What’s in Your Shower? Clean Swaps for Every Product
What’s in Your Shower? Clean Swaps for Every Product

Most adults shower daily, which results in a significant amount of skin, body, and haircare products coming into contact with their skin and being washed down the drain.

We also breathe in fragrances and other ingredients from these products, making choosing clean & natural brands a wise choice for a low-tox lifestyle.

But where do you start? And how do you choose clean products that are comparable to your old standbys?

You start here, with these clean, natural, and affordable shower swaps for face, hair, and body.

Ingredients to Avoid in Hair, Skin, & Body Care Products

Most people don’t recognize the majority of ingredients in an average bottle of shampoo.

This can be the case for both natural and synthetic products, as most use ingredients that the average non-chemist or formulator isn’t familiar with.

Fortunately, you don’t need to memorize thousands of ingredients to know what to watch out for.

Here’s a short list of some of the more toxic or potentially toxic ingredients to humans and the environment to avoid in hair, skin, & body care products.

Synthetic Fragrance 

Synthetic fragrance is one of the world’s top allergens and can contain dozens of ingredients per signature formula, none of which are required to be disclosed on labels.

Some of the most disturbing are endocrine-disruptors like phthalates, which have been linked to hormone-driven cancers, reproductive disease, developmental issues in children, obesity, asthma, and more, as well as VOCs, which can mix with ozone in the air, creating even more airborne toxins.

Emerging research also suggests some fragrance chemicals may be linked to early puberty in girls.

Bottom line: avoid synthetic fragrance labels and opt for fragrance-free products or those scented with natural essential oils or natural fragrances.

Harsh Surfactants, Like Sulfates

Surfactants are essential in shampoos, conditioners, and body washes to create foam, add thickness, condition hair, moisturize, and lift away dirt and oil.

Some surfactants are very safe, such as natural soap and decyl- or cocoglucoside. 

However, others are much harsher, including sodium laurel sulfate, which has been linked to skin irritation and eye damage, and sodium laureth sulfate, which may be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, a human carcinogen and environmental pollutant.

Harsh, synthetic surfactants also pose a problem for aquatic life, as they deplete ecosystems of oxygen, leading to algae blooms and the death of fish and other wildlife or plants.

Fortunately, there are many mild and environmentally friendly natural and plant-derived surfactants appropriate for all skin types.

Formaldehyde-Releasing Preservatives

Formaldehyde? In your shower products? It’s a real possibility.

Although formaldehyde is a known carcinogen, it’s also an effective preservative, and is used extensively in skin, haircare, and personal care products as well as cleaning products.

Formaldehyde-based preservatives release this chemical slowly to help impede the growth of mold and bacteria in your shower products.

Unfortunately, this means we receive a small dose of formaldehyde exposure every time we use these products, which is absorbed through our skin and lungs.

Formaldehyde is also highly toxic to aquatic life, wildlife, and insects, and is a major air pollutant.

No thanks!

To make matters more complicated, manufacturers do not list “formaldehyde” on the label, so you have to know what to look for.

Here are some of the formaldehyde-releasing preservatives to avoid in your shower products (and others as well):

  • Diazolidinyl urea
  • Imidazolidinyl urea
  • DMDM hydantoin
  • Auaternium-15
  • 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol (aka: bronopol)
  • Sodium hydroxylmethylglycinate

Antibacterial Soaps and Bodywashes

Antibacterial soaps were once all the rage. 

However, we now know that using harsh antibacterial chemicals, like the mostly banned triclosan, impede the body’s microbiome, can disrupt thyroid hormones, and possibly lead to the proliferation of superbugs.

Unfortunately, triclosan is still used in some antibacterial shampoos.

Follow the advice of health authorities, unless you have a bacterial skin or scalp infection and have been prescribed an antibacterial product; plain old soap and water work just fine to remove germs safely and effectively.

Parabens

Although many brands have gone paraben-free, you still have to watch out for these preservatives in synthetic and even some “natural” shampoos, conditioners, facial cleansers, and body care products.

Parabens are endocrine disruptors linked to the disruption of male and female reproductive hormones as well as thyroid hormones, which can be problematic at any time but especially during pregnancy.

They remain on the market because they are cheap and very effective at extending shelf life. Fortunately, safer preservatives are now available, making it easier to avoid parabens than it was a decade or two ago.

Fortunately, parabens are clearly labeled as methylparaben, propylparaben, and so on, making them easy to spot.

Petroleum Products

Unfortunately, many types of surfactants and conditioning agents are derived from petroleum, which is detrimental to the environment.

Some of these begin with the words “poly” or “PEG’, as well as SLS and SLES, ammonium lauryl sulfate (ALS), ammonium laureth sulfate (ALES), mineral oil, and propylene glycol.

You also need to watch out for exfoliating body washes, as some contain microbeads made from plastic, which is derived from petroleum.

Fortunately, there has been a shift towards fewer petroleum products in shampoos, conditioners, and body washes, but it still pays to check the label and look for plant-derived ingredients.

