Laundry detergent and your skin

Usually I don’t have to address laundry detergent with patients. Most patients have already “tried that” prior to arriving at the dermatologist office.  But, my recent social media feed has been busting with “information” in the form of ads about the harmful effects of laundry detergent.

As a general measure, I personally use, and recommend, doing scent free products for laundry and beyond.  I usually recommend one of the “Free” laundry detergents.  Free of dyes, perfumes, etc.  Most of the major brands have similar products in both laundry detergent and fabric softener.  To be more specific I usually use All Free and Clear or Tide Free and Gentle and Bounce Free.  These products have the seal of approval from the National Eczema Association, National Psoriasis Foundation and carry the Safer Choice EPA standard seal. 

But recently I have been seeing a ton of ads that say that standard laundry products contain a cancer causing ingredient, namely 1,4-dioxane.  What’s that all about?  Time to do some research.

1,4-dioxane is a chemical by-product, meaning it is usually not actually listed in the ingredients.  Confusing right?  It somehow occurs when specific sudsing ingredients interact with each other.  So, it can be present in more than laundry detergents, including shampoos, liquid cleansers and household cleaners.  The actual main ingredients to look for are sodium laurETH sulfate ( its the ETH ending you are looking for) and polyethylene glycol, which are in a ton of products. UGH!

As far as its carcinogenicity, 1,4- dioxane is listed as a “likely or probable” carcinogen based on animal studies that showed increased risk of liver and nasal cancer in rats.  However, the bigger overall health concern and studies aren’t from skin absorption, but instead from ground water contamination leading to 1,4-dioxane in our water supply.  There are no federal regulations on 1,4-dioxane, however, many states have enacted legislation.  

If it’s not listed in the ingredients, how do you know for sure?  It’s really hard.  New York passed legislation that requires companies to include 1,4 dioxane concentration on their labels and limited to 1 part per million (ppm) for cosmetics and 2 ppm for cleaners, which is the lower limit of detection in many tests.  (1 ppm is equal to 1000 micrograms per liter).

The EPA set a suggested limit of 0.35 micrograms per liter in drinking water, but this is a suggestion not enforceable.  Of the states that have limitations, they vary from the lowest in Massachusetts on 0.3 and the highest in Michigan at 7.2. The state of WV has legislation introduced in 2026, but does not yet have limits set.

So how do you choose products to avoid exposure and protect our environment? USDA certified organic products should not contain 1,4-dioxane at all.  Also, as many states have placed limitations and public awareness is growing, some products carry the Safer Choice EPA seal.  

According to their website, about 2000 products currently contain the EPA Safer Choice seal.  To obtain the designation, each ingredient is reviewed and “must meet strict safety criteria for both human health and the environment, including carcinogenicity, reproductive/developmental toxicity, toxicity to aquatic life and persistence in the environment.” However, this seal does not guarantee a product to be free of 1,4-dioxane.

So, to answer my original burning question, do I need to switch my laundry detergent?  For me, no, but everyone has their own standards.  For me the EPA Safer Choice seal is enough, and that can be found on both All Free and Clear and Tide Free and Gentle. Both of their websites that they meet the New York State limitations which are the only and strictest regulations on products. 

How about you?  Have you wondered about your laundry detergent?  What alternatives have you explored?