think dirty® methodology

Think Dirty® is committed to helping consumers identify the potential risks associated with the personal care products they use every day. Unlike other ingredient databases, we focus exclusively on the chemical content of the products in question. We have consciously avoided the widely-used practice of “greenwashing”, whereby the environmental or social responsibility of a product’s manufacturer is factored into the assessment allowing a product to receive an artificially low toxicity rating. We remain an independent company with no affiliate to any other third parties. We are solely concerned about the possible impact of a given product on an individual’s health, and our ratings methodology reflects that singular commitment.

Our ratings are determined based on publicly available data released by non-profit and government agencies in North America regarding the health and safety of the individual components found in your personal care products. A list of our data sources can be found in Appendix A.

We assess the overall risk of a given product based on the potential health impacts of its published ingredients. Each ingredient listed on the product label or manufacturer’s website is evaluated for documented evidence of Carcinogenicity, Developmental & Reproductive Toxicity and/or Allergenicity & Immunotoxicity, as show in the table below.

Evaluations are performed by Chemistry Team and Advisory Board, all of whom have extensive experience in relevant fields such as Medicine, Biochemistry, Biology, Physiology, Environmental Toxicology, Environmental Health & Safety and Chemical Engineering, and a track record of working with Health Canada, the US Food & Drug Administration, the European Medicines Agency, Environment Canada, the US Environmental Protection Agency and other related government and not-for-profit agencies.

Potential Health

Potential Action of Ingredients

Rating Based on Strength of Evidence

Impact of Ingredient

According to Published Evidence

Moderate

Strong

Conclusive

Carcinogenicity

Carcinogenicity Tumor promoter

Documented links to breast cancer

Known human carcinogen

Carcinogenic in lab studies

Carcinogen

9

10

10

Developmental & Reproductive Toxicity

Hormone Disruptor

Systemic Toxin

Neurotoxin

May cause blindness if used

near the eyes

May interfere with male

reproductive health

6

7 - 8

9

Allergenicity & Immunotoxicity

Allergen

Asthma Trigger

Immunotoxin

4

5 - 6

7

By default, products receive an overall Think Dirty® rating no lower than the highest rating of any individual ingredient.

If several ingredients in a given product receive high ratings, the product itself is automatically assigned a Think Dirty® rating of 10. It is important to note that even though some of the ingredients in personal care products may be present in very small quantities, the likelihood of significant repeated exposure is high due to the frequency with which personal care products are typically used. It is widely acknowledged that even low-level exposure to known toxins can have deleterious effects on human health if the exposure is repeated and long-term.

On a case by case basis, some products’ overall ratings might not be defaulted to the highest rating of any given ingredients. For example, if the total percentage of 4-7 rated ingredients is less than 5%, the outcome of the overall ratings might not be defaulted to the highest rating of the any individual ingredient.

Another example is that if a product has been certified by credible certifiers, the overall product ratings will be reviewed and evaluated on a case by case basis. Again, the outcome of the overall ratings might not be default to the highest rating of the any individual ingredient. If an overall product rating is adjusted because of credible certifiers, users can view certifiers types earned under in-app Certifiers tab in each product listing.

For more details on policy on organic certifiers, please refer “The Certifiers” section of this page.

Product’s ingredients have potential serious negative long term health effects

4 - 7

Product’s ingredients have potential moderate negative long term health effects

0 - 3

Product does not contain any ingredients which have a documented potential negative health impact

N/R

Ingredients not yet rated

In some cases manufacturers choose to define a component or group of components as proprietary and therefore confidential, in which case the specific ingredients in that component are not publicly disclosed and cannot be evaluated using existing health and safety data. This is a particular issue with an ingredient found on many personal care products, which is simply listed as “fragrance”. The sidebar below describes the significant potential health risks associated with “fragrance”, and our approach to rating products that contain this inscrutable ingredient.

