In January 2008, a new cleaning line was launched by the name of Green Works. Having seen one of their commercials on TV, it caught my attention because I have never seen any natural product company advertise on TV like that before. Normally, natural products or the companies that make them do not have the capacity or budgets to warrant such expensive advertising. Consumers are, instead, always bombarded by commercials from the same giant companies that push very unhealthy products. And yet, here it was, this Green Works commercial charming us with how this product has the environment and your health in mind, yet works as good as any other conventional chemical cleaner.
At first I had hope that perhaps society is finally going to get its priorities right and increase funding for and emphasis on natural and non-toxic products. But then came the end of the commercial. It turns out that this new Green Works cleaning product line was created by the infamous Clorox company, which is far removed from creating anything that is non-harmful for us and the envionment. It is one of the most harmful companies on Earth who focuses on the very opposite in fact — harsh chemical cleaners that are loaded with toxic synthetic fragrances , colors, and chemicals.
We are so quickly influenced by ads that most of us never stop and think about the bigger picture. What are they trying to turn my attention away from? What are they hoping I don’t see?.
Regardless, I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps they were changing their position and products. Could it be that this company was coming around? Could it be that they were realizing that consumers want products that are safe for them and the environment? Maybe, just maybe, this was going to be the new face of Clorox. Spoiler alert: it was not.
Still, feeling hopeful, I decided to research the Green Works line myself and find out what all the lovely-sounding claims in the commercial were all about and how “healthy” or “green” were these products really.
An Examination of Clorox Green Works
Upon examining a bottle at a local grocery store, I noticed that written bluntly, near the bottom in big letters are the words “Caution/Attention Irritant”. Right away I started to think, how can a product that claims to be all natural have such a warning right on the front of the bottle. I opened the bottle to smell it and the fragrance was overwhelming. It was absolutely not something any health-conscious individual who understands the dangers of synthetic fragrances would consider safe or desirable to use.
Next, I looked at the back of the bottle to check and analyze the ingredients. But guess what? There were none. No ingredients listed whatsoever. All you get is a sentence telling you that it contains “plant-based ingredients”. Then, most of the back label showed a big box telling you what an irritant it is and first aid measures for handling this product should it come into contact with the skin or eyes or be ingested. None of this was pointing to this product being safe for a person’s health or the environment. To make matters worse and more confusing, the product had a line where it said that it is “nonallergenic”. Yet being an irritant with a caution label, as well as a product with a strong fragrance, does not go hand in hand with being nonallergenic.
There were also 4 bullet points stating the positive qualities of this product and how it cleans just as well as any other traditional cleaner, plus how good it is for the environment because it is biodegradable. None of this was comforting given the information present and lack of essential ingredient information thus far. Why were the ingredients not included? Because cleaning products do not need them by law on the product? Perhaps. Because the formula is protected under trade secrets? Perhaps. Either way, in this day and age, if you are claiming your product is “natural” and you want to be taken seriously by health-conscious consumers, then listing the ingredients is a must. If we do not know what we are using, we cannot trust that it is good or not good for us.
The Canadian Journal of Communication did an investigation of the product and in their report they stated the following:
“After we did further research on the company’s website, we found that many of the Green Works product ingredients are actually safe for consumers (Green Works, 2011b); however, several ingredients are synthetically produced, such as sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS), dyes, and a petrochemical preservative (Vasil, 2009). Although there is not enough evidence to indicate that SLS causes cancer, it is a known skin irritant and is associated with skin-related problems (Pierre-Louis, 2012).”
So far the product had disappointed with its lack of transparency and feeling of a conventional chemical cleaner. Here was a chance for a leading chemical cleaning company to set new standards by creating some natural cleaning products, but that was not the plan. Trying to go “green” is a nice idea but ultimately it is barely scratching the surface of what we need today in our toxin-filled world. Everywhere we look, there are synthetic products that pollute our bodies with toxic fragrances, colors, flavors, and ingredients. Making a product environmentally friendly is very important but a huge problem with all these cleaning products are the negative health effects they have on the people who use them and get exposed to them.
As I continued my research of Green Works, it was disappointing but not surprising to see that most people fell for the empty claims and approved of this product, being very happy with it. The biggest concern people had is that the lemon fragrance was “overpowering” after a bit of cleaning. That should have been cause for major concern, as synthetic fragrances are so harmful for our respiratory system and can cause or increase allergies, allergic reactions, and strain the liver and immune system. But most people don’t think about such things. They cannot seem to connect the dots between what they are using, what it is made of, and the impact it has on their health with the symptoms and issues it causes.
