Bad Alcohol in Aubrey Organics Conditioner?

[nymane]

I'm confused and a little worried; on websites like vitacost, iherb, & vitamin shoppe the ingredients listed for AO Island Naturals Replenishing Conditioner are:


Ingredients: Coconut Fatty Acid Cream Base, Organic Aloe Vera, Wheat Germ Oil, Almond Protein; Extracts of Fennel, Hops, Balm Mint, Mistletoe, Camomile and Yarrow; Organic Coconut Milk, Jojoba Butter, Organic Shea Butter, Horsetail Extract, Coltsfoot Extract, Aubrey's Preservative (Citrus Seed Extract, Vitamins A, C and E), Vegetable Glycerin, Organic Rosemary Oil, Pimenta Leaf Oil, Allspice Powder, Organic Sage Oil, Carrot Oil.

Sounds good, until I read the ingredients listed on the bottle I received, which were:

Cetyl alcohol, alcohol denat. (38b lavender*), triticum vulgare (wheat) germ oil, prunus amygdalus dulcis (almond) oil, glycerin, aloe barbadensis (aloe) leaf juice*, pimenta acris (bay) leaf oil, pimenta dioica fruit extract, romarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf oil*, etcc..(there are about 20 other yummie ingredients)

Weird right?

the asterisk means it's from an organic source. Does this mean that alcohol as the 2nd ingredient is safe for hair?? TIA

 

[Neith]

From my own memory, that is one of the bad alcohols.

I wonder what's up with that... I hope they aren't changing formulas!

*Goes to check my HSR stash*

 

[nymane]

From my own memory, that is one of the bad alcohols.

I wonder what's up with that... I hope they aren't changing formulas!

*Goes to check my HSR stash*

Yea that's what I thought too...I'm just really hoping some of the experts say different :crossfingers:

 

[Neith]

http://community.babycenter.com/post/a650595/good_vs._bad_alcohol_in_hair_products


Yeah, it's one of the bad ones...

Short-chain alcohols

This group includes ethanol, SD alcohol, SD alcohol 40, Alcohol denat, Propanol, Propyl alcohol and Isopropyl alcohol.

These types of alcohols evaporate quickly due to their low molecular weight, and for this reason are often used as an additive to help decrease the time it takes for hair to dry. However, this can create dry, frizzy hair as it may cause the cuticle to be roughened and/or oil and water to be removed from the hair along with the alcohol (remember, these are often use as astringents for our skin for just this reason).

 

[nymane]

http://community.babycenter.com/post/a650595/good_vs._bad_alcohol_in_hair_products


Yeah, it's one of the bad ones...

Short-chain alcohols

This group includes ethanol, SD alcohol, SD alcohol 40, Alcohol denat, Propanol, Propyl alcohol and Isopropyl alcohol.

These types of alcohols evaporate quickly due to their low molecular weight, and for this reason are often used as an additive to help decrease the time it takes for hair to dry. However, this can create dry, frizzy hair as it may cause the cuticle to be roughened and/or oil and water to be removed from the hair along with the alcohol (remember, these are often use as astringents for our skin for just this reason).

Aww man, this really sucks...thank you for that!

 

[India*32]

I'm not surprised. AO didn't do anything for my relaxed and now natural hair. It smells nice, that's about it.

India

 

[msa]

I saw that on the AO GPB Lavender & Ylang-ylang. That's what they have to use to add the lavender scent. I've never looked at the Island Naturals bottle though so I don't know if that's normal or they changed it recently.

I have noticed that they seem to be making changes in their labeling so that they're not as deceptive so it may have been there all along but it wasn't obvious.

 

[Neith]

I saw that on the AO GPB Lavender & Ylang-ylang. That's what they have to use to add the lavender scent. I've never looked at the Island Naturals bottle though so I don't know if that's normal or they changed it recently.

I have noticed that they seem to be making changes in their labeling so that they're not as deceptive so it may have been there all along but it wasn't obvious.

That makes sense.

Dang... alcohol based fragrance as the second ingredient?

I have tried Island Naturals before. I don't think I wold have tried it if it had that alcohol in it. Man, they better not change honeysuckle rose. I love that conditioner.

