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Sodium Lauryl Sulfate

Submitted by saraandmc on Sat, Sep. 27, 2008

I love the Seventh Generation products but I was saddened to learn that they use sodium lauryl sulfate. I have recently learned that this ingredient is derived from palm kernel oil. Palm forests are taking over the rainforests and orangutauns and other wildlife are paying the price. Couldn't Seventh Generation find an alternative? Like a coconut oil?

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Comments (2)

up2late77
Thu, May. 21, 2009

Glad to hear it!

I wish more companies, when confronted with potentially destructive habits like this one, would take similar steps to change.

I recently sent in a comment card to a grocery store regarding their generic version of a sport drink, containing in its ingredients "partially hydrogenated oil" - which is what you have when a healthy plant oil is chemically turned into a saturated fat. Can you believe it? A SPORTS drink used to rehydrate and replenish lost electrolytes from exercising... the name brand did not contain this ingredient but the generic did. I wrote the store company that I couldn't believe they would produce such a poor quality and poor health product. I have not yet heard anything from the company and don't know if I will. As I stated previously, I wish more companies would listen to comments, and take common sense approaches and morally responsible steps to address these issues, as Seventh Generation seems to be doing on the palm kernel oil issue.

scienceman
Thu, Oct. 09, 2008

Sustainable Palm Oil

Many cleaning product ingredients, not just sodium lauryl sulfate, are derived from palm kernel oil. These cleaning product ingredients can also be derived from coconut oil, which is chemically very similar. Seventh Generation products use both palm kernel and coconut oils. Seventh Generation is aware of the habitat destruction that is occurring due to increased demand for palm oil (which is used in many food products) and palm kernel oil.

We are taking steps to see that the palm kernel oil we use is grown and harvested in a sustainable manner. To that end we have joined the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (www.rspo.org) and are working with growers, processors, environmental and social non-government organizations (NGOs), and like-minded consumer product manufacturers to create a sustainable supply of palm and palm kernel oils.