Eco-Friendly Mama: Safe product recommendations with a focus on organic and Made in USA!

All opinions expressed below are mine, Jessica Brandt/ecofriendlymamausa/Eco-friendly baby/family products MADE in the USA.

It is with a very heavy heart, and fingers that are trembling as I type, that I share this news with you… Every single product label I’ve submitted for testing is inaccurate. None of the ingredients on their labels are correctly listed and this has been proven by TWO separate independent testing authorities. My earlier report is here: https://ecofriendlymamausa.com/2016/01/23/third-party-soap-analysis-determines-ava-anderson-dish-soap-a-complete-fraud/

I WANTED to be wrong about all of my concerns with Ava Anderson Non Toxic. Believe me; no one wants organic kelp extract to be an functional ingredient in dish soap more than I do. No one wanted to dismiss those who wrote me over the years saying this & that doesn’t add up or this product smells way too strong for essential oils, more than I did.  I SO wanted to be wrong. But here are the results:

EYE CREAM FULL REPORT CLICK HERE: Eye Cream conclusion: This sample contains no constituent that can be pointed as foreign and unlisted without any doubt. However, we failed to detect anything that was indicative of Calendula officinalis and Helichrysum officinalis essential oils.

The eye cream is the new, in-house formula (cross check ingredients listed in the report with the current eye cream available).  The old formula’s first ingredient is: organic bulgarian rose oil. The new in house reformulation first ingredient is: Organic rose water. Look at the current ingredients on the Ava website and compare them to this lab report. No more blaming 3rd party manufacturers, this was AANTs in house product, under AANT’s complete control. So while most aren’t concerned about the fact the new label lists 2 ingredients that this lab could not find in the product, once again, it points to the fact that the labels can’t be trusted, in my opinion.

DIAPER CREAM FULL REPORT CLICK HERE

Diaper Cream CONCLUSION–The lavender oil listed in the ingredients is probably adulterated. The high camphor content might indicate that it instead is lavendin oil, which was further adulterated with synthetic linalyl acetate. The identification percentage is lower for this sample, given that it contains many hard-to-identify triglycerides from the listed vegetable oils. Camphor–Suspiciously high, could indicate that the lavender oil was adulterated or replaced by lavandin. Dihydrolinalyl acetate-Marker of synthetic linalyl acetate addition.

DISH SOAP FULL REPORT CLICK HERE

Dish Soap CONCLUSION: This sample contains several non-natural compounds, and shows discrepancies with the provided ingredients list. The mint-related monoterpenes likely come from a Mentha sp. oil, which is not listed. The characteristic fatty alcohols from jojoba are not found, either. Menthyl acetate: Not from any listed ingredient. γ-Nonalactone: Not from any listed ingredient – Can be natural, but possibly foreign – Smells coconut. Lauryl acrylate: Not natural – cosmetic ingredient. Laureth-1: Not natural – cosmetic surfactant. Benzyl benzoate: Not from any listed ingredient – Can be natural, but possibly foreign, used as a preservative. Laureth-2: Not natural – cosmetic surfactant.

KIDS LOTION FULL REPORT CLICK HERE

AvaKids Body Lotion CONCLUSION: This sample contains at the very least synthetic vanilla aroma, and no natural vanilla (absence of vanillin). The three main compounds, benzoic acid, hexadecanol and octadecanol, could come from one of the listed extracts, although they do not seem to be specifically reported in literature for listed plants. Linalool: Not from listed essential oils. para-Anisaldehyde: Not from listed essential oils . γ-Nonalactone: Not from listed essential oils. Coumarin: Not from listed essential oils. Ethylvanillin: Synthetic vanilla-like aroma. Triethyl citrate: Synthetic solvent and cosmetic ingredient. Benzyl benzoate: Hard to tell whether added or from one of the listed extracts. Not from any listed ingredient – Can be natural, but possibly foreign – Sometimes used as a preservative.

The digital signatures aren’t showing through once uploaded, they’re encrypted, but they are on my copies & the lab sent me this to share as well. “your PDFs can now have the same legal value as paper thanks to a digital signature system.”: http://phytochemiaactaen.blogspot.ca/2014/07/new-digital-signatures.html

Here is one page to show that they were signed. I guarantee you, each report is signed

Let me remind you that after shutting down for 48 hrs, AANT released a statement saying they had tested each of their products & passed “with flying colors”, so they put everything back in the cart for sale (and have since reduced the old formulations to 20% off to move them even quicker). As most of you know, there are 1,000+ chemicals their products could contain, they tested for 74 & deemed the products safe. They have refused to publish those tests, what they tested for, what they didn’t, who did the tests… Weren’t we all taught in high school we need to cite our sources to have credibility? Would I share this above info with you & expect you to believe me that the tests I initiated came back positive for synthetics without sharing the full report? No.

