Some of the leading natural personal care products took a media hit recently as tests from the Organic Consumers Association listed them as containing small amounts of dioxane, a bi-product of a chemical process used to soften harsh ingredients.  While the European Union has already banned the product from use, the U.S. FDA has determined that the levels of dioxane in cosmetics do not pose a hazard to consumers.  Several groups have come forward to disagree including the National Toxicology Agency and the Organic and Sustainable Industry Standards committee.  In a recent article in Natural Foods Merchandiser's website, Gay Timmons, the chairwoman for OASIS indicated that the dioxane danger is not news and that if the ingredients list includes ethoxylated ingredients, dioxane is present. 

The moral of the story?  Read the ingredients list and don't assume products are healthy just because they are in the 'green' section or come from a traditionally natural or organic company.   Look for personal care products that are certified organic by the USDA or Germany's certifying groups.  Virtually all such certified products have been found to be dioxane free.

Source: www.naturalfoodsmerchandiser.com