Trace Ingredients and Impurities
Understanding Trace Ingredients and Impurities
SC Johnson has long been a leader in transparency about the ingredients we use. However, it’s important to understand that some substances can appear in products unintentionally. This can happen naturally from raw materials being used, or it can occur during manufacturing or storage. These are called trace ingredients or impurities.
Some trace materials may be associated with health or environmental concerns, so we set strict limits on the levels of these materials in our formulas, and work closely with our suppliers to identify and minimize their presence.
Learn more about some specific impurities below.
Additional materials will be added to this page over time.
When it comes to tackling grease, grime or soap scum, surfactants are the ingredients that do the heavy lifting. Their ability to help break up and rinse away oily messes is important to how well cleaners, soaps and detergents work.
In some cases, the manufacturing process of certain surfactants can result in tiny amounts of a by-product called 1,4-dioxane. We don’t use 1,4-dioxane directly in our products, but we do use ethoxylated surfactants for their proven cleaning performance. On ingredient lists, you might see these listed as sodium laureth sulfate, laureth-7, polyethylene glycol or PEG compounds, or polysorbates.
1,4-dioxane has been identified as a possible human carcinogen. Regulators such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and European Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) have studied 1,4-dioxane and determined that the small levels found in consumer products like cleaners, detergents and cosmetics do not pose a human health risk when products are used as directed.
1,4-dioxane is considered to have low toxicity to aquatic organisms. It is known to be persistent and mobile in the environment. That means 1,4-dioxane emitted from down-the-drain consumer product use has potential for secondary exposure to the general population through drinking water and diet. Because of this, many regulators have started to set limits that address 1,4-dioxane levels in water supplies.
We take extra steps to ensure the lowest possible level of 1,4-dioxane in our raw materials, while still delivering the performance you rely on. We apply strict internal limits, work closely with our suppliers to ensure that we meet those limits, and formulate our products so that any trace amount remaining is well below safe levels.