NGOs Call on US Firm to Reveal Chemicals in Feminine Products

A group of 25 NGOs has published an open letter calling on US cleaning products company Prestige Brands to eliminate what campaigners claim are toxic chemicals and disclose all ingredients in its Summer's Eve feminine hygiene products.

Outlined in the letter are the various ingredients that the NGOs say are of concern in the wipes and washes, including what they claim to be carcinogens, unknown fragrance ingredients, allergens and suspected endocrine disruptors.

The letter is the latest effort in a campaign run by Women's Voices for the Earth (WVE) to increase transparency about what it says are potentially harmful chemicals used in feminine hygiene products.

The ingredients of concern to the NGOs are:

> preservatives methylparaben and propylparaben – propylparaben was restricted in cosmetics in the EU in 2016. Methylparaben is a suspected endocrine disruptor;

> octoxynol-9 – a contraceptive drug which could affect fertility;

> preservative 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol – releases formaldehyde, which is known to be carcinogenic;

> dyes ext. violet 2 and red 33 – the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) restricts their use in products that come in contact with mucous membranes;

> dye FD&C yellow 5 – requires a specific safety warning regarding allergic reactions in products used vaginally;

> Neutresse – a trademark odour control ingredient with unknown health effects; and

> fragrance.

"Fragrance can be made up of potentially hundreds of different ingredients, many of which are linked to serious health problems from skin irritation to hormone disruption and breast cancer," the NGOs say in their letter.

There has been a recent trend for voluntary disclosure of fragrance in consumer products online. Personal care brands Procter & Gamble (P&G) and Unilever US, are among those that have committed to publishing either their products' fragrance ingredients or allergens on their websites.

'Abides to Regulations'

The letter urges Prestige Brands – which markets and distributes over-the-counter healthcare and household cleaning products – to "eliminate the presence of ingredients and contaminants linked to cancer, reproductive toxicity, endocrine disruption and other serious health problems" and conduct additional product screening "to ensure safety of use on mucous membranes".

In response, Prestige Brands' senior vice president of science and technology, Jean Bokyo, wrote to the NGOs saying Summer's Eve "abides by all FDA rules and regulations regarding feminine care products, as well as guidelines and procedures outlined by the Cosmetic Ingredients Review (CIR) and strictly adheres to over-the-counter (OTC) standards."

The company's letter goes on to say that Summer's Eve products are "free from alcohol, formaldehyde and harsh chemicals."

"We conduct extensive hypoallergenic and irritation tests during development and only market products which have been clinically proven safe and that meet our strict standards," it adds.

However, Erin Switalsk, executive director for WVE, told Chemical Watch that it was unclear what the term "harsh chemicals" referred to.

"One chemical we noticed on their washes is methylisothiazolinone, a chemical that received the honour of 'allergen of the year' in 2013 from the American Contact Dermatitis Society," she said. "2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol is a preservative used in several Summer's Eve wipes, including one product labeled 'Simply Sensitive.’' It releases formaldehyde, so it's disingenuous for them to state their products are formaldehyde-free."

She added that the NGO would be "pushing for a conversation with Prestige, to talk about our concerns."

Prestige Brands has not yet responded to Chemical Watch's request for comment.

Wider action

Last year, a US House of Representatives committee urged the FDA to respond to an NGO petition filed in 2015, asking them to develop guidance for manufacturers on the appropriate use of colourants in feminine washes.

Meanwhile, Grace Meng and Carolyn Maloney (both D–New York) reintroduced the Menstrual Products Right to Know Act (HR 2416) in the House of Representatives in May 2017, after failing to gain traction in Congress in 2016.

The act would seek to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem as misbranded any menstrual product that does not bear a label listing the name of each ingredient or component, in order of predominance.

Ms Maloney also reintroduced a separate bill (HR 2379) that would direct the National Institute of Health (NIH) to research the risks posed by the presence of dioxin, chlorine, colourants, dyes, preservatives, fragrances and other chemicals used in feminine care products.

HR 2379 was referred to the subcommittee on health in April 2017 and HR 2416 in December 2017.