I will hunt Aubrey down. Don't mess with my hair products.

 

[nymane]

That makes sense.

Dang... alcohol based fragrance as the second ingredient?

I have tried Island Naturals before. I don't think I wold have tried it if it had that alcohol in it. Man, they better not change honeysuckle rose. I love that conditioner.

I will hunt Aubrey down. Don't mess with my hair products.

I hear that I love HSR too...I wouldn't have picked it up if I had known, I guess the PJ in me is learning the hard way...I need to just stick to whats working and stop splurging

 

[*Muffin*]

This is news to me. Are these new formulations? I've had the Island Naturals before, and I neve saw Alcohol Denat in it . All my other AO conditioners (GPB, Honeysuckle Rose, and White Camellia) have coconut cream fatty acid base in them, not this alcohol. But the Blue Camomile conditioner has that alcohol in it, and my hair didn't like that conditioner at all.

 

[darlingdiva]

This is exactly why I read the ingredients of all products before purchasing--even those that I regularly use.

I use the regular AO GPB. I've seen the Ylang Ylang & Lavendar formulations, but I've ignored them. Now I know to continue doing so.

 

[Junebug D]

This is news to me. Are these new formulations? I've had the Island Naturals before, and I neve saw Alcohol Denat in it . All my other AO conditioners (GPB, Honeysuckle Rose, and White Camellia) have coconut cream fatty acid base in them, not this alcohol. But the Blue Camomile conditioner has that alcohol in it, and my hair didn't like that conditioner at all.

Same here. When I last had a bottle, it had that coconut fatty acid base too, not this alcohol. erplexed

 

[Angelicus]

This is not a new formulation. They have been putting natural grain alcohol in their conditioners since the 1960's. Personally, the alcohol does not dry out my hair at all. I've been using it for years without a problem. GPB is actually the best conditioner that I have ever used.

The "Coconut Fatty Acid Base" is a mixture of Cetyl Alcohol, Other fatty acids, and natural grain alcohol.

Btw, this is not the same alcohol that is used to make alcoholic drinks.

 

[nymane]

This is not a new formulation. They have been putting natural grain alcohol in their conditioners since the 1960's. Personally, the alcohol does not dry out my hair at all. I've been using it for years without a problem. GPB is actually the best conditioner that I have ever used.

The "Coconut Fatty Acid Base" is a mixture of Cetyl Alcohol, Other fatty acids, and natural grain alcohol.

Btw, this is not the same alcohol that is used to make alcoholic drinks.

Interesting, but don't you think there is a difference between the mixture of "coconut fatty acid base" and "alcohol denat.?" And what's the difference between natural grain alcohol and drying alcohols? Thanks

 

[isabella09]

Great post. Just checked my beloved AO HSR, it doesn't have alcohol denat inside. I shall be keeping a close eye on the ingredients list each time I purchase a new one.

 

[nymane]

^^ So far, out of my AO conditioner collection (which includes HSR, White Camellia, GPB, Island Naturals) Island Naturals is the only one I have with alcohol denat.

 

[isabella09]

^^ So far, out of my AO conditioner collection (which includes HSR, White Camellia, GPB, Island Naturals) Island Naturals is the only one I have with alcohol denat.

That's interesting as my GPB contains cetyl alcohol denat erplexed

 

[beana]

This explains why the GPB is so somtimey with my hair... Last time i used it my hair smelled great but was crunchy the next day.

 

[Angelicus]

Interesting, but don't you think there is a difference between the mixture of "coconut fatty acid base" and "alcohol denat.?" And what's the difference between natural grain alcohol and drying alcohols? Thanks

The ingredient "coconut fatty acid base" contains the bad alcohol, "alcohol denat." It is used as an anti-microbial ingredient and emulsifier. Every time you see "coconut fatty acid base," your Aubrey's conditioner will contain natural grain alcohol. "Coconut fatty acid base" is a mixture of several ingredients that they will not list in America. If you buy a bottle in the UK or an exclusive Whole Foods Scented one, it will list all of the ingredients, which is why the bottles seem to have different ingredients.