On the Clorox Green Works website, it explains that they are now part of an alliance with the Sierra Club who is the most influential environmental grassroots organization in the United States. But what kind of an organization is it if it is making alliances with a company whose majority of the products are polluting and literally killing the environment? It was becoming clear that Clorox Green Works was trying to manipulate the consumer into a certain positive perception about its new product line. They were using all the old tactics of trying to look good and sound good, but at the end of the day, they were diverting people’s attention away from what really mattered - the ingredients and their risks on our health.
A Letter to Clorox Green Works
I decided to investigate further and try to get to the bottom of those missing ingredients. So I wrote a letter to the Clorox Customer Service Department to gain clarity on the following two things:
1. Why is the product not labeled properly with an ingredient list?
2. Why is the product labeled with a warning as an irritant if it is supposed to be “all natural” and “nonallergenic”?
After some time passed, I finally got an email reply, which told me nothing. It was just full of “thank you for your interest in our product” pleasantries. So I wrote back asking my questions again, since they did not get addressed, and I got another reply from them.
Here was the response from the Clorox Customer Service Department (unedited):
Thank you for contacting us about Green Works Natural All Purpose Cleaner Spray. We always appreciate hearing from our consumers. We sincerely regret any inconvenience this problem may have caused you. We would be more than happy to share with you the ingredients in our Green Works products. First, which one are you specifically needing to know?
Even though these products are all natural, we still are required to place the eye irritant on the label, because this product is not designed in that way.
Again, thank you for contacting us.
Sincerely,
Tim Sharp
Consumer Response Representative, Consumer Services
Still no answers, so I wrote to them a third time. Here was the next email I sent:
Hello Tim
Thank you for getting back to me so promptly. As for the ingredients my first question was how come they are not on the products to start with? In Canada, a law was passed in 2006 for all personal products to have ingredients on the packages, I would have assumed that any company would put their ingredients on the product even if it is a cleaner to give the consumer more choice in deciding what is good for them and also to empower customers.
As for which product ingredients I am interested in, all of them actually. Before I purchase or use a product I would like to know what I am using. Hence, if you could email me the ingredients of the ALL PURPOSE CLEANER, BATHROOM CLEANER, DILUTABLE CLEANER, GLASS AND SURFACE CLEANER, and TOILET BOWL CLEANER.
Finally I am not sure I understand what you mean in the below statement when you say “Even though these products are all natural, we still are required to place the eye irritant on the label, because this product is not designed in that way” – if you could please explain what you mean they are not designed in THAT WAY?
Thank you again in advance for your help and reply.
And here is the email I got back in response to this:
Thank you for contacting us about Green Works Natural All Purpose Cleaner Spray. We always appreciate hearing from our consumers. We sincerely regret any inconvenience this problem may have caused you.
The ingredients for the GreenWorks Natural All Purpose Cleaner are; coconut-based cleaning agents, corn-based ethanol, essential lemon oil, and filtered water.
The ingredients for the Green Works Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner are; coconut-based cleaning agents, corn-based ethanol, essential lemon oil, citric acid, lactic acid, and filtered water.
The ingredients for the Green Works Natural Dilutable Cleaner are; coconut-based cleaning agents, corn-based ethanol, essential lemon oil, and filtered water.
The ingredients for the Green Works Natural Bathroom Cleaner are; coconut-based cleaning agents, essential lemon oil, and glycolic acid.
The ingredients for the Green Works Natural Glass & Surface Cleaner are; coconut-based cleaning agents, corn-based ethanol, essential lemon oil, and filtered water.
As for the statement regarding the eye irritant, we were simply stated that our products are not intended to be in a consumer’s eyes. We are required to place the warning on the bottle, whether or not the products are all natural.
Again, thank you for contacting us.
Sincerely,
Tim Sharp
Consumer Response Representative, Consumer Services
Well, at least I got some kind of a reply and was able to make better conclusions about these products. It is so despicable, however, that large corporations continue to want to deceive the public and treat us all as dumb beings who can be easily mesmerized by flashy television commericals and magazine ads.
The company did not disclose their ingredients honestly, instead opting to only give general categories that do not give the customer the choice to truly analyze what chemicals they are subjecting themselves to, and that is only after the customer has to go out of their way to even get to know these. There is a veil of secrecy (sure, sure for business reasons, but still) and a veil of dishonesty. This is not what “green” and “natural” should be all about.
Health and Safety Analysis of Clorox Green Works
First of, after 2 emails, my original question was still not answered: Why the ingredients are not on the products in the first place. It is definitely not a good sign when a company cannot even answer why they are not listing their ingredients.
