Product Review Friday: 365 Everyday Value Body Lotion

It’s not often that I leave Whole Paycheck Foods saying “What a deal!” but I did just that earlier this week. I was looking for a body lotion and while many of the lotions on the shelf were way too pricey (some more than $16 for a smallish bottle), Whole Foods 365 Everyday Value Body Lotion was on sale for just $3.89 for a 32 ounce bottle. This should last me a while!

The bottle itself is #2 HDPE, easily recycled in most communities. It is also made from 50% post-consumer recycled content, another strong plus. A few other good things about this product:

• It was not tested on animals
• It does not contain parabens (an ingredient linked to cancer, reproductive problems, and endocrine disruption)
• It does not contain fragrance (I chose the fragrance free version)
• It does not include artificial color or unnecessary chemicals
• It does not contain animal ingredients

So let’s look at what is in this product so we can see whether this is as good of a product as the label may lead you to believe. Ingredients include: Water, Brassica Campestris Oleifera (Rapseed Oil), Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Benzyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Xanthan Gum, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame Seed Oil), Sodium Citrate, Lecithin, Dehydroacetic Acid, Panthenol, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba Seed Oil), Allantoin, Tocopherol (Vitamin E).

Of these ingredients, two are cause for concern:

• PEG-100 Stearate – an emulsifier and skin softener. Products containing this ingredient may contain 1,4-dioxane, an animal carcinogen and probable human carcinogen, and a “dirty dozen” ingredient found in personal care products.
• Benzyl Alcohol – an aromatic alcohol found in a slew of personal care products. The Cosmetics Database lists this ingredient as a moderate hazard, and the EU classifies it as harmful. It is a known neurotoxin.

Bottom line: The price is right for this product and I find it adequate as a moisturizer on my body but not my hands, which tend to be dry. I’m concerned about the presence of PEG-100 Stearate and would prefer a product that does not contain ingredients that produce 1,4-dioxane. Finally, some of the ingredients, such as lecithin, glycerin, and cetyl alcohol, can be derived from animals as well as plants. If you are looking for products without animal ingredients, you may want to find out the source of these ingredients in other products.

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