Want Style Without the Toxins? American Crew is Not The Move

Written by Ajay Chohan, Founder @ Small Batch Goodness

Why American Crew’s Product Labeling is Misleading: The synthetically derived and potentially toxic compounds in American Crew Pomade are a power house for allergic reactions, hormonal disruptions, reproductive issues and lower sperm counts. American Crew has failed to inform us of this.

Potentially Harmful Ingredients in American Crew Pomade to Avoid: Alcohol Denat., Fragrance, Linalool, Limonene, Citronellol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Hydroxycitronellal, Geraniol, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde (HICC), Benzyl Salicylate, Diazolidinyl Urea*, Methylparaben*, Propylparaben* * = worst offenders

AMERICAN CREW’S BRANDING includes images of rugged men with phrases like “empower men through quality grooming practices and products.” It forgets to mention that the parabens in their hair styling products can cause sexual health issues or infertility. Or that its fragrance ingredients are a powerhouse for allergic reactions and have toxins that affect the immune system.

Below I dig into all the ingredients of concern in American Crew Pomade. While the focus of this research article is on their Pomade, American Crew’s other products like the Forming Cream or Fiber share a similar ingredient profile. Thus the research applies broadly to all American Crew hair styling products.

At the end of the article I will talk about nourishing alternatives — i.e. all-natural Pomades and Clays (feel free to jump to that article here). But first, let’s get into the harmful ingredients + health concerns associated with using American Crew products.

The Alcohol in American Crew Pomade dries our hair out making it brittle.

Let’s start with the Alcohol Denat., or denatured alcohol, in American Crew which evaporates quickly like many other alcohols. In doing this it harms and dries out the sebum, which are the oils and lipids produced in our hair follicles to keep our scalp + hair lubricated. This leads to dry and brittle hair which can then lead to hair breakage.

The Fragrance in American Crew is composed of…what?

I have never been the biggest fan of this ingredient given the mystery that surrounds it. You see, “fragrance” could denote any number of over 2,000 ingredients that are used by the cosmetics industry, and most of these ingredients are synthetic chemicals. Now, companies are not required to disclose exactly which ingredients their fragrance is comprised of, leaving the fun to us. Fragrances are often the culprit behind the allergic reactions consumers have to hair and skin care products.

Diving into the 8 potentially toxic scent related chemicals in American Crew products: responsible for allergic reactions, skin irritation and immune system disruptions

After Fragrance, you will find *8* more ingredients in American Crew Pomade, with varying levels of toxicity, added for its scent related properties. Let’s start with the ingredient Linalool. While Linalool has a natural origin, it causes allergic reaction when it oxidizes. The EU describes Linalool as “a known human toxicant or allergen” and the EPA has also said there is strong evidence of Linalool being a human toxicant and allergen (1).

The next scent ingredient is Limonene. The Limonene in American Crew Pomade is a known skin and respiratory irritant (2). There are also concerns that Limonene could be toxic to and affect our immune system (2).

Similarly Citronellol is another scent ingredient in American Crew to stay away from, especially if you have sensitive skin. There is evidence of Citronellol being tied to allergic reactions and triggering contact dermatitis (3).

Now, another FOUR toxic scent ingredients added for fragrance in American Crew men’s hair styling products are Hexyl Cinnamal, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Hydroxycitronellal and Geraniol. All of these have EWG ratings between 3-6 (we want ingredients with EWG ratings of 1 or 2 — with supporting data). All four of these scent ingredients in American Crew are tied with allergic reactions and are toxins that affect our immune system.

Please Note: Here is my article on the best original and all-natural pomades for style via nourishment ;)

Lastly, we have the mysterious scent ingredient Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde (HICC). Similar to the ingredients above, HICC is primarily used to provide fragrance. European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety writes in its report that “the available data clearly demonstrates” HICC to be a contact allergen which can especially trigger allergies in individuals with eczema (4). The report also mentions that the current levels of HICC allowed in the cosmetics industry “far exceeds” levels that could pose risks to consumers and that contact allergy to HICC is a “problem in Europe” (4). Again, my perspective, avoid any hair or skin care product with HICC as an ingredient, especially if you have sensitive skin.

YIKES. All this to give a hair stying product its scent? When the company could have just used whole plant extracts? SMH. The lesson here is that whole lavender, lemon, rose and other plant extracts are certainly good…but the trouble begins when we start extracting individual compounds from these natural substances…that’s when cosmetic companies often outsmart themselves.

Unfortunately, we are not done with the harmful ingredients to avoid in American Crew.

The Benzyl Salicylate found in American Crew hair styling products is another ingredient to avoid. Benzyl Salicylate is known to be toxic to our immune system, can trigger contact dermatitis and is even a hormonal disruptor with harmful effects on our reproductive system (5). Benzyl Salicylate is also being studied for its potential to promote the development of breast cancer cells (6). In a lot of ways, ingredients that can cause health effects over the long term need the biggest focus, because with allergies at least we know not to use that product again. Needless to say, Benzyl Salicylate is not an ingredient that should be in our hair or skin care products.

