Goodhumans has had a few inquiries regarding ShiKai
products and whether or not they contain carcinogens.
To find an answer to this question, we called ShiKai.

Here's the scoop directly from Dr. Dennis T. Sepp, PhD
Chemistry, Owner of ShiKai Products:

---------------------------------------------------

"On Monday, February 23, CBS television and radio
aired a report on DEA (diethanolamine) and Lauramide
DEA as possible agents responsible for liver and
kidney tumors in mice.  Since almost all shampoos,
bubble baths, bath gels or personal care products that
produce lather contain either Lauramide DEA or
Cocoamide DEA the reporters inferred that all such
consumer products are potentially hazardous.

The hard science behind the CBS feature was found in
the following two reports published by the National
Toxicology Institute:

1. Report #TR-478 on DEA (Diethanolamine) applied
topically to rats and mice. Evidence was found that
DEA applied to mice over a 2 year span (possible
lifetime doses for mice) was a possible cause for
tumors found in these animals. When the same tests
were done on rats no tumors were found.

2. Report #TR-480 on Lauramide DEA applied topically
to rats and mice.  The same 2 year study as above was
done on rats and mice using Lauramide DEA as the test
material. In this experiment no tumors were detected
when rats were the test animals. Nor were tumors found
in male mice. It was only in female mice that there
were some possible abnormalities. This uncertainty was
specifically addressed by the authors. However, the
important conclusion drawn by the researchers was that
it was not the Lauramide DEA that was responsible for
the possible female mice results but rather the
presence of free DEA found as a contaminant of the
Lauramide DEA production process.

To the best of my knowledge nobody in our industry
uses DEA as an ingredient. And speaking for ShiKai,
for the past 20 years I have personally made sure that
DEA is not a contamanent in any of our raw
materials. We use the highest purity Lauramide DEA
available specifically to avoid DEA contaminants.  It
is more expensive and harder to work with but I have
always believed that the purer the starting materials
the cleaner and safer the final product.

Alsmost all of us use Lauramide DEA or Cocoamide DEA
to some degree in our sudsing type products.
Lauramide DEA and Cocoamide DEA are entirely different
compounds from DEA. They differ not only in their
chemical structure but even in their physical
characteristics.  For example, DEA is a clear watery
liquid, while Lauramide DEA is a rock hard solid. In
essence these ingredients are as different from each
other as are apples and Ford automobiles.

There is no evidence that Lauramide DEA or Cocoamide
DEA are carcinogenic. Furthermore these products have
been used in the mass market for well over 40 years
with a huge population exposure yet no evidence of
increased liver and kidney tumors has been detected.

The consumer has been alarmed by the three letters
'DEA' and they assume that Lauramide DEA, Cocoamide
DEA and DEA are all the same thing. It is important
for us to inform them that these ingredients are
different and that the DEA that they are frightened of
appears in none of our shampoos, bubble baths and bath
gels.

------------------------------------------------------