Second, the ingredients I was given are not a full or true representation of the product and not enough to judge the health risks or safety profile of the product. Let’s analyze them further…
Coconut-based cleaning agents – Sounds nice right, but what are they? Notice it does not say coconut cleaning agents, but coconut-based cleaning agents. There is a big difference in that wording and what that actually means from a chemist’s point of view.
Corn-based ethanol – I will give them the benefit of the doubt on this one and assume it is just the alcohol extracted from the plant.
Essential Lemon Oil – This also lacks clarity as to the actual source of this fragrance - is it natural essential oil or synthentic lemon oil? If it was from a natural essential oil, I can guarantee you the wording would have been different.
Glycolic Acid – You may notice this name from some cosmetic products which act as strong chemical peels. Yes, it is plant-derived but just because it is from plants does not mean it is automatically safe. Glycolic acid is chemically classified as a strong irritant, which explains a lot about the previous warnings I read on the bottle.
Citric Acid – This ingredient may be recognized as the known acid found in citrus fruits, but acids come in various strengths and since we do not know its concentration, we cannot assume safety. Citric acid is also an irritant, whose safety will depend on its concentration.
Lactic Acid – You may recognize this name from things like yogurt or what is made in your muscles after heavy exercise. Again, seeing that we do not know the concentration of this acid we cannot conclude much about it. Obviously, it is nothing close to what yogurt has. Lactic acid is also considered a strong irritant.
Third, I looked up each of the products’ own MSDS sheets, which Clorox provides on their site. There is lots of good information there, but I just want to mention the products’ pH values.
- The All-purpose cleaner has a pH of around 7. This is very good and it may be their only product that one can feel somewhat safe about.
- The Toilet bowl cleaner has a pH of about 2.1. This is a strong corrosive acid.
- The Bathroom cleaner has a pH of about 2.7. This is a strong corrosive acid.
- The Dilutable cleaner has a pH of about 10.3. This is a strong corrosive base.
- The Glass and surface cleaner has a pH of about 10-11. This is also a corrosive base.
Given these pH values, it is no wonder that the product works well and people are happy with how it cleans. Its cleaning power is no different than any conventional cleaning product out there. Aside from the all-purpose cleaner, these are all highly irritating substances for your eyes and skin, and of course, dangerous if ingested.
Lastly, with regards to Mr. Sharp’s last comment as to why they have to label it with a “Caution – Irritant” label, he states that it was not meant to be in a consumer’s eyes. Fair enough but neither is milk and it isn’t labeled with such a warning. The truth is that the products are corrosive and contain strong irritants. This is why they need such labels.
Conclusion
In the end, the only positive part of Clorox Green Works is that the ingredients are biodegradable and the products seem to be effective cleaners. However, this is in no way any kind of “natural” or “safe” or “healthy” cleaning line. These products are not healthy to be breathed in while you are cleaning, and definitely not something you want to expose your skin or eyes or children to.
Greenwashing - the practice of making false or misleading claims about the environmental benefits of a product or company to appear more eco-friendly than they actually are — is an increasing trend today with all of the emphasis placed on environmental protection and care. Companies want to look good in the eyes of the consumer and Clorox Green Works* is guilty of this flat out.
Clorox is a huge company and their top priority is their profit. We cannot expect much from them. However, what is infuriating is how they are diluting the term “natural” to mean something completely different and making it lose its value and meaning altogether. The more we allow greenwashing to happen, the more the word “natural” will continue to be misused and give the public a false sense of safety. This is why doing your own research on any product you choose to invest your time and money in, and bring into your home, should be the priority if you are a health-conscious consumer.
Read any number of books, articles or studies, like: Child Health and the Environment (Medicine) by Donald T. Wigle, Exposure to Dust May Protect Against Allergies: Study, Playing in Dirt is Good for Kids’ Health to understand how modern, overly sanitized homes are actually a huge source of childhood asthma, allergies, and infections. It is not a coincidence that when children are actually exposed to natural environments (air, water, soil, etc.) they build stronger immune systems and have significantly lower asthma and allergy rates.
Thus, the best and most empowering news is that we do not have to use such products as Green Works or support a company like “Clorox* with our money. We have choices, and lots of them today. We can put our focus and attention on companies and products that are actually “green” and “natural” and who provide safer alternatives. Or, better yet, just use mother nature’s own cleaning agents, like vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice, which will always be truly natural, biodegradable, and the most health-friendly. And ultimately, don’t turn your house into some sterile, unhospitable environment. Our homes are not hospitals, and more often than not, simple soap and water work wonders and do more than enough to clean most surfaces effectively, safely, and in environmentally-friendly ways.