Ingredients & chemicals to avoid
One page per substance: what it actually is, what the evidence says, how regulators treat it, the exact wording to look for on a label, and what to buy instead.
PFAS ('forever chemicals')
A family of ~15,000 fluorinated chemicals used for stain, grease and water resistance that do not break down in the environment.
Also listed as: PTFE, PFOA, PFOS
Phthalates
Plasticisers and fragrance fixatives linked to endocrine disruption, most often hidden inside the word 'parfum'.
Also listed as: DEHP, DBP, DEP
Parabens
Cheap preservatives with weak oestrogenic activity; the longer-chain versions are the ones worth avoiding.
Also listed as: methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben
Microplastics & microbeads
Solid plastic particles under 5 mm added to scrubs, glitter and paints, or shed from synthetic textiles.
Also listed as: polyethylene, nylon-12, acrylates copolymer
Uncertified palm oil
The world's highest-yielding oil crop — the issue is deforestation and labour, not the plant itself.
Also listed as: elaeis guineensis, sodium lauryl sulfate (palm-derived), vegetable oil
Formaldehyde releasers
Preservatives that slowly release formaldehyde — a known human carcinogen — into the product over time.
Also listed as: DMDM hydantoin, quaternium-15, imidazolidinyl urea
VOCs in paint & cleaners
Solvents that evaporate at room temperature, driving indoor air pollution long after the smell fades.
Also listed as: volatile organic compounds, toluene, xylene
BPA & bisphenol substitutes
Hardening agents in polycarbonate plastic and can linings that leach more when heated or scratched.
Also listed as: bisphenol A, BPS, BPF
SLS, SLES & 1,4-dioxane
Powerful foaming surfactants — the real concern is the 1,4-dioxane contamination that ethoxylation creates.
Also listed as: sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, ethoxylated surfactants
Oxybenzone & octinoxate
UV filters banned in several reef jurisdictions and absorbed systemically at measurable levels.
Also listed as: benzophenone-3, octyl methoxycinnamate, chemical UV filters
Conventional cotton
A natural fibre with an outsized pesticide, water and forced-labour footprint unless certified.
Also listed as: non-organic cotton, BCI cotton, '100% cotton'
Virgin polyester
Petroleum-derived fibre making up over half of global textile output, shedding microfibres with every wash.
Also listed as: PET, polyethylene terephthalate, 'performance fabric'
How to check a product in two minutes
- Read the full ingredient list. Not the front of pack. The back, or the ingredients tab on the retailer page.
- Search for the flagged names. Use the 'also listed as' names on each page — most substances hide behind synonyms.
- Check the certification. GOTS, OEKO-TEX, COSMOS, EWG Verified and GREENGUARD each restrict specific chemical families.
- Pick a swap. Every page lists safer alternatives that perform the same job.
Frequently asked
Is everything on this list dangerous?+
No. Risk depends on the substance, the dose and the exposure route. Each page separates what the evidence actually supports from what is precautionary.
Why do these appear in products at all?+
They are cheap and effective. Most are legal at the concentrations used; regulation typically lags the evidence by years.
How do you decide what to include?+
We include substances with either a regulatory restriction in a major market or peer-reviewed evidence of harm, and we cite both on each page.