Their email regarding their test results: http://us11.campaign-archive1.com/?u=02c2be413ffa7159b57d0d3a3&id=a4c9ba990a&e=06a057e0cd

Please, do not tell me about this great new company forming & the fresh start we should all be excited about. This post is not about giving the company’s ‘rebranding’. THIS is about a terrible, awful injustice that was done in the name of organic products. THIS equals the biggest, greatest greenwashing scam in the history of organic personal care products, in my opinion & to my knowledge. Whether the Anderson family knew about it or not is beside the point. They put THEIR name on these products. It happened. Kim Anderson stated she knew “where everything is from, how it was made & from what materials”

If you’re NOT irate about this, I really don’t know what to think or say. If you are irate, you have my deepest condolences & my heartfelt sympathies. YOU were lied to, whether intentionally or not. I’ve spoken at pretty great length with a couple of attorneys. Here’s a summary of their thoughts at this time: This is an incredibly complex & far-reaching case. It covers a great number of products, something like 20 or more products have been mislabeled, nearly ¼ of the products the company offers. And this is only what we KNOW ABOUT. I firmly believe if every, single old formula product was tested, we’d discover more ingredients left off. Again, this is my opinion based on the numerous, well-reasoned & well-informed messages I’ve received from people who KNOW very well what they’re allergic/sensitive to yet had reactions (some severe) yet nothing on the label indicated cause for concern. One attorney gave an example: the cases he’s represented are very clear cut: OpticBright toothpaste (hypothetical example) does not whiten nor brighten teeth. Pretty clear cut…. The amount of time & resources a firm would need to dedicate to bringing the AANT scandal to trial would be enormous, and it will take just the right firm to do so. A couple of things you can do: https://ecofriendlymamausa.com/2016/02/01/those-concerned-about-aant-products-improperly-labeled-call-the-ftc-please/. When I called the FTC I was given a reference number & was told to utilize that if there were any updates in the case, which there certainly are. The very kind woman who fielded my FDA complaint & agreed this was VERY concerning said the same thing: update regarding any new developments. So, if you’ve already made the call, please call again & update with the new info. Thank you.

Also, I was contacted & interviewed by “The Rose Sheet” a subscription online trade journal covering regulatory, legal and market developments across the personal-care and cosmetic industries out of Washington DC. You have to pay to read the full text (he did send it to me for free)but many legal groups keep an eye on stories that are featured in this publication. So I’m hopeful the right firm may pick it up from there. https://www.pharmamedtechbi.com/publications/the-rose-sheet/37/5/ava-anderson-non-toxics-fall-from-grace-its-all-about-the-ingredients. It also has this a recently published related article (2/2/16): Class-Action Clock May Be Ticking For Ava Anderson Non Toxic, this is all you can read without buying the article: “While maintaining that a former supplier is at fault, “natural” pet-food maker Blue Buffalo announced in December a $32m settlement over allegations that ingredients found in its products directly conflict with its “True Blue” labeling and promotional message. The firm’s plight could bode ill for Ava Anderson Non Toxic, which has admitted to controversial ingredient-labeling omissions that it attributes to supplier violations.” So again, I AM hopeful someone will pick this up and those of you who used these products will be compensated in the future. I’m also very happy to know that groups like the Rose Sheet exist. One positive thing that has come out of this scandal, for me, is I’ve made many new connections with organizations/groups/individuals that I didn’t know existed previously.

Here is the 1st response I’ve seen in writing, forwarded to me on 2/10:

I just listened to a few minutes of a conference call sent to me from a Rep, titled: Resiliency during times of change. They (still operating under name AANT) have sold a record number of products lately (not sure the time frame, but 18,000 orders went out recently). Reportedly, 1 team sold $1,000,000 worth of product in one week. This is so, so disheartening, I don’t even have words for it. I truly believe their actions were criminal, in my opinion, stating their products passed tests with flying colors, when in all reality, they might not have ever done any testing at all. If they had, they would’ve found the same results I posted above. About me during this conference call: “this blogger is one woman with no credentials and no degree of expertise”. And that’s what I’ve heard from several reps: you’re just 1 person, 1 opinion. Guess what: MLK was one person, Ghandi, Mother Teresa, Ava Anderson the person as well. The same mottos they’ve been preaching for years: Be the Change, YOU can make a difference, etc. now they’re dismissing since I’m just 1 person. Not that I’m trying to compare myself to anyone noble & great, that’s not the point. The point is for them to belittle me & my efforts to get the truth out, while taking no responsibility, NONE, is just so incredibly disappointing.

Yes, I’m one person, no I’m not a chemist. THAT is why I paid not one, but TWO different &  highly accredited labs to test the products. So it WASN’T me stating the FACTS. But still, they take NO RESPONSIBILITY. None. I know many of you who’ve commented here agree the situation is appalling, and many of you have shared with other groups. I’m frustrated that it is so hard to get the truth out there about this company. They of course aren’t mentioning a thing about my testing, totally quiet & just ignoring the situation. The tests I shared show the kids lotion has synthetics in, they consider that safe for kids & aren’t concerned about all the product they just sent out. It makes me SICK. But, I have to move on, I want to move on, I will move on. I appreciate the continued support from this group & continued sharing. Every, single consumer we can help make aware of this huge cover-up is a victory. Thank you.I’m so ready to move on with my life & try hard to forget about all that has happened with this company. While I’m very, very irate about these recent revelations, it’s finally the closure I have yearned for over the years. FINALLY I know what was in that dish soap. I’ve tried very hard to be respectful & not just opinionated during this whole process. Being accused of being a Cyber Bully while in turn being bullied myself was less than pleasant. But the truth really, really matters to me. I’m being the change I wish to see, and letting my kids know that lying is not OK, no matter how big or small the lie.

Finally, here is a link to the GoFundMe campaign I set up to help cover the cost of these tests. I have had $200 in PayPal contributions towards this as well (GoFundMe takes 8% in fees, PayPal 3% or none if you friends/family it). I would’ve liked to raise the money for these tests in advance, something I’m willing to do going forward to test other products from other companies if the need arises. But in this case, with this company, I did feel it was best not to announce what I was up to in advance. I truly appreciate any & all contributions to help cover the costs of bringing all of this info to light. My PayPal address is: ecofriendlymamausa@gmail.com https://www.gofundme.com/ktzjxwn8