PFAS

Also known as “forever chemicals,” PFAS are best known for their presence in non-stick cookware, but they are also used in skin, body, and haircare products to create a smooth, sleek finish, enhance texture, and extend shelf life by repelling water.

PFAS are a real problem because they’ve been linked to immune issues, cancer, thyroid disease, increased cholesterol levels, changes in liver enzymes, lower antibody response to certain vaccines, and pregnancy-induced hypertension and congenital abnormalities.

Plus, they degrade very slowly in the environment, causing many of the same ill health effects in aquatic and wildlife, as they seep into our waterways and aquifers.

Ingredients to watch out for include:

  • PTFE
  • Anything starting with “perfluor” or “polyfluor”

Clean Shower Swaps: Shampoo, Conditioner, Body Wash, Facial Cleansers

Now that you know some of the worst ingredients to avoid, let’s explore some safer, cleaner, and more environmentally friendly swaps.

Clean Shampoos

The Desert Essence Shampoo collection is made with nourishing plant and botanical ingredients such as aloe vera, organic green tea, organic jojoba oil, organic coconut oil, organic comfrey, tea tree oil, yucca, and kelp, as well as plant-derived, ultra-gentle surfactants like coco- and decylglucoside.

All our shampoos are free from harsh surfactants, petroleum products, synthetic fragrance, PFAS, parabens, triclosan, and formaldehyde donors.

We offer a wide variety of shampoos for every hair type including:

Shop our full line of clean shampoos here.

Clean Conditioners

Like our shampoos, Desert Essence conditioners are free from harmful chemicals and contain natural, botanically-based oils and butters that moisturize, protect, and condition your hair without weighing it down.

They’re also affordable and a little goes a long way!

Some of our most popular natural conditioners include:

Shop Clean Conditioners here.

Natural Body Wash

A high-quality natural body wash will leave your whole body feeling clean, silky, and refreshed.

Desert Essence’s Cruelty-Free Body Washes come in fragrance-free or natural scents and are formulated with ultra-gentle, plant-derived surfactants, such as coco- and decylglucoside, along with botanicals to nourish, moisturize, and gently exfoliate.

Bonus: they’re also rich enough for shaving.

Shop All Natural Body Washes Here.

Natural Bar Soap

Bar soaps are the ultimate OG eco-friendly way to clean your body and face, minus the waste.

At Desert Essence, our vegan bar soaps rival our body washes in terms of quality ingredients, fun and natural scents, and a smooth, silky, residue-free skin feel.

They’re also crafted using 100% RSPO-certified sustainably harvested palm oil, non-GMO Project Verified ingredients, and are free from harsh chemicals.

Some favorite clean bar soaps to try include:

Shop all Desert Essence bar soaps here.

Clean Facial Cleansers

Put your best face forward while showering with our botanical-based facial cleansers, suitable for all skin types.

These cleansers are free from the harsh ingredients mentioned previously, but super-effective for hydrating, calming, revitalizing, and clarifying the skin.

Here they are based on skin type:

Shop All Desert Essence Natural Facial Cleansers here. 

Want to Know More About Desert Essence Ingredients?

At Desert Essence, we are committed to formulating clean, plant-derived, ethically sourced skin, hair, body, and oral care products to support your healthy lifestyle.

We also want you to understand what you’re putting on your face, body, and in your mouth (oral care products).

That’s why we created our online ingredient glossary, so you know exactly what you’re getting in our products. Check it out here.

For more information about animal testing, ingredients, and company values, please visit our FAQ page.

References Mentioned in This Article:

  • “Fragrance”. ScienceDirect. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/fragrance 
  • INDOOR AIR QUALITY: Scented Products Emit a Bouquet of VOCs. Environmental Health Perspectives.
  • “Certain chemicals may trigger early puberty in girls”. National Institutes of Health.
  • “Human and Environmental Toxicity of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS): Evidence for Safe Use in Household Cleaning Products”. Environ Health Insights.
  • “Formaldehyde and Cancer Risk”. National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute.
  • “Aquatic Life Fact Sheet for Formaldehyde: (Aquatic Life - acute concentration), Indiana Department of Environmental Management.” Environmental Protection Agency.
  • “Committee on Toxicology. Formaldehyde - An Assessment of Its Health Effects”. Washington (DC): National Academies Press.
  • “Formaldehyde. In: WHO Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality: Selected Pollutants”. Geneva: World Health Organization.
  • “Facts About Formaldehyde”. The Environmental Protection Agency.
  • “Associations of maternal exposure to triclosan, parabens, and other phenols with prenatal maternal and neonatal thyroid hormone levels”. Environmental Research.
  • “Skip the Antibacterial Soap; Use Plain Soap and Water”. US Food and Drug Administration.
  • “Parabens as chemicals of emerging concern in the environment and humans: A review”. Science of The Total Environment.
  • “Potential human health effects of perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs)”. National Collaborating Center for Environmental Health.
  • “How PFAS Impacts Your Health”. Centers for Disease Control.
  • “Environmental impacts, exposure pathways, and health effects of PFOA and PFOS” Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety.
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