The lesson here is that whole lavender, lemon, rose and other plant extracts are certainly good…but the trouble begins when we start extracting individual compounds from these natural substances…that’s when cosmetic companies often outsmart themselves.

The ingredients in American Crew go from bad to worse. Next is the formaldehyde releasing carcinogen Diazolidinyl Urea.

Next ingredient of concern in American Crew is the formaldehyde releasing carcinogen Diazolidinyl Urea (7). This ingredient is added as a preservative. Now, of course there are strict concentration limits around the amount of Diazolidinyl Urea that can be added to hair and skin care products. So even though Diazolidinyl Urea is a formaldehyde releasing carcinogen, i.e. it can cause cancer in humans, it is added in amounts that are considered to be safe. Having said that, why even? It’s better to simply eliminate any known formaldehyde releasing ingredients from our beauty routine. In addition to cancer concerns due to the formaldehyde release, Diazolidinyl Urea is also linked to skin allergies (7).

Truly, the best American Crew products are the ones that never end up on your hair. Unfortunately, we are not done with the ingredients of concern in this Pomade.

Why do sperm count reducing Parabens, like the ones in American Crew, constantly find themselves under scrutiny? Let’s look at the scientific studies.

Parabens such as Methylparaben and Propylparaben found in American Crew men’s hair styling products have always been under scrutiny, and for good reason. This is because these synthetic preservatives have been linked with everything from disruptions to our endocrine system, lower sperm counts, reproductive problems, cancer as well as allergic skin reactions (8). A 2002 report in the National Library of Medicine, which studied the effects of Propylparaben on the male reproductive system, found that “daily sperm production and its efficiency in the testis of all groups receiving Propylparaben significantly decreased” (11). Yikes.

A more recent 2020 report by the National Library of Medicine talks about the “negative impact of Methylparaben on skin cells” and mentions that we should avoid using multiple cosmetic products containing parabens due to the possibility of developing “unfavorable health outcomes” and “the real risk of estrogenic effects” (9). Negative estrogenic health effects in men caused by parabens would include things like sexual performance issues, infertility or growth of breast tissues. Again, these can manifest over years or decades, so we won’t know the effect parabens are having on our body until much later.

Yet another 2010 report by the National Library of Medicine urges caution when paraben containing products are used by children, citing endocrine disruptions as a risk. The report specifically mentions Propylparaben and says “the safety margin for Propylparaben is very low (10). American Crew Pomade on my hair? No thank you.

Especially if you are someone constantly exposed to American Crew and other cosmetic products containing parabens — i.e. salon workers — it’s time to seriously consider your daily exposure and how that might be adding up over the decades. Also if you have eczema or are prone to contact dermatitis it’s best to avoid American Crew products.

To be fair to American Crew, its industry peers use equally troubling ingredients: A quick review on other harmful men’s pomades to avoid

To be fair to American Crew, other popular men’s hair styling brands like Axe, Paul Mitchell and Old Spice use similarly harmful ingredients in their pomades and styling creams. The worst products might be ones made by Axe, as their ingredients include the formaldehyde releasing carcinogen DMDM Hydantoin, petroleum based synthetic colors Blue 1 + Red 33 linked with skin irritations & cancer, as well as the toxic preservative Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate. Paul Mitchell products are not as bad but contain allergy causing cheap ingredients like Linalool, Citronellol, Benzyl Salicylate and synthetic fragrance which we have covered above with American Crew. And lastly Old Spice’s hair styling creams contain the endocrine and estrogen disrupting parabens Methylparaben and Propylparaben. So…American Crew enjoys “good company” here.

Even the ingredients in the newer hip brand Suavecito are not any better. Suavecito’s pomade contains the formaldehyde releasing carcinogen Diazolidinyl Urea, the toxic preservative Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, the petroleum based synthetic dye Blue 1 and the gross plastic silicone Dimethicone — which is what gives Suavecito its “suave look.” Avoid.

You have to go behind the clever marketing and always start by reading the full ingredients list. There you have it folks. A little deep dive into why American Crew and other mainstream hair styling products are not the move.

Is it possible to get style, texture and volume for your hair naturally?

Thankfully, the answer is a very clear Yes. Over the recent years we have seen a burst of creativity and founders have come up with original and all-natural concoctions. Everything from a shiny low hold pomade to a volume providing high hold clay is now made with 100% natural ingredients.

You can read my best all-natural pomades article here, where I go over my selection criteria followed by amazingly nourishing natural pomades.

And that’s all fellas! Do (or did) you use any of the toxic hair styling brands covered here? Have you already found a natural hair styling product you like? Do share your thoughts below. Do not forget to share the article if you believe a loved one can benefit from this research. Signing off. - Ajay

Sources:

1. https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredients/703568-linalool/

2. https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredients/702113-LIMONENE/

3. https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredients/701389-CITRONELLOL/

4. https://ec.europa.eu/health/scientific_committees/consumer_safety/docs/sccs_o_074.pdf

5. https://wispirg.org/blogs/blog/usp/your-daily-routine-toxic

6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19338011/

7. https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredients/701923-DIAZOLIDINYL_UREA_FORMALDEHYDE_RELEASER/

8. https://www.ewg.org/what-are-parabens

9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31903662/

10. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20381602/