Comments on: Clorox Greenworks Leads Market One Year later- I told You So! http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/01/18/clorox-greenworks-leads-market-one-year-later-i-told-you-so/ Green & Sustainable Business Ventures: For Entrepreneurs & Investors Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:59:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: GA Master http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/01/18/clorox-greenworks-leads-market-one-year-later-i-told-you-so/comment-page-1/#comment-14400 GA Master Mon, 09 Feb 2009 15:56:31 +0000 http://ecopreneurist.com/?p=1200#comment-14400 There is one issue that I would like to challenge Clorox on that no one seems to have caught so far. That is the glycolic acid ingredient in the GreenWorks Natural Bathroom Cleaner. It is true that glycolic acid is found naturally, however the concentration in any natural source is very low. It is found in far too low a concentration and would be far too expensive to extract for use in a cleaning product. DuPont makes a very large amount of glycolic acid and their product and process is based on petroleum feedstock. In fact DuPont’s website site states: “Although Glycolic Acid occurs naturally as a trace component in sugarcane, beets, grapes and fruits, DuPont synthesizes the product through a purpose built manufacturing process in Belle, West Virginia.” (http://www2.dupont.com/Glycolic_Acid/en_US/) Even high quality glycolic acid that is used in the cosmetic industry as an anti-aging and exfoliating compound is not derived from a natural source. With the exception of one company, CrossChem, which makes glycolic acid via a bacterial fermentation process, no glycolic acid can be considered natural or even naturally derived. The cost parameters for using CrossChem glycolic acid in a cleaning product is not economical. My understanding is that most of CrossChem’s glycolic acid is used to make polyglycolic acid which is used to make sutures, a very high value medical product. (http://www.crosschem.net/70_solution.php) My assumption is that either the glycolic acid in this cleaning product is so low that it’s insignificant or that the glycolic acid is actually petroleum derived. Clorox claims that there is no petroleum based ingredients in these products, I believe they are misrepresenting themselves in this regard. Can we challenge Clorox to find the source of their glycolic acid? There is one issue that I would like to challenge Clorox on that no one seems to have caught so far. That is the glycolic acid ingredient in the GreenWorks Natural Bathroom Cleaner. It is true that glycolic acid is found naturally, however the concentration in any natural source is very low. It is found in far too low a concentration and would be far too expensive to extract for use in a cleaning product. DuPont makes a very large amount of glycolic acid and their product and process is based on petroleum feedstock. In fact DuPont’s website site states:
“Although Glycolic Acid occurs naturally as a trace component in sugarcane, beets, grapes and fruits, DuPont synthesizes the product through a purpose built manufacturing process in Belle, West Virginia.” (http://www2.dupont.com/Glycolic_Acid/en_US/)

Even high quality glycolic acid that is used in the cosmetic industry as an anti-aging and exfoliating compound is not derived from a natural source. With the exception of one company, CrossChem, which makes glycolic acid via a bacterial fermentation process, no glycolic acid can be considered natural or even naturally derived. The cost parameters for using CrossChem glycolic acid in a cleaning product is not economical. My understanding is that most of CrossChem’s glycolic acid is used to make polyglycolic acid which is used to make sutures, a very high value medical product. (http://www.crosschem.net/70_solution.php)

My assumption is that either the glycolic acid in this cleaning product is so low that it’s insignificant or that the glycolic acid is actually petroleum derived. Clorox claims that there is no petroleum based ingredients in these products, I believe they are misrepresenting themselves in this regard.

Can we challenge Clorox to find the source of their glycolic acid?

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