Live for Tomorrow products are 1,4-dioxane free

In formulating Live for Tomorrow products, we take great efforts to ensure we only source the best ingredients. To this end, all ingredients used in all Live for Tomorrow products are free  from Live for Tomorrow products are 1,4-dioxane free.

Why is this a problem?

1,4-dioxane (sometimes referred to as dioxane) is found in many products from personal care to laundry detergent, but it’s not an intentionally-added ingredient. It’s a contaminant that’s created when certain common ingredients are mixed together.

1,4-dioxane is an expected contaminant from a process called ethoxylation, when ethylene oxide is added to other ingredients to make them less harsh. A good example of this is sodium lauryl sulfate, which is harsh on skin. It’s often ethoxylated to convert it to sodium laureth sulfate; 1,4-dioxane is created in the process and contaminates the Sodium Laureth Sulphate.

Why is Ethoxylation used?

When it comes to cleaning, ethoxylated fatty alcohols are the good stuff, beating conventional soap in cleaning power while being gentle on skin and clothes.  They and their foamy, sulfated cousins are the chemical backbone of the cleaning and personal care industries. These biodegradable workhorse surfactants have polar heads and long, nonpolar tails. As is the case with soap, this structural motif lets them play the intermediary between greasy substances and watery ones, binding emulsions together in a lipstick or helping a dish detergent wash away butter.

Is there a Health Concern?

 The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) calls dioxane "a likely human carcinogen" that "does not readily biodegrade in the environment". Growing worries about dioxane are forcing makers to adapt. 

Changing Legal environment

USA: New York State has introduced into law, a timetable to reduce Dioxane in products, and California is evaluating, with changes likely to come in force in 2022. The New York state law calls for no more than 10 ppm of 1,4-dioxane in cosmetics and no more than 2 ppm in personal care and cleaning products starting Dec. 31, 2022. The limit for personal care and cleaning products drops further, to 1 ppm, at the end of 2023. 

Canada: Meanwhile, in Canada:

"1,4-Dioxane is on the Health Canada's Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist, which is the list of ingredients that are intended to be prohibited or restricted for use in cosmetics, including many personal care products. Under Canadian legislation, cosmetics that contain substances that are harmful to the user cannot be sold. 

1,4-Dioxane is not a concern for the environment or human health at current levels of exposure. However, Canadians are reminded when using any product, to carefully follow any safety warnings and directions."

Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/chemical-substances/challenge/batch-7/1-4-dioxane.html