosmetics, vaccines and pharmaceuticals as a preservative.  It is also used as a fixative for perfumes, insect repellents, a topical antiseptic, a solvent for cellulose acetate, some dyes, inks; and, a resin in preservatives, pharmaceuticals, and in organic synthesis. It is moderately soluble in water. It is used as an anesthetic in the aquaculture of some fish 1. 

     The Food and Drug Administration has warned that the chemical is toxic to infants via ingestion, and "can depress the central nervous system and may cause vomiting and diarrhea." Combined with Chlorphenesin, these two chemicals can cause respiratory depression in infants.  Since these chemicals are often present in cosmetics and lotions applied to the hands and are easily ingested, caution should be exercised 1.

     The European Union's Classification and Labeling Commission has identified this substance as a skin, eye, and lung irritant and is particularly toxic if swallowed or used on the lips.  It is not listed on Environment Canada's ingredient "Hot List" as it is not suspected to be bio-accumulative or persistent3.

     Methylisothiazolinone or MIT or MI, sometimes erroneously called methylisothiazoline, is a powerful biocide and preservative in personal care products.  While this ingredient has been proven to, in doses higher than 1.9%, proven to be a skin irritant and to trigger allergies.  However, "A report released by the European Scientific Committee on Cosmetic Products and Non-Food Products Intended for Consumers (SCCNFP) in 2003 concluded that insufficient information was available to allow for an adequate risk assessment analysis of MIT. In 2004, after receiving additional studies, committee said "The SCCNFP is of the opinion that the proposed use of Methylisothiazolinone as a preservative at a maximum concentration of 0.01% (100 ppm) in the finished cosmetic product does not pose a risk to the health of the consumer 4."

      It is a substitute for Phenoxyethanol and preservatives which are Formaldehyde releasing.   According to Health Canada's Cosmetic Ingredient "Hot List" Methylisothiazolinone is, "Permitted at concentrations equal to or less than 0.0015% (15 μg/mL or 15 ppm) in rinse-off products and 0.00075% (7.5 μg/mL or 7.5 ppm) in leave-on products". 

       Last, but not least, the only ingredient left to rule out is the "Natural Fragrance".  As per my previous post warning about the effects of Phthalates and the harm of artificial fragrances, fragrance enhancers, and supressors; I did contact Ecos as to whether or not their product's "Natural Fragrances" are synthetic, or truly from essential oils and organic in nature and origin.

      I contacted them 48 hours ago, and I am still awaiting a response.  I suspect I will hear nothing from them, as has been the way with Coastal Classic Creations and Onesta (more on them in another post).  It seems as though this company does not stand behind it's product enough to answer a very simple question:  What are the origins of your fragrance?.

     Due to the fact that Ecos does not provide full disclosure of it's ingredients on the back of the package and that they did not respond to my e-mail regarding my inquiry into their fragrance; I would do my best to avoid this company and this product.  I believe in FULL disclosure of the ingredients by every manufacturer of personal care and house hold cleaning products.  The only way for us to change this in our consumer culture is to stop purchasing from companies like this one and find others who better reflect our standards.