The Risks of Petroleum-Based Ingredients in Cleaning Products: Why You Should Switch to Bio-Based
The Risks of Petroleum-Based Ingredients in Cleaning Products: Why You Should Switch to Bio-Based
Author: Delilah Harvey
While conventional cleaning products can make our tables, clothes, and dishes appear cleaner, many of the ingredients inside the bottles are anything but clean.
A large portion of the cleaning products on the market use fossil fuel and petroleum-derived ingredients that pose serious threats to both human and planetary health. Many companies — even certain “eco-friendly brands” — cut corners by using these ingredients since they’re often cost-effective and have a wide range of applications.
While ingredient labels are mandatory for food, cosmetics, and drugs, they’re not for cleaning products. According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), only seven percent of cleaning products adequately disclose their contents. As a result, ingredients derived from fossil fuels are either hidden in plain sight or listed under long, difficult-to-pronounce, and difficult-to-distinguish ingredient names. In cleaning and personal care products, these chemicals are used for a wide range of functions, from acting as solvents and surfactants to providing moisture, fragrances, and desired textures.
Environmental risks of petroleum-derived ingredients
When holding a bottle of laundry detergent, it’s difficult to imagine that the ingredients inside underwent a long, energy-intensive process to become the mixed substance that will take stains out of shirts and infuse them with nice smells. It’s also difficult to imagine the harm they’ll continue to pose even after they’ve left the bottle.
Petroleum-derived ingredients cause multifold environmental threats across their entire lifecycle and beyond. The process of extracting and refining petroleum from crude oil, a fossil fuel that’s fracked or drilled from the bottom of the ocean, is both highly energy-intensive and polluting. Once in products, the chemicals continue to release harmful substances into the environment through the air and water runoff. Those substances continue to accumulate in the air, water, and even the food we consume, further harming ecosystems and disrupting biodiversity, as well as accelerating global warming, pollution, and human disease.
Health risks of petroleum-derived ingredients
In addition to their long-term environmental impacts, petroleum-derived ingredients also pose serious direct health risks to humans. Many cleaning products release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that contribute to indoor air pollution, which can irritate the respiratory system and trigger asthma or other breathing issues. Contact with these chemicals can also lead to skin irritations, rashes, or allergic reactions. Beyond these immediate effects, there are growing concerns about the broader health risks associated with long-term exposure, including hormone disruption, cancer, and impact to the brain and nervous system. Despite the mounting risk of the dangers of these common chemicals to human health, the problem remains largely hidden from the majority of American consumers.
What are bio-based ingredients?
Bio-based ingredients are made from plants and other renewable agricultural, marine, and forestry materials, and can be just as high performing without the negative health and environmental effects. In response to increasing evidence of negative impacts associated with petroleum-derived ingredients, there has been an increasing tide in support of plant and bio-based alternatives.
However, there are distinctions and cues to look out for when selecting these safer and healthier alternatives. Many products on the market have claims of “plant-based” ingredients that often have no supporting evidence or validity. Certifications, such as that awarded by the USDA BioPreferred Program, are important to substantiate ingredient claims. The USDA Certified Biobased Product label assures customers that ingredients in products have undergone thorough third party testing to verify that they’re derived from plant-based sources.
Most of our Grove Co. portfolio (for eligible formulated products) have the USDA Certified Biobased label to provide our customers with an alternative that’s both safe and environmentally conscious. While there can be varying percentage amounts of certified bio-based ingredients in products, the majority of our products are over 90% bio-based. We also carry other products from our trusted brand partners, such as Seventh Generation and Dirty Labs, that carry this label. In comparison, most conventional products on the market have very small bio-based percentages, ranging from <10% to none.
Looking forward
Shifting to bio-based products helps increase our use of renewable resources, promotes safer and healthier homes, and reduces our dependence on products derived from fossil fuels. In fact, some estimates suggest bio-based products currently displace around 300 million gallons of petroleum per year in the U.S., which is the equivalent of taking 200,000 cars off the road.
Consumers have a right to know how petroleum-derived ingredients in their everyday products pose harm to both their health and the environment, as well as how to select better alternatives that are safer, transparent, and more sustainable. While it may be a while before bio-based products become the norm, choosing certified bio-based alternatives is an immediate way to vote with your wallet, and demand safer, more sustainable options.
Delilah Harvey is a sustainability consultant, climate content creator, and writer based in Los Angeles. With a background in strategic communications and sustainable business, Delilah specializes in offering practical tips, accessible educational info, and inspiring stories that empower individuals to live more sustainable, connected lives. Her work is driven by the belief that sustainability can be joyful, community-driven, and impactful for both people and the planet.
Sources:
1 Biobased, plant-based - what do they mean?. Seventh Generation. (2024, March 12). https://www.seventhgeneration.com/blog/biobased-plant-based-what-do-they-mean
2 EWG’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning | Household cleaner ratings and ingredients. (n.d.-a). https://www.ewg.org/cleaners/content/findings/
3 Fact sheet: Overview of USDA’s BioPreferred program. Home. (2016, February 18). https://www.usda.gov/article/fact-sheet-overview-usdas-biopreferred-program#:~:text=Biobased%20products%20also%20help%20us,200%2C000%20cars%20off%20the%20road
4 Peters, A. (2020, September 1). Surprise: Your cleaning supplies are full of fossil fuel-based ingredients. https://www.fastcompany.com/90545990/surprise-your-cleaning-supplies-are-full-of-oil-based-ingredients
5 Stoiber, T. (2017, September 17). Cancer-causing chemical 1,4-dioxane contaminates Americans’ drinking water | Environmental Working Group. EWG. https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/cancer-causing-chemical-14-dioxane-contaminates-americans-drinking-water
