I wanted to start doing a series on ingredients – what are the ingredients that I try to avoid, and why do I avoid them – using this also as a learning experience for me to do even more research into the why and the science.

So starting with Phthalates because a friend of mine mentioned she saw an article about them and shampoo… let’s dive in!

  1. What are Phthalates?
    • They are defined as a group of chemicals to make plastics more durable, otherwise known as “plasticizers.”
    • Some can be used to dissolve other materials
    • They can be in a variety of things, from personal care items like shampoo, conditioner, soaps, nail polish etc
    • They can also be in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics which are used in things like plastic packaging, shower curtains, IV or medical tubing, and vinyl flooring.
    • What are other names for them that you can look for on labels? (I am trying to find more sources to double check these names other than this article I linked – will add if I find it!)
      • BPA (bisphenol A)
      • DBP (di-n-butyl phthalate)
      • MBP (mono-n-butyl phthalate)
      • MiBP (mono isobutyl phthalate)
      • DNOP (di-n-octyl phthalate)
      • DiNP (diisononyl phthalate)
      • DEP (diethyl phthalate)
      • BBzP (benzyl butyl phthalate)
      • DEHP (di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate)
      • MEHP (mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate)
      • DiDP (diisodecyl phthalate)
      • DnHP (di-n-hexyl phthalate)
      • DMP (dimethyl phthalate)
      • DnOP (di-n-octyl phthalate)
  2. So what’s the deal – why are they bad?
    • They are known endocrine disrupters
    • Per the EWG – they are linked to decreased sperm count and motility in men, as well as genital and reproductive abnormalities in baby boys. They even say that sperm counts have been noted to be dropping since the 1940s!? I need to find out more on this –
    • They also say that recently there have been links to asthma and allergies
    • Per the CDC, back in 2003-2004 as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), they tested urine from over 2,600 people ages 6 and up and found 13 phthalate metabolites (phthalates that have been ingested and broken down by the body into metabolites and excreted in the urine)! This was published in the Fourth National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals.
      • From this same link – CDC researchers have found metabolites in the urine of the general population, and adult women have higher amounts of metabolites from personal care products than men… which honestly isn’t surprising being that we typically use way more products per day on average then our male counterparts.
      • This link also says just because they found metabolites it doesn’t mean that the levels were harmful – and more research is needed to know the impact on humans from low level phthalate exposure, which was shown to affect the reproductive system in animals.
  3. How are you exposed?
    • Kitchen – plastic storage containers, plastic wrap, takeout containers, plastic bottles. Avoid microwaving in plastic! The phthalates I think can leach into your food! I usually only microwave anything in silicone or glass.
    • Toys – phthalates apparently are what make vinyl PVC toys soft – think of all the baby toys out there, all the teethers, binkies, bath toys etc and how our babies are CONSTANTLY exploring with their hands and mouth – everything they touch ends up in their mouth at some point. According to that CDC article some ortho-phthalates have been banned but not sure what else is being used in all the plastic toys and things!
    • Bathroom – aerosol sprays, shampoo & conditioner, hair spray, nail polish (specifically Dibutyl Phthalate or DBP), fragrance/perfumes, face and body creams/lotions etc the list goes on – the phthalates help stabilize the formulas and enhance what they do – stiffness in hairspray, strength/anti-chipping of nail polish, increase scent on fragrances. And these things all get absorbed through the skin and into the body!
    • Also your shower curtain liner! – I recently purchased a new plastic one on Amazon not even thinking about it – the usual clear ones – and realized my mistake when the off-gassing was AWFUL! We couldn’t even walk into the bathroom it smelled so bad. I immediately returned it and bought a material one which I’ll have below in the alternatives.
  4. Here’s some safer swaps we can make:
    • Kitchen
      • Store food and leftovers in glass when possible (which makes them better for microwaving as well), drink from glass or stainless steel, use reusable water bottles and coffee tumblers made from stainless steel or glass (this is also an eco-friendly, reduce-your-plastic-use kinda tip too!). Most glass containers still have plastic lids I’ve found though – if anyone has any recommendations on glass food storage containers they love let me know in the comments!
      • I imagine plastic cooking utensils also have phthalates in them, I don’t know for sure, but we mainly use silicone and wood ones here and the plastic ones for serving or scooping and less often used.
      • Plastic wrap – I also have this in my drawer currently for parties etc – I try to use aluminum foil when I can (recycled I tried, it’s not as good but doable), and I also have tried those beeswax sheets, I haven’t had much success with them sealing anything – have you tried? Let me know your thoughts or if there is a brand you’ve had success with?
      • I recently picked up these food huggers from Thrive Market for the ends of half cut up fruit and veggies and they work decently well! I also got the avocado one! Looks like they also make some bags!
      • Use silicone storage bags instead of your usual zip-locks such as Stasher bags – they work really well but they are a little pricey at first. Grab them on a good sale and add as you need them. I love the triangle shaped ones with the base that stands upright! There are other companies popping up now too which is great but I haven’t tried any yet!
      • I will admit I did buy zip-locks again recently – I needed the gallon size for an event and now have them sitting in the drawer for emergencies if needed. – Again, living on the cleaner side, not perfection here!
      • I did also just buy some paper “snack baggies” from Whole Foods. I’ll have to report back how effective they are.
