Dove ingredients: what's banned overseas?

About Dove

Dove, Unilever's personal care brand, markets itself on gentle, skin-friendly formulations. However, US Dove products may contain propylparaben — a preservative that the EU banned in rinse-off cosmetics for children under 3 and restricted in all leave-on body lotions to 0.14% — as well as higher levels of fragrance allergens than permitted under EU Cosmetics Regulation Annex III. US cosmetic regulations require only disclosure of 'fragrance' as an ingredient, not individual fragrance chemicals, unlike the EU's expanded disclosure requirements.

Common concerns with Dove products

{"ingredient_slug":"propylparaben","ingredient_name":"Propylparaben","found_in_product":"Dove Body Lotion, some Dove beauty bars (US)","concern":"EU banned propylparaben in rinse-off children's cosmetics 2014. EU restricts propylparaben in leave-on cosmetics to 0.14% individually. Possible endocrine disruption at higher doses — Darbre 2004 found parabens in breast tumor tissue."}; {"ingredient_slug":"sodium-benzoate","ingredient_name":"Sodium Benzoate","found_in_product":"Dove Dry Shampoo, some Dove products","concern":"Preservative; EU restricts in cosmetics. Can form benzene with ascorbic acid derivatives."}