Why B&BW is Bad (+good alt's)

A signature brand for all young girls. The equivalent of Axe for us. But, grown woman should no longer be getting this. I have my old collection of lotions under my sink, and they do smell good, no lie, but I will never buy another thing from B&BW again.

Lotions

              With the smallest question posed to ChatGPT, and a look under my sink to cross check, these bad boys do be bad. But the B&BW website does not list the ingredients in any of the lotions or body creams I looked at so I’m going off my bottles.

Firstly, parabens. This ingredient has “paraben” in the name so it’s easy to spot them. We got methyl-, ethyl-, propyl- and butyl- paraben. Mostly these lotions just have methylparaben and propylparaben. The only lotions that do not seem to have this ingredient are the “ultra shea” body creams. But paraben can disrupt your hormones as it mimics estrogen and is classified as an “endocrine-disrupting chemical” (EDC) and are used as antibacterial agents to preserve the product. This ingredient is used in lotions, shampoos, conditioners, makeup, deodorants and sunscreens so flip your products over and take a look!

              If the lotion doesn’t have parabens, other ingredients of concern to look for are ceteareth-20 (can be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, a possible carcinogen, unless properly purified), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) (possible EDC, considered safe in low concentrations, but if you use it a lot, it can build up), diazolidinyl Urea (release formaldehyde, a known carcinogen),  and butylphenyl methylpropional (EDC, restricted in EU). Additionally, the words “Fragrence/parfum” are an umbrella term and can include phthalates (DEP, DBP, DEHP) which are also EDC.

              Some ingredients with allergen potential includes linalool, limonene, hydroxycitronellal, citronellol, citral, alpha-isomethyl ionone, benzyl alcohol, and tetrasodium EDTA. Of course, if you know you have sensitivity to skincare ingredients, talk to an actual dermatologist.

Candles

              Easy rule of thumb- choose coconut or beeswax candles with cotton or wood wicks. Looking through Bath and Body Works candle category, all the candles are made with a mixture of soybean oil, paraffin and palm oil. Paraffin wax is very common in candles, but when burned, it releases carcinogens (benzene, toluene, and formaldehyde) and other irritants such as acetaldehyde (potential carcinogen), acrolein (can cause respiratory irritation or damage), polycyclic aromic hydrocarbons (from incomplete burning, some are known carcinogens) and volatile organic compounds with is an umbrella term for a lot of chemicals that can cause a variety of health issues like headaches, dizziness, liver, kidney or CNS damage.

              So, even though these candles are a mixture of soybean (not that bad), paraffin (bad) and palm (sustainability concerns) oils, don’t bother. You deserve better.

              On the website, it does not give easy access to the ingredients for colognes, perfumes, “fragrance mists”, body wash or anything other candles. That’s a red flag. Seeing what they put in candles and the lotions, I feel it’s safe to say similar ingredients are in their other products. These ingredients may not be potently harmful if you use just the lotion every once in a while, but if you are someone who gets a whole line up, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, lotion and mists? Please, cease.

              Here are some companies that actually take pride in their transparent, non-toxic ingredients-

-          Dr. Bronner

-          Weleda

-          Alba Botanica

-          Avalon organics

-          Acure

-          Skylar

-          Pacifica

-          Phlur

-          EO Products

Thank you.