Written on: May 30, 2017 by SprayTM
SC Johnson announced that it will disclose the presence of 368 potential skin allergens that may occur in its products.
“For us, transparency is a matter of principle. We’re interested in helping people make the best choices for their families,” said Fisk Johnson, Chairman and CEO of SC Johnson. “Just like when we started listing preservatives, dyes and fragrances, we didn’t stop with the industry standard. We want to tell the whole story. This is just the next step we are taking in our journey to be more and more transparent.” Other companies use similar ingredients. SC Johnson considers it important to disclose these ingredients particularly for people with a pre-existing skin allergy.
Today, SC Johnson added the list of fragrance and non-fragrance skin allergens to its ingredient website, WhatsInsideSCJohnson.com, and by 2018, this website will also list skin allergens when contained in a product. This new transparency initiative goes beyond regulations in the European Union and also in the United States where there are no rules requiring allergen transparency.
“This is a groundbreaking disclosure of allergens in cleaning products from SC Johnson. By taking these steps, SC Johnson will help millions of consumers be smarter about chemicals in cleaning products that have the potential to cause allergic skin responses. And SC Johnson is once again raising the bar for other companies. This level of transparency is sweeping across other industries and is rapidly becoming the new normal for companies, like SC Johnson, who place a premium on giving consumers more, rather than less, ingredient information,” said Ken Cook, President and Co-Founder of Environmental Working Group.
“We understand that other companies might choose not to do the work to communicate low levels of potential skin allergens in their products. For SC Johnson, with our decades-long commitment to being more and more transparent, we are continuing on a path to provide more and more information to the people who buy our products so they can make choices that are best for them and their families,” said Johnson.
Developing a Comprehensive Skin Allergen List
To determine its comprehensive list of potential skin allergens, SC Johnson scientists analyzed more than 3,000 data sets from public and industry sources for potential skin allergens identified on country regulatory lists, fragrance industry lists, the European Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety reviews, dermatology clinic data and individual supplier safety data sheets. The company then shared its findings for validation with experts in the fields of dermatology, immuno-toxicology, fragrance toxicology and allergens.
The expert panel that validated the study methods includes:
Currently, the consumer goods industry uses 3,000 fragrance ingredients published by the International Fragrance Association. However, in 2012, SC Johnson took the review of fragrance ingredients a step further with the creation of its Exclusive Fragrance Palette that narrowed the acceptable fragrance ingredients from 3,000 to approximately 1,300 used in SC Johnson products.
SC Johnson’s Skin Allergen Disclosure
The 368 ingredients that are potential skin allergens can be found here.
By 2018, SC Johnson will add potential skin allergens to the list of ingredients when contained in a product on its WhatsInsideSCJohnson.com website. The company’s worldwide ingredient disclosure program is currently active in more than 30 countries in North America and Europe, with rollout efforts underway for Asia and Latin America.
Allergens & Allergic Reactions
A skin allergen is a substance that the immune system recognizes as a threat and attacks. The presence of a potential skin allergen does not mean, however, that it will automatically cause a person to develop a skin allergy or a skin allergy reaction. What matters is the dose or the amount of exposure: the general consensus among the scientific community is that a dose of less than 0.01 percent is unlikely to cause a reaction for most skin allergens in rinse-off products. This new transparency initiative will disclose potential skin allergens down to 0.01 percent, the same standard as the European Union.
Skin allergies can be created or induced when a non-sensitized person is exposed to an allergen over time and above a certain minimum dose. This is called “induction.” After a person develops a skin allergy to a given substance, they may have a reaction like redness or a rash. This is called “elicitation” and occurs even when coming into contact with that substance at a lower level or from a different source. SC Johnson takes care to use ingredients with potential skin allergens only in amounts so low that it would be highly unlikely to create a new skin allergy or trigger a skin allergy reaction.
SC Johnson reviewed both natural and synthetic skin allergens in its products. In many cases, naturals can have more skin allergens than synthetics.
SC Johnson’s History of Transparency Leadership
SC Johnson’s transparency legacy includes many important milestones:
Today, the company’s WhatsInsideSCJohnson.com website provides easy-to-understand lists of ingredients for SC Johnson products in more than 20 languages.
For more information about SC Johnson ingredients, visit WhatsInsideSCJohnson.com. To learn more about the SC Johnson GreenlistT ingredient selection program and other examples of the company’s responsibility and leadership, download the SC Johnson 2016 Sustainability Report.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Can SC Johnson products cause skin allergies?
A: All household cleaning products contain potential skin allergens. SC Johnson takes care to use ingredients with potential skin allergens only in amounts so low that it would be highly unlikely to create a new skin allergy or trigger a skin allergy reaction, when used as directed.
Q: How does one develop skin allergies?
A: It is an immune mechanism which takes some time – and enough exposure – to develop. The immune system must learn to react to the allergen, which is a process called induction. After the immune system is primed to an allergen, an adequate exposure triggers an allergic reaction. This second process is called elicitation.
Q: Why are you not removing skin allergens but just listing them?
A: SC Johnson takes care to use ingredients with potential skin allergens only in amounts so low that it would be highly unlikely to create a new skin allergy or trigger a skin allergy reaction. However, similar to people with food allergies, for those who have pre-existing skin allergies, knowing where a particular ingredient is used may impact product choice.
Q: Are there cleaning products that do NOT contain any skin allergens?
A: It can be difficult to develop a cleaning product that is both effective and does not contain any skin allergens. What is important is that our cleaning products should not cause or induce allergic reactions when products are used as directed.
Q: What should I do if I come in contact with skin allergens?
A: While ingredients are used at levels that should not result in a reaction, if one occurs, discontinue use of the product and contact your healthcare provider or visit the American Academy of Dermatology website at: https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/eczema
Q: Why does SC Johnson disclose at the 0.01 percent level?
A: Scientists, regulators and the European Union all agree that an ingredient dose at less than 0.01 percent is unlikely to cause a reaction in rinse-off products. This new transparency initiative will disclose potential skin allergens down to 0.01 percent, the same standard as the European Union.