Natural grain alcohol is no different than the drying alcohols but my hair cannot tell the difference and I have been using Aubrey GPB Conditioner religiously since January (and all through 2004-2005). There are people that have been using Aubrey Conditioners for several years and their hair is gorgeous and long.

Repeat: All conditioners sold by Aubreys that has "coconut fatty acid base" as the first ingredient contains natural grain alcohol.

I wish I could find the link to the thread about the ingredients, as this topic was discussed a couple of years ago. Off to research.

 

[AfroKink]

I have a GPB bought form Whole Food in Canada almost 2 years ago. It has the "coconut fatty acid cream base". I've used their HSR and Island conditioners before and I'm pretty sure they said "coconut fatty acid cream base" too.

I bought Island Naturals on Wednesday from Whole Foods in the USA and it has the alcohols listed. I haven't used my new Island conditioner yet, but I'll wait until the verdict comes in on whether coconut fatty acid = 'bad alcohols'. I'm glad I keep my receipts as I will march the bottle back to them. It's been so long since I've used Aubrey's (2 years) so I don't remember how conditioning it is. My hair really doesn't need the help of an alcohol to dry itself out. I might need to find a new cone-free deep conditioner.

Lys

 

[AfroKink]

The ingredient "coconut fatty acid base" contains the bad alcohol, "alcohol denat." It is used as an anti-microbial ingredient and emulsifier. Every time you see "coconut fatty acid base," your Aubrey's conditioner will contain natural grain alcohol. "Coconut fatty acid base" is a mixture of several ingredients that they will not list in America. If you buy a bottle in the UK or an exclusive Whole Foods Scented one, it will list all of the ingredients, which is why the bottles seem to have different ingredients.

Natural grain alcohol is no different than the drying alcohols but my hair cannot tell the difference and I have been using Aubrey GPB Conditioner religiously since January (and all through 2004-2005). There are people that have been using Aubrey Conditioners for several years and their hair is gorgeous and long.

Repeat: All conditioners sold by Aubreys that has "coconut fatty acid base" as the first ingredient contains natural grain alcohol.

I wish I could find the link to the thread about the ingredients, as this topic was discussed a couple of years ago. Off to research.

Is this what those threads saying Aubrey's isn't really natural/organic are about?
Lys

I havent read them yet. When they came up I wasnt using Aubreys so I didn't take strong notice:
Controversy surrounding Aubrey Organics?
Aubrey Organics - not natural or organic

 

[tkj25]

from my understanding -- with aubrey products -- their "alcohol denat" is natural grain alcohol that has been denatured with lavendar essential oil. the alcohol serves as a carrying agent that aids in the absorbtion of the other ingredients in the product.

i wasn't aware of different labels until threads i saw here ... because all my bottles say coconut fatty acid cream base, lol ... but to me the different labels are more of a proprietary thing. in the u.s. they can list "coconut fatty acid cream base" which tells you what's in it, but doesn't give away their "secret mix". in other countries they have to be a little more explicit in their listing i.e. "cetyl alcohol, alcohol denat". but really the difference is cetyl alcohol & alcohol denat can be synthetically or naturally derived. i think they choose to use natural ingredients for both versus cheaper, synthetic, alternatives. also as a company i think they've shown a commitment to natural ingredients in their products.


http://www.aubrey-organics.com/custom.aspx?id=60#alcoholdenat

ALCOHOL DENAT. (38B, LAVENDER) — Especially denatured alcohol 38b is pure, natural grain alcohol that is rendered undrinkable by the addition of an essential oil. The federal government allows for several different types of essential oils to be used as denaturants under the SDA 38b classification. However, the preferred additive for the natural cosmetic industry is lavender. (See also Natural Grain Alcohol.)

NATURAL GRAIN ALCOHOL — Powerful antiseptic, naturally obtained through the fermenting of carbohydrates in grains. (Many cosmetic formulations contain isopropyl alcohol, a petrochemical that is much cheaper to use and very harsh and drying to the skin.) (See also Alcohol Denat. 38b, Lavender.)

http://www.cosmeticsinfo.org/ingredient_details.php?ingredient_id=503

Alcohol Denat.

