Certification ensures that items across consumer product categories are made without known carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, or other chemicals found to harm human health
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 8, 2016
NEW YORK – Products carrying a revolutionary new certification that helps protect consumer health are hitting shelves today. The MADE SAFE
(Made With Safe Ingredients) seal empowers shoppers to find and purchase items that have been screened for known toxic chemicals, so that for the first time, consumers know at the point of purchase which products are made without known harmful chemicals for use on their bodies, for their babies, and in their homes.
MADE SAFE literally means a product has been made with ingredients not known to cause human health harm. The first human health-focused certification to cross consumer product categories, these emblems can be found on verified personal care, cosmetics, baby, and household items beginning this year.
“Our seal is a guiding light in the darkness around product safety,” said Amy Ziff, founder and executive director of the MADE SAFE certification. “We make it easy for people to find products made without known harmful chemicals, for companies to construct products using safer ingredients, and for retailers to select and showcase products that aren’t known to cause harm.”
Products bearing these seals don’t use ingredients considered known carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, reproductive toxins, neurotoxins, behavioral toxins, flame retardants, heavy metals, pesticides, insecticides, toxic solvents, VOCs, or GMOs, according to scientifically authoritative “red” lists.
Initial brands working toward certification of their products with the MADE SAFE seal include: Alaffia, Annmarie Gianni Skin Care, Good Clean Love, healthy hoohoo, Just So Natural Products, Naturepedic, Rejuva Minerals, Sustain Naturals, SW Basics and True Botanicals.
“Alaffia is proud to be part of pioneering the MADE SAFE seal, which will help consumers feel confident about their purchases,” said Shane Hart, Director of Communications & Sales for Alaffia. “We believe in responsibly balancing traditional ingredients with science for the benefit of people and the environment and are excited to be able to better communicate this with our customers.”
“You shouldn’t need a degree in chemical engineering to know if a product contains ingredients that could harm you, your family or the environment,” said Barry Cik, founder of Naturepedic. “Even if you have that degree, though, a lack of transparency may still leave you guessing what’s actually in your product. MADE SAFE gives everybody, scientists and non-scientists alike, an easier way to find safer, healthier products.”
“In support of all who seek truly safe and effective products, True Botanicals has taken the important step of seeking MADE SAFE Certification,” said Hillary Peterson, founder of True Botanicals. “This decision reinforces our overall mission to deliver results without toxins and to push the beauty industry to do the same. Amidst a sea of misinformation, MADE SAFE is offering the most comprehensive product safety evaluation available today. We are proud to be making products that meet these rigorous standards.”
MADE SAFE certifies individual products with these three steps:
It ensures ingredients aren’t known to harm human health by screening against its Toxicant Database made up of scientifically authoritative lists from organizations and government agencies around the world.
Independent chemists scrutinize the materials and ingredients to see if there are known bioaccumulation, environmental persistence, or aquatic toxicity issues using available data and modeling software like EPI Suite, QSAR, and EcoSAR ToxCast.
It reviews the supply chain to explore issues of likely potential contamination.
MADE SAFE utilizes subject matter experts for data questions and/or lab analysis of ingredients, and exercises the Precautionary Principle in cases of ingredients where ingredients are likely to cause human health harm.
Using these steps, the certification goes beyond most standard practices with an aim to alter the way products are made in this country.
Products that have passed MADE SAFE will have the option of moving on to NONTOXIC CERTIFIED, in which they’re lab-tested in totality to ensure that no new toxins are formed in mixture, there’s no supply chain contamination, and to validate the screening in a lab environment.
“The MADE SAFE screening process is phase one of our certification, and it’s about starting with a base of safe individual ingredients.” said Ziff. “Nontoxic Certification will go over and above to ensure that ingredient mixtures aren’t linked to unnecessary exposures that cause human health harm. This is revolutionary; it’s the future of safe product formulation in our country.”
Pioneering this gold standard certification is Pura Stainless, which makes 100% plastic-free baby, child, and sport bottles.
