Buyer Beware - All Natural and Organic Doesn't Mean It Is Truly Natural or Organic

We had a FANTASTIC time at the recent dog summit! 

It was so much fun to spend time with our customers as well as many of the top educators in the Veterinary field!

So many of you came to our booth and said, "I already use 4-Legger but I want to meet you and also stock up." 

There were many lasting impressions.

One was a pet store and grooming salon owner who thought they were using a natural dog shampoo for her discerning customers.

When she first came up to our booth she said, "Everyone tells you their shampoo is the best. So now it's your turn. Tell me why yours is the best."

That was easy as 4-Legger organic dog shampoo truly IS all natural and organic.

4-Legger has two lines of all natural dog shampoo:

Our General Use line and our Advanced Formulation line of shampoos are all Certified Organic to Food Standards (human grade) through the USDA National Organic Program.

Less than 2% of all of the dog shampoo on the market is USDA Certified Organic to food standards.  4-Legger is the only USDA Certified Organic dog shampoo (Full Seal Standard) with an aloe base.  

‘The Dog Shampoo We Use Now Is Natural” (she said)

The customer asked why organic shampoo is better than the all natural shampoo she is currently using.

That is where it got interesting. 

We asked her what brand of shampoo she is currently using in her salon and while standing there we looked up the ingredients on the manufacturer's website. 

Comparing the ingredients is the quickest and easiest way to understand the differences and why 4-Legger doesn't use any artificial or synthetic ingredients. 

Here are some of the ingredients we pointed out as synthetic in the products she is currently using: 

• Acrylates copolymer
• Blend of Brighteners
• Cl#14700 (Red #4)
• Cl#19140 (Yellow #5)
• Cl#42090 (Blue #1)
• FD&C Red #1
• Concentrated Surfactant Blend (also called Surfactant Blend) which is in fact most likely Cocamidopropyl betaine)
• Dodecyl Sodium Sulfate
• DMDM Hydantoin
• EDTA
• EGDS
• Parfum (Perfume or Fragrance) 
• Lavender Fragrance
• Methylchloroisothiazolinone
• Methylisothiazolinone
• Polyquaternium-7
• Titanium Dioxide
• Zinc Gluconate

She was truly shocked to discover the ingredients in the shampoo she is using had any synthetic ingredients and even more shocked to discover her shampoo was primarily synthetic. 

Welcome to the world of greenwashing - the practice of marketing a synthetic product as all natural when it absolutely is not, simply to make money. 

Natural products are strong sellers  so virtually every manufacturer has started to market their product as "all natural". Since the dog shampoo industry doesn't have regulations requiring manufacturers to disclose all ingredients, they can get away with it all the while betraying your trust in the safety of their product.  

A synthetic chemical like Cocamidopropyl betaine is on the label as "all natural surfactant blend" or "coconut based surfactant blend". 

These products should come with a "buyer beware" sticker so you know that what is on the front of the bottle (the marketing area) likely doesn't match the ingredients panel on the back of the label.  That is assuming they even fully disclose all of their ingredients, which the industry also does not require!

Unfortunately, this means well intending dog parents, pet store owners, and groomers and even some veterinarians are using ingredients on dogs that have known health concerns for their furry customers and themselves. 

We will keep pushing for regulations in the dog grooming industry for full disclosure of what is in the bottle! In the meantime, if you have a product and want to check the ingredients, head over to the Pet Shampoo Ingredient Data Base here: www.petshampooingredientdatabase.com

We've compiled the data in an easy way to show you if it is all natural or synthetic and if there are any specific health concerns with an ingredient. If you’re not using 4-Legger Certified Organic Dog Shampoo, don’t be surprised if the dog shampoo you are using has ingredients you would never choose as a conscientious pet owner.  

4-Legger does not and will never use any artificial or synthetic ingredients in any product we make. We’ve had the devastating experience of losing a much loved dog to cancer caused by exposure to environmental toxins.

 Our mission is to give every dog a healthy bath and educate pet parents on the fundamental importance of ingredient purity and product integrity.