Certifiers

In recognition of some manufacturers who chose to voluntarily submit their products for rigorous third parties certifiers such as USDA Organic, ECO Cert and NSF. We are in the process of rating these certified products with more positive rating than the products with same ingredients but not certified.

the fragrance loophole

Purportedly in the interest of safeguarding commercially valuable intellectual property, personal care product manufacturers are permitted to conceal the composition of the fragrances they use in their products. An ingredient listed on a product label as “fragrance” may be composed of dozens of different synthetic chemical compounds, none of which are specifically identified on the label or the manufacturer’s website. Further, even products labeled 'fragrance free' have been shown to contain fragrance ingredients, typically due to the use of these compounds as preservatives or as agents to mask the odors of other chemicals in the product.1 Yet fragrance is the most common cause of contact dermatitis associated with personal care products.2 Even more alarmingly, chemical analyses of cosmetics and personal care products containing undisclosed “fragrance” ingredients have identified known allergens, asthma triggers, allergens, sensitizers, endocrine disruptors, carcinogens and neurotoxins.3,4,5

Due to the strong evidence of the potential negative health impacts of unspecified fragrance ingredients, Think Dirty® automatically assigns any product that lists “fragrance” on its label a rating of 7 or higher.

The assignment of numerical ratings based on the results of scientific studies is necessarily a subjective process. The information on our website and in our mobile applications is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. If you have specific concerns about your exposure to certain chemicals or your health, please consult your physician.

What the others are saying

With a tool like Think Dirty, consumers can help find and promote good companies that are using nontoxic ingredients. You shouldn’t have to be a toxicologist to know how to find safer products.

– Janet Nudelman, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

I love knowing the health impact of what's on my bathroom shelf. Every consumer of beauty products needs this free app.

– Karina Birch, Founder of Rocky Mountain Soap

“It helps me make informed choices on products that I am bringing home.”

– Kyle Shearer, TED Blog Staff

“Tse's quest for greater transparency is personal. Her mother is a breast cancer survivor, so she's sensitive to hidden dangers in the products around us.”

– Fast Co. Exist

“Buying safe cosmetics has never been easier.”

– Ecouterre

“Think Dirty is an app that makes figuring out exactly what you’re slathering on your face, lips, bod (and, yikes, then washing down the drain) as easy as snapping a picture.”

– Brit + Co.

Lily and the team are doing a phenomenal job on an important app. This is something everyone who cares about their health should have in hand when they go shopping for personal care products!

– Bill Baker, CEO, Consonant Body

As someone who has past horror stories of using product that caused my skin allergy, Think Dirty is an app that I have been waiting for so long. It will let me know all the ingredients in the products, so I won't have to be a human guinea pig for new products. It will be a saviour for people like myself who has bad experience of using the wrong product for undisclosed ingredients. Looking forward to the launch of this important app!!

Incredibly useful app! I always considered myself a person who used natural and environmentally-friendly product until I downloaded this app. It is eye-opening to say the least. I can't wait to see more products added!

– ChloeMeagan, Think Dirty App User

Awesome! I have numerous allergies and I checked Think Dirty before I buy any new product and have found it useful. Don't know what I would do without it now.

– thinkingclean, Think Dirty App User

Time saver and life saver. Amazing!! I used to Google each ingredient in my products before purchasing to make sure they weren't harmful. Now I have an app that does that for me AND recommends a natural product... I just got to start getting my daughter's fathers to start using it.

– ttdoublenk, Think Dirty App User

So handy! Immediate answer to the burning question - is this bad for me? Have thrown a lot of things out now knowing what to buy instead.

– KevMacdod, Think Dirty App User

Love this when shopping. This app is great as it makes things so much easier when trying to decide on a product in store. In the past I felt like I had to stand in the aisle for 30m trying to look up ingredients etc. This app breaks thing down so simply and you can spend less time in store.

– Shoplesslivemore, Think Dirty App User

I am amazed at how many popular brand name products are full of chemicals. I have stopped using them. Thank you for opening my eye to natural clean products for my body. I love using this app as a resource before buying!

– Janey6549, Think Dirty App User

My favorite app! I don't know what I would do without this app. It's absolutely amazing and has inspired me to live a cleaner life.

– KimbaC, Think Dirty App User

Life changer. This app will make you more conscious of all bad chemicals that we absorb daily through our bodies. It has opened my eyes to true chemical-free brand and unveiled well-known brands that pretend to be.

– Luis756, Think Dirty App User

Awesome! Love to know what is bad for you. So many big words and it rates it all. Thank you for creating something like this.

– desiremap, Think Dirty App User

Wow! All I can say is wow I scanned some of my product and most of them scored high on the dirty level. I didn't realize just how much junk is in that stuff. I plan on swapping some of my products for cleaner ones recommended in the app.