What is it?
Alcohol, also called ethanol or ethyl alcohol, is the alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. When used in products that are not food, beverages or oral drugs, many countries, including the United States, require that alcohol be denatured. This means that a small amount of a denaturant is added to the alcohol to make it taste bad. Alcohol Denat. is the general name used for denatured alcohol.

Why is it used in cosmetics and personal care products?
Alcohol and Alcohol Denat. function as antifoaming agents, cosmetic astringents, solvents and viscosity decreasing agents. In OTC antimicrobial drug products, Alcohol also functions as an antimicrobial agent.

To prevent Alcohol intended to be used for purposes other than oral ingestion, many countries, including the United States, require that denaturants be added to Alcohol. The denaturant makes the alcohol taste bad. When a denaturant is added to alcohol it is called denatured alcohol or Alcohol Denat.

 

[Charz]

Dang you learn something new every day!

 

[nymane]

from my understanding -- with aubrey products -- their "alcohol denat" is natural grain alcohol that has been denatured with lavendar essential oil. the alcohol serves as a carrying agent that aids in the absorbtion of the other ingredients in the product.

i wasn't aware of different labels until threads i saw here ... because all my bottles say coconut fatty acid cream base, lol ... but to me the different labels are more of a proprietary thing. in the u.s. they can list "coconut fatty acid cream base" which tells you what's in it, but doesn't give away their "secret mix". in other countries they have to be a little more explicit in their listing i.e. "cetyl alcohol, alcohol denat". but really the difference is cetyl alcohol & alcohol denat can be synthetically or naturally derived. i think they choose to use natural ingredients for both versus cheaper, synthetic, alternatives. also as a company i think they've shown a commitment to natural ingredients in their products.


http://www.aubrey-organics.com/custom.aspx?id=60#alcoholdenat

ALCOHOL DENAT. (38B, LAVENDER) — Especially denatured alcohol 38b is pure, natural grain alcohol that is rendered undrinkable by the addition of an essential oil. The federal government allows for several different types of essential oils to be used as denaturants under the SDA 38b classification. However, the preferred additive for the natural cosmetic industry is lavender. (See also Natural Grain Alcohol.)

NATURAL GRAIN ALCOHOL — Powerful antiseptic, naturally obtained through the fermenting of carbohydrates in grains. (Many cosmetic formulations contain isopropyl alcohol, a petrochemical that is much cheaper to use and very harsh and drying to the skin.) (See also Alcohol Denat. 38b, Lavender.)

http://www.cosmeticsinfo.org/ingredient_details.php?ingredient_id=503

Alcohol Denat.

What is it?
Alcohol, also called ethanol or ethyl alcohol, is the alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. When used in products that are not food, beverages or oral drugs, many countries, including the United States, require that alcohol be denatured. This means that a small amount of a denaturant is added to the alcohol to make it taste bad. Alcohol Denat. is the general name used for denatured alcohol.

Why is it used in cosmetics and personal care products?
Alcohol and Alcohol Denat. function as antifoaming agents, cosmetic astringents, solvents and viscosity decreasing agents. In OTC antimicrobial drug products, Alcohol also functions as an antimicrobial agent.

To prevent Alcohol intended to be used for purposes other than oral ingestion, many countries, including the United States, require that denaturants be added to Alcohol. The denaturant makes the alcohol taste bad. When a denaturant is added to alcohol it is called denatured alcohol or Alcohol Denat.

The ingredient "coconut fatty acid base" contains the bad alcohol, "alcohol denat." It is used as an anti-microbial ingredient and emulsifier. Every time you see "coconut fatty acid base," your Aubrey's conditioner will contain natural grain alcohol. "Coconut fatty acid base" is a mixture of several ingredients that they will not list in America. If you buy a bottle in the UK or an exclusive Whole Foods Scented one, it will list all of the ingredients, which is why the bottles seem to have different ingredients.

Natural grain alcohol is no different than the drying alcohols but my hair cannot tell the difference and I have been using Aubrey GPB Conditioner religiously since January (and all through 2004-2005). There are people that have been using Aubrey Conditioners for several years and their hair is gorgeous and long.

Repeat: All conditioners sold by Aubreys that has "coconut fatty acid base" as the first ingredient contains natural grain alcohol.

I wish I could find the link to the thread about the ingredients, as this topic was discussed a couple of years ago. Off to research.

