Do Dryer Sheets Cause Acne?
Submitted by Beauty Brains Blog
NKmiller asks…Is it true that dryer sheets contain known carcinogens and are toxic? If so, can enough of the toxic chemicals make their way onto our skin from clothing, towels, etc.and cause harm? I smell some scare tactics.
The Left Brain responds:
NK’s question comes from this thread in the Beauty Brains Forum and it led to two additional questions: do dryer sheets cause acne and are they bad for your dryer?
Fabric softener sickness?
As I’ve mentioned in other posts, one must be careful when declaring a chemical is “toxic” or not. Many substances can toxic (or be carcinogenic) under certain use conditions (e.g., when ingesting or inhaling high concentrations over long periods of time). But that doesn’t necessarily mean that indirect contact of a small amount is problematic. Checking the literature for specific research on the health effects of dryer sheets, I found this link which discusses the testing done on Bounce which showed this particular brand “produced no irritation in challenge patch tests, provocative patch tests, continuous patch tests, repeated insult patch tests, prick tests and clinical wear tests. Bounce would not be expected to cause irritation or induce cutaneous sensitization.” However, I did find one Pubmed study showing that people with chemical sensitivity did have some reaction when exposed to dryer sheet chemicals compared to a control group of chemicals. That’s not much information to go on but without more research, I would have to say that it is safe for most people to use Bounce and that it would be prudent to avoid using fabric softeners if you are sensitive to chemicals and have a high level of concern.
Breakouts from Bounce?
To determine if dryer sheets cause acne there are two key questions that must be answered: 1) are the chemicals used on dryer sheets comedogenic (do they cause acne) and 2) are those chemicals transferred to skin in sufficient quantities to have an effect? Unfortunately, I could not find any definitive answers in the published literature so I have to resort to making some educated guesses.
First, what chemicals are used in dryer sheets? It’s impossible to say for any given product because household products, unlike cosmetics, don’t have to provide a list of ingredients. But two common types of dryer sheet ingredients are softening agents (like dihydrogenated tallow dimethyl ammonium chloride and polydimethylsiloxane) as well as waxy coating agents (like stearic acid.) Siloxanes (or silicones in general) and stearic acid rate very low on the comedogencity scale. So for these specific ingredients it’s highly unlikely they would cause breakouts. But without a complete list of ingredients it’s impossible to know the true acne-genic potential of any given dryer sheet formulation.
Second, how much of these ingredients actually end up on your skin? Let’s assume we’re talking about drying your face with a towel that you dried with a fabric softener sheet. The small amount of softening formula on a dryer sheet is spread across an entire dryer load towels. And using one of those towels to dry your face will only transfer a tiny fraction of the total material on the towel. So the amount of chemicals deposited on your skin is very low. Even for those chemicals that do cause acne, a very low dose is less likely to clog pores. So my personal guess is that the likelihood of dryer sheets causing acne is very, very slight. Of course, this is my personal speculation which I would change in a heartbeat if presented with valid data that showed the contrary.
Filling up your filter?
This last question is the easiest to answer because it’s already been researched. According to Snopes.com heavy use of dryer sheets can be harmful to your dryer. That’s because the hydrophobic (waxy) materials mentioned above can accumulate on lint filters rendering them less effective. Washing the filter occasionally can remove the residue and prolong the life of your dryer.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
While there are no definitive answers to the questions NK raised, there doesn’t seem to be a need for a high level of concern. Hopefully these kinds of discussions will spur future research that could answer the questions one way or the other. In the meantime, wash those filters!
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