EWG Healthy Living vs. Think Dirty (Shop Clean)
You’re probably wondering what the heck is EWG , (Environmental Working Group), and why do you need to know about it? THEN there’s Think Dirty as well — everyone loves an innuendo, amiright?
EWG and Think Dirty (Shop Clean), are two popular online databases with thousands of products and their ingredients for you to check the toxicity ratings whenever you want.
“Why would I use these databases?”
You might use these databases if you’re thinking of being more conscious of the products you’re using in your daily life. So, these two websites (and their apps) are a great place to start.
You can search either a whole product, or each individual ingredient listed on a particular product. When you search, you view ratings in regards to the level of toxicity towards either yourself and your bodily systems, or the environment (or both).
My journey of making product switches started when I was pregnant with my first daughter in 2019, and it’s been an insanely slow process—and I didn’t have a clue where to start.
Thinking back, I believe my first move was choosing the “natural” products in stores, until I kept hearing from different clients of mine (I’m a hairstylist in case you haven’t read About me yet) that not all natural products in stores are actually natural and safe. This turned out to be true—which you will discover when you start checking your inventory of your current household and/or beauty products on EWG or Think Dirty.
The reason my pregnancy sparked my interest in better products was due to me organizing all our baby gear before our little superstar arrived; I was wondering why there’s baby detergent, baby soaps, baby lotions, baby dishwashing liquid, etc. (If you’re about to welcome a little bundle of joy, check out this post for holistic teething alternatives.)
My thoughts looked something like this:
“At what point do we, as adults, just assume it’s safe for older kids and ourselves to simply use the harmful, non-baby products?”
“Shouldn’t we all be using baby-safe, healthy products for everything?”
It’s like subliminally, one day, we just say: “screw it, my kid’s old enough now, they can use the harsh stuff with me and I can stop buying separate products.”
Yet, what we should be saying is “screw it, I’m switching the whole family over to safer, non-toxic products.”
‘Cause really, who wants to buy two separate inventories of things anyway? And who doesn’t want safer options for their entire family—not just the baby?
EWG and Think Dirty are wonderful resources to help you choose better products.
Keep in mind, though, these databases also show higher ratings for ingredients that are specifically known to cause allergic reactions for some people.
For example: there’s one product I really like that is overall safe, in my opinion, but because the citrus ingredients in it CAN cause skin reactions and potentially disrupt your respiratory system (if you have asthma or other lung issues already), it has a higher rating because there are reports of people experiencing these effects from citrus. If you don’t have allergies or existing lung conditions, then you can use your best judgement about products with high allergy ratings.
Now, here’s my BIGGEST point I want to stress: there is absolutely zero pressure to start rummaging through your products and throwing them all out after learning about what is causing your household harm. I’ve seen a couple people call this the “switch & ditch” method, and I am NOT for it.
If you’re anything like me, I value the money I spend, and I try to save wherever I can. So, my motto is:
“Finish what you have, because you spent money on it, and when you’re ready for more, upgrade with something better.”
I know, it’s not nearly as catchy as a rhyming statement like “switch and ditch,” but doesn’t it make you feel less overwhelmed about throwing products out and switching your whole house over at once? Not to mention it takes away the pressure to spend copious amounts of money restocking your entire home.
On the other hand, I can tell some of you might be thinking: “but why would I keep using the bad stuff and feel guilt for not switching?”
My solution: I rotate my products! Until the bad stuff is gone, I rotate what I use, and only use the bad products when my toddler and dogs aren’t around. I do this because throwing out the chemicals also gives me guilt thinking about the environment and landfills. It’s a tough call to make and I’m totally open to suggestions, because I’m always learning.
My first, and completely random, choice of product to switch was our hand soap. I was always a fan of the big soap sales from Bath & Body Works and would stock up five at a time, and they smell so lovely. Except the fragrances are one of the worst things for you!
A favourite of mine is actually from Attitude, and they have a lot of EWG Verified products for the whole family (it’s like being verified on Twitter or Instagram—pretty elite if you ask me). Attitude baby products are a favourite as well.
My favourite haircare brand is Prose, because every single ingredient they could use for your custom formula is listed with the EWG score on their website! (Get $10 off your first order here).
When I started checking ingredients, I was directed to EWG first. It wasn’t until several months later I learned of Think Dirty. Using the two databases inspired me to write this blog post to help others narrow down their database preference, so without further ado, here is my comparison list:
Pros of EWG:
Free, they just ask for tax-deductible donations to keep the research going and products updated. You get a tax receipt for your donation, but you do NOT have to donate to use their site.
The sources are categorized by relevance to the concerns (on the app)
They cater to 3 large categories: Skin Deep (which is for beauty and personal care products), household products, and food!
They have buying guides you can have emailed to you, to support your shopping journeys with main ingredients to avoid
I personally feel like EWG is more in depth and doesn’t hide anything
Cons of EWG:
There aren’t consumer reviews readily available on the website from people who have tried the products (yet)
On the app, you can’t click directly through to buy a product you like. On the website, sometimes it redirects you to do your own google search for you to purchase elsewhere
I wish you could just click on the product and buy it (if they do this before I notice, someone email me and let me know so I can update this page!)
Pros of Think Dirty:
You can click to purchase products directly on the app and website with their Shop Now buttons
There are consumer reviews from people who have purchased
Cons of Think Dirty:
As of right now it appears Think Dirty is primarily beauty products, but they DO have household items as well
They have a “fragrance loophole” (see picture below) which makes their ratings deceiving in my opinion
All their sources are listed one after the other (on the app), and not categorized by area of concern like EWG
Not everything is free on the app. You have to purchase a premium membership to gain access to every feature—including their ingredient analysis. I’d rather donate to EWG and support their research than pay for a premium membership to Think Dirty, and my donation to EWG is tax-deductible
The Think Dirty app also appears very “busy” in my opinion
I sincerely hope this article helps you on your journey to choosing better products for your home, and makes the process a little less overwhelming.
Check out my Prose blog post if you’re interested in switching to the best hair care you’ll ever experience!
Much love, Auj xo
