I was drawn to check out Ava Anderson Non-Toxic products when I came across a Facebook post stating that they’re non toxic and they now even have baby products. I appreciate a good personal care product line that’s free of harmful chemicals, but a persistent problem I’ve discovered is that such product lines often include food allergens, so I had to check these products out from an allergen perspective.
Many of the Ava Anderson products contain shea, which is a tree nut. Many products also contain sweet almond oil, which should not be rubbed on your skin if you’re allergic to tree nuts. More information regarding anaphylaxis from substances rubbed on the skin was released recently, which bolsters my position that if you’re allergic to a substance, you should not rub its oil on your skin or consume it any other way. In this product line, I also found a fair number of food ingredients that are less common allergens.
The body butter ingredient list is: lavendula hydrosol (organic lavender water), barbadensis Leaf Juice (organic aloe vera), theobroma cacao (organic cocoa seed butter), butyrospermum parkii (organic shea butter), prunus amygdalus dulci (organic sweet almond), persea gratissima (organic avocado oil), xanthum gum, salix nigr (organic black willow bark) extract, citrus sinensis (organic sweet orange), pelargonium graveolen (organic geranium rose), lavendula angustifolia (organic lavender), cananga odoratang (organic ylang ylang essential oil).
The body bar soap is made with: Ingredients: olea europaea (organic olive oil), elaeis guineensis (organic palm kernel oil), cocos nucifera (organic coconut), ricinus communis (organic castor oil), organic goat’s milk, allantoin, oat protein, calendula petals.
The Ava Anderson baby massage and body lotion ingredients are: Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, organic coconut oil, organic apricot kernel oil, organic olive oil, organic sweet almond oil, organic shea butter, avena sativa (oat) kernel flour, pomegranate extract and cranberry fruit extract.
The deep conditioning treatment contains: aloe barbadensis leaf juice (organic aloe), behenrimonium methosulfate (vegetable source), cocos nucifera oil, (organic coconut oil), elaeis guineensis kernel oil (organic palm oil), vegetable glycerin, prunus amygdaus Dulcis (organic sweet almond oil), olea europaea fruit oil (organic olive oil), butyrosermm parkii (organic shea butter, brassica oleracea italica seed oil (broccoli seed oil), dl panthenol (vitamin B5), yucca schidigera (mohave yucca), equisetum arvense (horsetail extract) urtica diolea (nettle), Melissa officinalis (organic lemon balm), menthe piperita (peppermint), geogard ultra.
The Ava Anderson eye cream contains: rosa centifolia amascena (organic Bulgarian rose oil), aloe barbedensis (organic aloe leaf juice), rosa rubiginosa (organic rose hip oil), oenothera biennis (organic evening primrose oil), butyrospermum parkii (organic shea butter), calendula (organic marigold essential oil), prunus armeniaca ( organic apricot kernel oil), azadirachta indic. (organic neem extract), xanthum gum, vegetable glycerin, helichrysum italicum (organic everlasting flower essential oil), lavandula angustifolia (organic lavender essential oil), vetiveria zizanioid (organic vetiver essential oil). The product page includes this reference to almond oil, but it’s unclear if it is still in the product: Natural expeller pressed oil from raw almond kernels are exceptionally rich in fatty acids.
The hand and body lotion contains: organic aloe vera gel, behentrimonium methosulfate, organic coconut oil, organic apricot kernel oil, organic olive oil, organic sweet almond oil, organic shea butter, avena sativa (oat) kernel flour, allantoin, geogard ultra, potassium polysorbate, organic sweet orange essential oil, organic citrus lemon essential oil, organic pomegranate oil.
The Ava Anderson non toxic lip balm is made from : Hydrogenated Coconut Oil, Beeswax, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Mentha Viridis (Spearmint) Leaf Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Wax, Stevia Rebaudiana (Stevia) Leaf Extract.
The lip balm product page contains this warning: There is one known health warning about shea butter: People who have nut allergies and latex allergies may be sensitive to shea butter. Always do a small test patch before fully using, if you have allergies. This is the only reference to allergies that I found on the site. I’m surprised that nothing was said about almond oil to warn nut allergic consumers that it’s present in the product line.
Source: http://www.avaandersonnontoxic.com/default.aspx Accessed March 5, 2012.
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I am researching the possibility of a class action law suit against the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and Ava Anderson Non Toxic, one of the Campaigns GOLD STANDARD “Champions”.
The Campaign has represented their Champions as follows: “In order to get the gold standard status of Champion, companies had to fulfill all tenets of the Compact, which include:
• Comply with the European Union’s Cosmetics Directive, widely considered the current global gold standard of cosmetics safety regulation.”
The EU Cosmetic Directives require all cosmetics have pre-market approval. I don’t think many Champions can claim they comply with this, but yet that is what following these regulations means. It is not just about labeling ingredients.
Ava Anderson Non Toxic cosmetics fails to list all ingredients in INCI language AND fail to list the mandatory 26 allergens…also a requirement of the EU laws.
“• Disclose all ingredients, including ingredients in “fragrance,” which in the United States can be claimed as “trade secrets,” even when they contain hormone disruptors, carcinogens and other harmful chemicals.”
NONE of Ava Anderson Non Toxic perfumes list the ingredients in the fragrances, nor do they list the carrier oils, none of the ingredients are listed in INCI language, nor do they list any allergens as required.
“• Publish and regularly update product information in EWG’s Skin Deep cosmetics database.”
This company is in their third year and none but the original seven products are even listed in Skin Deep, much less updated. In addition to allergens, “Ava Anderson also claims not to use talc, but lists magnesium silicate in their ingredients.” http://www.greenwala.com/profiles/danika-carter-your-organic-life/blog/20058-Ingredient-Spotlight-Talc
Ava Anderson Non Toxic contains phototoxic ingredients in their leave-on cosmetics.
Ava Anderson Non Toxic contains a BENZENE forming preservative.
Ava Anderson Non Toxic sells an illegal hand sanitizer and fails to warn customers that it actually is NOT more effective than the FDA approved alcohol products (and in fact customers have risked potentially lethal bacterial infections by using the Ava product instead of an FDA approved formula.)
Ava Anderson Non Toxic fails to recall their potentially hazardous baby products made with nut allergens and in factories containing nuts. These products could KILL a child and put every baby at risk for developing nut allergies. Diaper rash is temporary – nut allergies are forever. Their answer – read the label. But they don’t state on the label that their products are made in a factory with nuts…so the label gives parents a false sense of security. When you label your brand “nontoxic” there is a different level of transparency demanded – labeling allergens AND potential cross-contamination in products specifically designed for infants who are at a greater risk from developing lifelong allergies as a result of contact with these allergens.
Ava Anderson Non Toxic perfumes are advertised as “essential oil perfumes” but contain ingredients that do not exist as essential oils, the perfumes are not labeled with any legally required INCI ingredients listed, and are missing all allergen warnings as required by EU Cosmetics Directives.
Ava Anderson Non Toxic uses colorants in violation of the FDA regulations for approved cosmetic colorants.
Ava Anderson Non Toxic also violates the USDA NOP by claiming the products are organic and “made with organic ingredients” but none of the products are USDA Certified Organic according to USDA NOP requirements.
I am in the process of collecting the names of the Ava Anderson Non Toxic salespeoples websites and Facebook pages, because I believe they should be named in any law suit since they are knowingly selling illegal and misbranded cosmetics.
Susan Apito