 |
| phyto usa photo |
I got a small sample of this product from a salesperson somewhere and finally used it this afternoon after my shower. It felt clean and smelled good. I could actually see my hair relax... and what ever was going on with the scent definitely relaxed me.
 |
| Phyto photo |
But I didn't even get the chance to see how well it would deliver on the promise of soft, silky, fly-away free tresses. Almost immediately after I finished working it through my hair my nose and eyes began to run, my ears and head started pounding... and that old familiar cloud of confusion settled over my brain. I recognized the symptoms and knew I'd be no good for the rest of the day. I knew that once the symptoms finally pass the next phase is total exhaustion.
I'm not saying the problems come from this product. As always the symptoms that sometimes overtake me may have nothing to do with a product I'm using, may be the product itself, may be the product in combination with other irritants, or they may or may not be who knows what from many other variables...
Someday I'd like to run a true scientific study. A hypothesis, control group, and controlled variables - the whole deal. But right now I just want my hair to look good with as little time, effort and product as possible. And in that effort part is included me NOT having these strange debilitating physical problems.
In researching this particular product I've learned that as a serum its mostly silicone and that often silicones contain alcohol- a drying agent that does its job and dries out your hair.
 |
| The Buckingham Post photo |
Silicone can build up and give hair that, "I'm wearing lots of product" look. Adding insult to injury, to remove the silicone from your hair you need to shampoo with a very harsh sulfate containing shampoo that will dry your hair out even more. Sounds like a vicious cycle to me.
So armed with these bits and pieces of information I headed over to Skin Deep's database to do a little research. Because the Phyto product in the database is the listed as the old formula I entered the ingredients for the newer product to get the most recent information and score. This means that you won't be able to pull up the results for the exact product I researched.
You can still do your own research if you enter the ingredients into the database yourself. The link is in the first sentence in previous paragraph and here as well. Here's the link for the old formulation.
If you don't want to read the whole post, here's the spoiler: Not only is the drying "cycle" a deal breaker, but there were also enough potential problem ingredients for me to decide detox was indicated. I pitched it!
Here's what I found:
Phyto Phytolisse Finishing Serum
Hazard Rating (Score):
 Data: Limited | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Health Concern | MODERATE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Product Type | scar treatment | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Made by | PHYTO by ALES Group USA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Data last updated | February 2011 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| how to read the score | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cyclomethicone; Cyclopentasiloxane; Dimethiconol; Alcohol Denat; (Alcohol De Betterave) Panthenol; (Provitamine B 5), Fragrance / Parfum; Althaea Officinalis Root Extract; Phytantriol
Health Concerns of Ingredients:
| About the ratings |  | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Hazard |  | ||
| Cancer |  | ||
| Developmental & reproductive toxicity |  | ||
| Allergies & immunotoxicity |  | ||
| Use restrictions |  | ||
| Other HIGH concerns: Persistence and bioaccumulation, Miscellaneous, Multiple, additive exposure sources, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) | |||
| Other MODERATE concerns: Neurotoxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive) | |||
| Other LOW concerns: Endocrine disruption, Ecotoxicology, Data gaps, Enhanced skin absorption, Occupational hazards | |||
Ingredient concerns and scores:
FRAGRANCE Neurotoxicity, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Miscellaneous
Data: Fair
PHYTANTRIOL Allergies/immunotoxicity, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Data gaps
Data: Limited
CYCLOPENTASILOXANE Cancer, Neurotoxicity, Endocrine disruption, Persistence and bioaccumulation, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Ecotoxicology
Data: Limited
CYCLOMETHICONE Persistence and bioaccumulation, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Ecotoxicology
Data: Limited
ALCOHOL DENATURED
DENATURED ALCOHOL Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Multiple, additive exposure sources, Enhanced skin absorption
Data: Fair
PANTHENOL Multiple, additive exposure sources
Data: Limited
DIMETHICONOL None Identified
Data: Limited
VITAMIN B3
VITAMIN B 5 None Identified
Data: Fair
ALTHAEA OFFICINALIS ROOT EXTRACT None Identified
Data: Limited
Cancer*
*Listed below are cancer concerns for the ingredients used by this manufacturer, drawn from Skin Deep data sources. Some concerns may be specific to how a product is used or formulated; product scores reflect those variances.
type of concern product conditions ingredient(s)
One or more animal studies show tumor formation at moderate doses CYCLOPENTASILOXANE
Neurotoxicity*
*Listed below are neurotoxicity concerns for the ingredients used by this manufacturer, drawn from Skin Deep data sources. Some concerns may be specific to how a product is used or formulated; product scores reflect those variances.