“We have long believed that plastics have no place in juvenile feeding and adult hydration bottles and have worked tirelessly to create products that have no plastic content,” said Roger Moore, CEO of Pura Stainless. “As the only 100% plastic-free bottle line in the world, Pura is excited to see an independent body focused on the highest standards in human health and environmental safety. The NONTOXIC CERTIFIED seal will aid consumers around the world in their quest for products devoid of toxic chemicals. We are proud to be the first bottle to achieve this status.”
“Our goal is to fundamentally change the way products are made in this country, and we look at this as a journey. You have to start with MADE SAFE to get to NONTOXIC CERTIFIED. We’re giving manufacturers an easy way to think about human health and safety in the beginning of the R&D process so that we can ultimately eliminate toxic chemicals from the marketplace,” said Ziff.
The MADE SAFE and NONTOXIC CERTIFIED seals are aimed at solving the chemical conundrum that has vexed consumers for decades. Over 80,000 chemicals are currently in use in the US, and the majority are untested. Increasing studies are linking chemicals in everyday products to a wide range of serious health problems, from cancer, reproductive harm, and endocrine disruption, to learning disabilities, developmental problems, and infertility.
With scant legislation, little to no regulation around chemicals in commerce, and undisclosed ingredients, it’s nearly impossible for consumers to ascertain whether or not a product may cause harm to their families. What’s worse, consumers are forced to navigate a sea of greenwashing with meaningless claims like “green” or “eco.” While they can turn to single-chemical claims like “BPA-Free” or “paraben-free,” no single trusted symbol has existed to signal consumers that products are made without toxic chemicals that can harm their health.
“As the first certification of its kind to encompass all consumer product categories, people finally have a trusted go-to for finding safer items—from baby bottles to bedding to beauty products and more,” said Ziff.
QUOTES FROM OTHER PARTICIPATING BRANDS:
Annmarie Gianni Skin Care: “We hand craft organic skin care that guarantees beautiful, glowing skin, and that’s why it makes sense for us to pioneer this seal to protect people from toxic chemicals in products they use on their bodies.”
Wendy Strgar, Founder & CEO, Good Clean Love: “Good Clean Love was founded on the premise that sexual health products can be as good for your body as they feel good during the experience. This is why we’re so proud to carry the MADE SAFE seal to align certification with our overall product philosophy.”
Andrea Fabry, Owner, Just So Natural Products: “As the owner and operator of Just So Natural Products I am thrilled to join with MADE SAFE! Together we hope to take the mystery out of label reading and offer consumers peace of mind when it comes to safe cleaning and personal care products. I love the accountability as a business owner and applaud MADE SAFE for blazing this trail!”
Brenda Hyre, Rejuva Minerals Inc. President: “For 10 years, Rejuva Minerals has hand-selected only the safest ingredients to produce our beautifully pigmented, naturally derived and organic cosmetics. And now, we have taken additional steps to substantiate the safety of our products. We are proud to say that we have met the strict set of standards associated with the revolutionary new third-party certification program called MADE SAFE. MADE SAFE scrutinizes each and every ingredient, even checking the supply chain to rule out potential contaminants. We are excited to start offering MADE SAFE certified products and spreading the word about this new third party certification program.”
Meika Hollender, Co-Founder, Sustain Naturals: “We’re excited to see the MADE SAFE certification process come to life, because it serves as another layer in ingredient transparency, empowering consumers to make informed decisions about what they put in and on their bodies.”
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MADE SAFE and NONTOXIC CERTIFIEDTM, America’s first human health-focused certification to cross consumer product categories, is a nonprofit with the goal of making it possible for consumers to easily find products that are made without known harmful chemicals or ingredients while also offering brands and retailers a road map to making and selling safer products. Founded by Amy Ziff with a mission to change the way products are made in America and around the world, the certification scrutinizes ingredients to avoid using materials linked to known human health harm. It is imperative that consumers always follow the manufacturer guidelines for use when using certified products. For more information, visit http://www.madesafe.org.