Sal-Free^TM Centre

"Sal-Free^TM" means an ingredient or product does not contain any salicylates.  It is a reserved term.   * A trademark of Guai-Support.

 Warning: Read About Salicylates before purchasing products NOT listed in these data bases. 
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Information and Assistance
An Approach to Getting More Salicylate Information
Heather Vaughan & Tesa Marcon - Revised March 19, 2005 by Tesa Marcon

The contents of this document may change according to new information.  Check back regularly and please let me know if you hear anything new .

Everyone has their own approach for getting information re products so do what feels comfortable for you but here are some suggestions to work with.

1. Check Labels on products.  If they are not listed in the Sal-Free^TM Ingredient list or our archives (with a definitive answer) ask on the mailing list.  In some cases you may have to call the company/manufacturer.

USA Food & Drug Labelling Laws
USA Decoding the Cosmetic Label
Some smaller items like lipstick may not have an ingredient list on the product or package in which case ask to see the larger package the products came in and/or the information sheet that came with the products. Either of these may have the ingredient list on them. If ever you see words such as "and other ingredients" in an ingredient list, be sure to contact the company to find out exactly what they are.  They don't have to disclose 'proprietary' ingredients however so get as much information as you can.

Parfum: Key Exceptions to label listing
More than 10,000 ingredients used in cosmetics are required, by law, to appear on labels. The key exceptions are any of the 2,600 fragrance chemicals which are currently listed under the catch-all term "parfum".
Most fragrances in cosmetics are in synthetic thus will not block Guaifenesin.

FDA on Soaps
According to the FDA site some soaps are not considered cosmetics because they don't make cosmetic claims and so don't have to list ingredients. Also, apparently synthetic detergent bars are also considered cosmetics.

As defined in section 201(i) of the FD&C Act, a cosmetic is a product, except soap, intended to be applied to the human body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness or altering the appearance.

In section 701.20 of Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations [21 CFR 701.20], the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines the term "soap" as a product in which the non-volatile portion consists principally of an alkali salt of fatty acids, i.e., the traditional composition of soap; the product is labeled as soap; and the label statements refer only to cleansing. If cosmetic claims, e.g., moisturizing, deodorizing, skin softening etc., are made on a label, the product is a cosmetic. Synthetic detergent bars are also considered cosmetics, although they may be labeled as "soap."

New OTC (over the counter) drug labelling rules
Everyone has to start printing labels in accordance with the new OTC drug rules no later than May 16, 2005.   Every product must list ALL ingredients, including toothpaste and sunscreen.  The only exception are convenience size products.  That is - products that have less than 3 doses, such as product samples or aspirin sold at airports where there are less than 3 doses.  All other OTC drug products must list ALL ingredients.  The only problem that one might have is if they bought a product where the label was printed prior to 5-16-05.  One would not be sure that it listed all products.  Once all old products are no longer on the shelves, we will be safe to assume that the label lists all ingredients.

The regulations for labeling of OTC drug products are found in 21 CFR 201.66. 

Click here to access the CFR online. From there, choose Part 200-299, then Part 201, then 201.66.

Click here for the OTC drug product labeling requirements.

Click here for this second link which provides for the partial delay of compliance dates for "convenience size" products.

Click here for the publicly available web site that contains information that you may find useful:

Leah A. Christl, Ph.D.
Regulatory Project Manager
Division of Over-the-Counter Drug Products HFD-560
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
U.S. Food and Drug Administration

New Canadian Cosmetic Products Ingredient Labelling
The Issue:  "By November 2006, the outer label of cosmetic products sold in Canada will have to list all the ingredients in the product. This will help consumers make more informed choices. It will also reduce health risks related to the use of cosmetics."

"By November 18, 2006, the outer label of all cosmetics sold in Canada must contain a list of all ingredients. In addition, the list must use recognized names from the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) system, as found in the International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook. This naming system is already in use in the United States, the European Union, Japan and many other countries."

2. When Calling a company ask to speak to a chemist, rather than a company rep who will likely just tell you the same as what's written on their labels and in their promotional material.  It won't always help but it might at least get them to disclose any unlisted ingredeints.