type of concern product conditions ingredient(s)
One or more animal studies show any effects at moderate doses CYCLOPENTASILOXANE
Moderate evidence of human neurotoxicity FRAGRANCE
Endocrine disruption*
*Listed below are endocrine disruption concerns for the ingredients used by this manufacturer, drawn from Skin Deep data sources. Some concerns may be specific to how a product is used or formulated; product scores reflect those variances.
type of concern product conditions ingredient(s)
One or more animal studies show endocrine disruption at moderate doses CYCLOPENTASILOXANE
Allergies/immunotoxicity*
*Listed below are allergies/immunotoxicity concerns for the ingredients used by this manufacturer, drawn from Skin Deep data sources. Some concerns may be specific to how a product is used or formulated; product scores reflect those variances.
type of concern product conditions ingredient(s)
Human skin toxicant - strong evidence PHYTANTRIOL
Known human immune system toxicant FRAGRANCE
Persistence and bioaccumulation*
*Listed below are persistence and bioaccumulation concerns for the ingredients used by this manufacturer, drawn from Skin Deep data sources. Some concerns may be specific to how a product is used or formulated; product scores reflect those variances.
type of concern product conditions ingredient(s)
Not suspected to be bioaccumulative VITAMIN B3, ALCOHOL DENATURED
Not suspected to be persistent PANTHENOL
Persistent, bioaccumulative in wildlife CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, CYCLOMETHICONE
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)*
*Listed below are organ system toxicity (non-reproductive) concerns for the ingredients used by this manufacturer, drawn from Skin Deep data sources. Some concerns may be specific to how a product is used or formulated; product scores reflect those variances.
type of concern product conditions ingredient(s)
Classified as medium human health priority CYCLOMETHICONE
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful ALTHAEA OFFICINALIS ROOT EXTRACT, VITAMIN B3, PANTHENOL
Classified as expected to be toxic or harmful CYCLOPENTASILOXANE
Limited evidence of gastrointestinal or liver toxicity ALCOHOL DENATURED
Miscellaneous*
*Listed below are miscellaneous concerns for the ingredients used by this manufacturer, drawn from Skin Deep data sources. Some concerns may be specific to how a product is used or formulated; product scores reflect those variances.
type of concern product conditions ingredient(s)
Occupational hazards related to handling ALCOHOL DENATURED
Ingredient not fully labeled - identity unknown FRAGRANCE
Multiple, additive exposure sources*
*Listed below are multiple, additive exposure sources concerns for the ingredients used by this manufacturer, drawn from Skin Deep data sources. Some concerns may be specific to how a product is used or formulated; product scores reflect those variances.
type of concern product conditions ingredient(s)
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food ALCOHOL DENATURED
Used in food or as an additive with limited or no toxicity information available PANTHENOL, ALCOHOL DENATURED
Ecotoxicology*
*Listed below are ecotoxicology concerns for the ingredients used by this manufacturer, drawn from Skin Deep data sources. Some concerns may be specific to how a product is used or formulated; product scores reflect those variances.
type of concern product conditions ingredient(s)
Suspected to be an environmental toxin and be persistent or bioaccumulative CYCLOPENTASILOXANE
Suspected to be an environmental toxin CYCLOMETHICONE
Not suspected to be an environmental toxin ALTHAEA OFFICINALIS ROOT EXTRACT, VITAMIN B3, PANTHENOL, ALCOHOL DENATURED
Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)*
*Listed below are irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) concerns for the ingredients used by this manufacturer, drawn from Skin Deep data sources. Some concerns may be specific to how a product is used or formulated; product scores reflect those variances.
type of concern product conditions ingredient(s)
Human any irritant - strong evidence products for use around the eyes, on the skin, or may be aerosolized (airborne) PHYTANTRIOL
Data gaps*
*Listed below are data gaps concerns for the ingredients used by this manufacturer, drawn from Skin Deep data sources. Some concerns may be specific to how a product is used or formulated; product scores reflect those variances.
type of concern product conditions ingredient(s)
Risk assessment method deficiencies and data gaps - Maximum reported "as used" concentration is basis of safety assessment by industry safety panel (Cosmetic Ingredient Review, CIR) - implicit safe concentration limit in product PANTHENOL
Missing safety data noted by cosmetic industry review PHYTANTRIOL
Risk assessment method deficiencies and data gaps - Maximum reported "as used" concentration is basis of safety assessment by industry safety panel (Cosmetic Ingredient Review, CIR) - implicit safe concentration limit in product CYCLOMETHICONE, PHYTANTRIOL
Not assessed for safety in cosmetics by industry panel ALTHAEA OFFICINALIS ROOT EXTRACT, VITAMIN B3, FRAGRANCE, DIMETHICONOL