Very very helpful...thanks ladies! Aubrey Organics hasn't done me wrong yet so I won't worry too much

 

[msa]

Thanks Angelicus and Tkj for the explanations. I know it's been talked about on here before.

Basically, if AO has been working for you up til now it should still be working because the ingredients weren't changed, AO has just recently become more transparent about their labeling. I *think* it might be because Whole Foods became a little more stringent about their policies (since they heavily promote them), but I'm not sure.

 

[*Muffin*]

Same here. When I last had a bottle, it had that coconut fatty acid base too, not this alcohol. erplexed

I hope Aubrey's not selling out. I do love me some HSR and WC .

 

[Pooks]

Thanks for breaking it down Angelicus and tkj25... Aubrey's products are still the best thing since sliced bread for my hair, and more natural than a lot of other lines from what I can see so this won't turn me off their line.

 

[darlingdiva]

Thanks, Angelicus & tkj25. I've never had a problem w/ AO GPB, and I am committed to whatever works for my hair; so if it keeps working, I'll stick w/ it.

 

[Neith]

Wow...

I recall reading the UK ingredient list of honeysuckle rose and it didn't have bad alcohol in it.

It had Ceteryl Alcohol... which makes sense because it is derived from coconuts. Hence the name, coconut fatty cream base.

Does anyone have the full ingredient list (UK version)??? I can't find it again...

 

[msa]

Wow...

I recall reading the UK ingredient list of honeysuckle rose and it didn't have bad alcohol in it.

It had Ceteryl Alcohol... which makes sense because it is derived from coconuts. Hence the name, coconut fatty cream base.

Does anyone have the full ingredient list (UK version)??? I can't find it again...

HEre it is...from this thread http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=258999

yes, they are not completely honest, but majority of there ingredients is still natural or naturally derived. The Aubrey organics sold within EU have longer ingredients than that sold in U.S. This is because under EU law you have to include every single ingredients in your products, you cant use something like organic base as an ingredient list.
Below is the exact ingredients on honeysuckle rose conditioner-

UK/EU - aqua, butyrospernum parkii, cetyl alcohol, aloe barbadensis, glyceryl linoleate, glyceryl linolenate, glycerin, triticum vulgare oil, hamamelis virginiana, simmondsia chinesis*, rosa moschata oil*, foeniculum vulgare, humulus lupulus extract, melissa officinalis extract, viscum album extract, anthemis nobilis extract, achillea millefollium extract, chrysanthenium extract, forsythia suspensa fruit extract, magnolia biondii extract, lonicera japonica oil, tocopherol acetate, retinyl palmitate, daucus carota oil, citrus grandis, retinyl acetate, ascorbic acid.

*- organically grown and processed in accordance with US National Organic Programme administered by US Dept of Agriculture.

US- coconut fatty acid base cream, organic aloe vera, organic shea butter, wheat germ oil, organic jojoba oil, organic rosa mosqueta rose hip seed oil, extracts of fennel, hops, balm mint, mistletoe, camomile, yarrow, chrysanthenum,angelica,forysythia and magnolia, honeysuckle oil, carrot oil, aubrey's preservative (citrus extract, vitamin A,C and E).

My main issue is why hide some of the ingredients particularly the ones that are not 100% natural (i.e plant derived like cety alcohol etc). Also it seems that they have more organic ingredient labels on the US than UK, so my believe is that some of the ingredients written as organic on US labels are not certified organic but may be wildharvested (i.e not grown with preservative etc).

I make cosmetic products and issue with natural preservative is that, it is widely accepted that there is no such thing as natural preservative. Most "natural preservative" such as GSE, CSE contain contanminants during the manufacturing process these contaminats in some cases parabens actually offers preservative properties. I know under EU laws, this product are not regarded as preservatives, although you are allowed to include in your product, since all cosmetics sold within the the EU will be tested for safety and shelf life anyway.

Like it's been said in this thread...labelling laws are different depending on which country you're in. They haven't changed any of their ingredients, they are just now listing more of them on the bottle.

AO is more natural than most other lines out there. But NOTHING is 100% "natural". And because the definition of natural can be broadly applied, they aren't actually lying when they use it.