      • for baby eating we use the ezpz sets and silverware and cups initially and then transitioned to the cutest little tumbler a friend of ours had so we had to get the cupkin cups (not spill proof I will note lol Dempsey likes to take a drink and casually toss them on the floor lol) and Pura straw bottle for on the go!
    • Bathroom swaps:
      • Making sure your shampoos & conditioners avoid phthalates (I love Innersense Organic Beauty although I rotate with Inahsi usually which is a little cheaper, but also contains phenoxyethanol, another chemical I want to do an ingredient spotlight on as it’s not something I have avoided entirely. I know many also avoid this preservative which is commonly found in many products including some green beauty). I also recently bought Alba shampoo/conditioner to take a break from Innersense as it is pricey, and I have used Avalon Organics and Andalou Naturals too (I keep those in the guest bathroom currently!).
      • Check your body washes, soap, shaving cream and hand soaps –
      • I love the EO Everyone 3-in-1 body wash in coconut lemon – it also has phenoxyethanol – again I have to do an ingredient spotlight on this but since I wash it off so quickly and love the smell and how it leaves my skin not dry – it’s a win for me!
      • Hand soaps I usually use EO (the apricot tangerine is my favorite but I haven’t been able to find it recently) or any fun looking one on Thrive Market, or sometimes ol’faithful Mrs. Meyers
      • Air freshener aerosol sprays – go for an essential oil spray like Poo-Pourri or Zum Mist (these are what I have in our bathrooms currently!).
      • If you are a perfume user, check the ingredients! I usually only do an essential oil roller if I even use them at all – I love the Morocco scent from Ollie and Max Soap Co and she specifically uses phthalate free fragrance oils. I got a sample of Heretic Parfum recently and it was the scent FLOR-GASM and it is DIVINE! But I just don’t wear fragrance daily so I haven’t purchased a full size.
      • Shower curtain liner alternative: I immediately returned the plastic one from Amazon and got a material one instead which is 100% polyester – this one specifically from Parachute Home. So far it has held up well and done the job and doesn’t have any discoloration or mold after a few months of use, it also has no wrinkles and sticks to the wall of the bathtub when in use which makes it super awesome!
      • Nail polish – I am going to do another post on this as I have a couple favorites I will compare – but look for those that say usually something like “7 free” or “10 free” chemical free nail polish – top brands I love so far are Dazzle Dry (pricey but dries legit in a couple minutes) and Olive & June (super fun brand and much more affordable but usual dry time and doesn’t last as long for me as Dazzle). There are others available at Target like Ella + Mia but I didn’t like this one.
      • Baby bath swaps – we use the Tubby Todd shampoo and body wash – the larger bottle has lasted us nearly a year! It works great bubbles up great too. We use their all over ointment and their sweet cheeks diaper paste too only overnight for some added protection. The tubby Todd honeysuckle bubble bath alone also smells amazing and I defin5want to reorder! They have a wonderful line of kids bath and body with clean ingredients. I’ve also tried Evereden brand I did a survey and got all the baby stuff for free! We were very disappointed with the packaging the shampoo bottle top broke on us multiple times and the bottles are really small for the price although the brand has great clean and fragrance free or very mild fragrance products so really good if your babe or mama have sensitive skin (they have really cool belly masks too which I’ve used! I didn’t try their belly oil though!)
    • Baby and kids toys – opt for less plastics in their toys, teethers, eating and drink containers, bottles, binkies etc – there are so many items that are out there that are plastic, but there are usually options made from silicone, wood, metal or glass. I personally tried a few silicone and glass bottles for my daughter but ended up with plastic ones because I desperately needed her to take a bottle when I went back to the office a few days a week and we found these specific Lansinoh bottles worked for her (despite my beautiful Mason Bottles and Comotomo bottles I had been trying!). Try to opt for cloth or wood, avoid PVC (polyvinyl chloride) if you can – it’s like nearly impossible to avoid plastic entirely, but we try to limit plastic toys and opt for silicones, wood and natural materials whenever possible!
    • Brands we love that try to use cleaner materials:
      • Lovevery – great play kits and play gym for babies and toddlers
      • Kiwico – great subscription kit for babies to older kids – my brother and sister-in-law gifted us a 6 month subscription for Dempsey and we’ve gotten 2 boxes so far and they wooden and material toys are SO CUTE and very nice quality
      • Cuddle + Kind – the cutest albeit pricey hand knit animal dolls – definitely wait for a sale or register for them! I also love that every doll purchased buys 10 meals for children in need.
      • Pikler Triangle set – we were gifted one for Dempsey’s birthday and although she’s not quite a climber yet this is going to be so fun for her to climb and play with! it’s a mini wood climbing gym! This is not the one we were gifted but shows you how to make your own if you’re handy like that!
      • Mushie – cute silicone feeding items and binkies and gorgeous neutral colored baby toys that are 100% free from BPA, PVC and phthalates.
    • Other ideas things that we also have mostly received as gifts and love! wooden musical instrument set, wooden blocks, silicone blocks too with shapes and numbers on them, wooden and metal xylophone/ball/hammer set, material tissue box and material tissues to sort and have different textures, wooden rainbow stacking toy, metal tea set.
    • We of course also have plastic toys! Not looking for perfection here but we try to avoid it where we can!
    • Now just need to get some sort of toy organization other than throwing it all in the large basket I bought at TJ Maxx lol.

Alright I think that is long enough for this post don’t you think? I spent way too long writing this I started this weeks ago! I hope this is helpful and informative. If i come across more information or studies come out I’ll add it to this article and announce the update for everyone! I hope this is helpful and informative! If you have any other ideas to share with everyone comment below! I’m always looking to learn!

What other questions do you have? Leave me a comment below or message me on instagram!

xo – Sarah