3. Don't start by mentioning salicylates. Many times, company reps and even chemists will state emphatically that there are no salicylates in a certain product when in fact there are.. So try instead to get detailed information about any ingredient that you are unsure of (e.g., what an ingredient's original source was and the process it has undergone).

4. Then mention salicylate if it seems necessary - some people phrase it that they have an allergy to salicylates and it is dangerous for them to take anything that contains them, others say they are taking a medication that is blocked by salicylates and so they must be sure that no supplements they're taking contain any salicylates.  The latter approach  is straightforward and doesn't invoke responses such as asking you what exactly you are allergic to instead of informing you of all ingredients.

Certain products are not required to list all ingredients so we need to ask if there are any unlisted ingredients and if so, exactly what they are.

The laws regarding OTC meds labelling has been updated and all product labels must be updated no later than May 16, 2005.  See above for further information.

The law in America, Australia, New Zealand, & no doubt some other countries, is that our cosmetics must list ALL the ingredients.  Canada doesn't, but new laws have been passed and they will come into affect November 18, 2006 (see above), and probably others but we are not aware of them.  However, companies are not required to list everything in medications. Often just the "active" ingredients are listed.

Lip Balms can be considered medications if they have medicinal ingredients.  Products with "medicinal" ingredients, such as medicated lip balms & rubs, medicated rubs, fluoride toothpastes, etc. are considered medications and won't necessarily have all their ingredients listed so we have to be very careful.  How this affects toothpastes is that fluoride toothpastes are considered medications so they can add things and not list them. Non-Fluoride toothpastes are cosmetics so they have to list all ingredients.  Sunscreens are considered medicated products and need to be checked for unlisted homosolate, bisabolol, aloe, Octyl Salicylate, etc.  So when calling companies re "medicinal" products, be sure to ask if there are any unlisted ingredients, including unlisted salicylates. (Cosmetics, on the other hand, including non-fluoride toothpastes, must have a complete ingredient info.)  Fillers in oral medications are  usually ok.  The laws regarding OTC meds labelling has been updated and all product labes must be update no later than May 16, 2005.  See above for further information.

5. Regarding flavoring in products not already listed on the Sal-Free^TM list:
Flavors (toothpastes, lip balms, mouth sprays, chewing gums, etc.):  Find out as much as possible from the company about what is in the flavor.  Especially ask about mint (natural & artificial [piperitone]), wintergreen (natural & artificial), camphor, anything derived from plants (including herbs, spices, extracts, essences, oils (some oils are Sal-Free^TM or Sal-Safe* while others are Sal-Full^TM), and honey (if it's part of the flavoring in a topical such as lip balm).  We are told that even these salicylates are ok in oral medications and items such as Plax, however, GG is concerned that some people may block if the flavours are too strong.  Please keep an eye on your progress if you cannot avoid using oral meds containing strong salicylate flavours/fillers.

If none of the ingredients above are in the flavor of a product, and no other Sal-Full^TM or Sal-Suspect ingredients are in it either, you may decide to try using the product at your own risk, keeping in mind that toothpastes and other products that fall under the category "medicated" may include unlisted ingredients and that this information can sometimes only be obtained through persistent enquiry from a physician's office (i.e., members of the public won't necessarily be able to obtain this information).

Fruit flavors are Low-Sal* and thus are Sal-Safe^TM in flavorings.  And most artificial flavors are fine too except for those mentioned above.

The laws regarding OTC meds labelling has been updated.  See above for further information.

6.  Ask About Other Products You Are Interested In
If at this point you feel certain you know the Sal-Status* of a product and it is Sal-Free^TM, ask about other of their products you are interested in.  Always get the exact product name and a complete ingredient listing for each product.  

7.  If you aren't getting the info you need, ask who you can talk to in the company who can provide this info.

8.  Ask them to send you the information in writing as well.  You may not end up receiving it but you just might. They think more carefully when they have to put something in writing.

9.  If they send you email or hard copies of their products and ingredient lists please submit them to this site.

Sal Search Tips(Sources of information available for help in determining an ingredient's sal status)

Submitting *Sal-Free Products to the Product list

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The information on this site is the property of the Guai-Support ListOwner Tesa Marcon: vashtii@optusnet.com.au  
(& various authors).  If you wish to publish anything from this site, or use the mailing list to gather information for same, please request her permission.