Why Scented Shampoos Are BAD for Your Dog

We all want our furry friends to smell and look clean, and many of us will reach for the scented shampoo on the shelf because, I mean, who doesn’t want their dog to smell like lavender??

If you see the word “fragrance” on the ingredient label or it gives off a strong scent in the absence of essential oils, set it back on the shelf and walk away! That shampoo is likely to have phthalates used to bond the fragrance to the other ingredients. These are known to disrupt hormones, meaning they can wreak havoc on your dog’s endocrine (blood) system. The scent itself is likely made of hundreds to thousands of different ingredients linked to cancer and reproductive and developmental issues.

What to Avoid in Scented Shampoos for dogs?

When you go shopping for shampoo for your furry friend, here is a list of ingredients that you should avoid:

• “A proprietary blend of coat and skin conditioners and moisturizers.” We know that this is NOT an ingredient, but many manufacturers will put this on the label to trick the unknown dog mom or dad.
  
  
• “Artificial Fragrance” - Some synthetic fragrances have been linked to cancer as well as reproductive and developmental toxicity.
  
  
• “Artificial colors” - These have been linked to organ damage, cancer, birth defects, and allergic reactions. Artificial colors aren’t “pure” chemicals. Many of them are contaminated with byproducts and are purchased by the manufacturer to enhance the product visually.
  
  
• “Slow-Releasing” - Although you won’t see formaldehyde preservatives on the label but if it says “slow-releasing” it is guaranteed that formaldehyde preservatives will be found in the dog shampoo and is known to trigger an immune response that can include burning, itching, blistering, or scaling of the skin.
  
  If you see any of these names on the bottle, avoid the product: Bromopol, Diazolidinyl urea, DMDM Hydantoin (often mis-typed on dog shampoo bottles as DHDH hydantoin), Imidazolidinyl urea, Quaternium-7, -15, -31, -61, and Sodium hydroxymethylglycinate.
  
  
• “Isothiazolinone preservatives” Methylisothiazolinone and Methylchloroisothiazolinone are both known skin irritants that have been associated with significant allergic reactions. There’s strong evidence that methylisothiazolinone is also a neurotoxin, which is a natural substance that interferes with the nerves’ electrical activities.
  
  
• “Triethanolamine” - This is very closely related to Cocamide-MEA and may be listed as Cocamide-TEA. It’s used as a surfactant and pH adjuster. Like Cocamide-MEA, it’s at high risk of being contaminated with nitrosamines.
  
  
• “Propylene Glycol or Polyethylene glycol (PEG)” - These are skin conditioners, solvent, and humectant. They are both penetration enhancers, but they are suspected of immune system toxins, a neurotoxin, reproductive toxin, and skin toxin.

Oatmeal Shampoo for Dogs

You put a high level of trust in the manufacturer of your dog’s grooming products. Yet, no regulations hold manufacturers to standards for ingredient purity, verification of “natural” claims, or disclosure of manufacturing processes.

Natural dog grooming products go through a much higher level of scrutiny. All ingredients are reviewed throughout their lifecycle – from where and how they are grown, harvested, processed, transported, packaged, and shipped.

Vital Pet Life’s Shampoo ingredients are 100% Natural. There are no GMO ingredients, no pesticides, herbicides, artificial colors, or artificial fragrance.

Our natural pet shampoo is the perfect shampoo for keeping your fur-babies clean and healthy. Oatmeal, Aloe Vera, and Jojoba Oil help moisturize and soften their coats, keeping them soft, shiny, and smooth. Along with all of that, oatmeal, aloe vera, yucca, chamomile, and jojoba oil all have anti-inflammatory properties and helps soothe the skin on the sensitive fur-babies. Our shampoo does not contain any Sulfates, Parabens, or Isothiazolinones commonly in so many other pet care and human hygiene products.

Bottom line

When searching for your next dog shampoo …

Search for natural dog shampoo or certified organic dog shampoo.

Vital Pet Life’s natural pet shampoo is perfect for the concerned fur parent who cares about what products they use on their fur babies. We only use all-natural ingredients, and our shampoo doesn’t contain sulfates, paraben, or isothiazolinones!

We are also proud to say our shampoo is made in the USA! Want to know what other people say about our oatmeal aloe shampoo? Check out here.