Thyme (Thymol) - Naturally Of Concern
3/5/2010 11:01:40 AM
NEWS RELEASE - Friday March 5, 2010. MicroArmor Inc.
Thyme Oil (THYMOL) – Naturally Of Concern
As consumers, one of the most disturbing marketing tactics we are confronted with is the representation, or rather the misrepresentation, that “Natural” means a product is safer or somehow better for you and the environment. Claims made by companies with full knowledge regarding the dangers of many All Natural ingredients including numerous Essential Oils like Thyme, http://eethomp.com/AT/dangerous_oils.html . Thyme and more importantly its chemical constituents Thymol and Thujanol are considered moderately and extremely toxic by the Skin Deep the Cosmetic Safey Database www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/ingredient.php and the Pesticide Action Network (PAN). In contrast to the marketing claims and representations by certain Child Product Safety sites, these findings indicate that disinfectants and hand sanitizers that contain enough Thyme (Thymol) to be effective ARE NOT SAFE. Additionally, as of this writing no natural ingredients such as Thyme are listed in the FDA TFM for hand sanitizers. Thus natural antimicrobials such as Thyme are precluded from legal use in the US unless an approved new drug application (NDA) is obtained and, as of September 2009, none had been granted. www.cosmeticsandtoiletries.com/regulatory/region/northamerica/60657047.html
Effectiveness
The essential oil Thyme Vulgaris has been identified as having antibacterial properties and thus has been used in several preservatives, disinfectants and hand sanitizers. While studies differ on its’ effectiveness against some common bacteria such as E-Coli, they report kill exposure times of more than 5 minutes. While 5 minutes is not necessarily a concern for disinfectants, it clearly is not within the FDA TFM guidelines for hand sanitizers. No published third party studies could be found that show Thyme Oil kills a comparable group of bacteria, viruses or fungi to that reported for alcohol and non-alcohol hand sanitizers, within 15 seconds. It is also important to note that antibacterial studies of Thyme Oil utilized amounts of 1% by weight or more. In contrast Thyme Oil Disinfectants utilize .23% or more by weight.
Keep in mind that the statement made by companies that their hand sanitizer kills 99.99% of germs refers to its kill rate for only those bacteria, fungi and viruses they tested it on. Contact the company for any hand sanitizer you are considering and ask for their testing results, including the length of time required to achieve the 99.99% kill rate. Additionally, ask them if they are FDA TFM Compliant.
Safety
Thymol and Thujanol are the primary constituents of Thyme Oil that are identified as having antibacterial properties. Identification of Thyme Oil as the active ingredient is misleading in that it is the phenol Thymol and/or monoterpene alcohol Thujanol that provide the antibacterial properties.
Thymol (C10H14O), also known as 2-isopropyl-5-methylphenol, 3-Hydroxy-1-methyl-4-isopropyl benzene and 3-Hydroxy-p-cymene, classified under Chemical Abstract Service number 89-83-8 is identified by the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) as a “Bad Actor”. PAN Bad Actors are chemicals that are one or more of the following: highly acutely toxic, cholinesterase inhibitor, known/probable carcinogen, known groundwater pollutant or known reproductive or developmental toxicant. For a chemical to be classified as a PAN Bad Actor, it must be in either the Extremely Toxic or Highly Toxic PAN summary category. Additionally, Thymol is identified as having moderate acute toxicity to aquatic organisms.
Thujanol (C10H18O), also known as Sabinene hydrate;(Z)-Sabinene hydrate;2-methyl-5-(1-methylethyl)-bicyclo[3.1.0]hexan-2-o;2-methyl-5-(1-methylethyl)-Bicyclo[3.1.0]hexan-2-ol and others is classified under the Chemical Abstract Service number 546-79-2. Thujanol is a monoterpene alcohol and considered much less harsh and toxic than Thymol. Both naturally occurring and synthetic monoterpene alcohols like Thujanol are widely used as a food additive and in many fragrances. Thujanol carries warnings regarding use by women who are pregnant or breast feeding.
As noted in the article on www.healthline.com regarding the dangers of thyme oil www.healthline.com/natstandardcontent/thyme-thymol/2, there is no proven safe or effective dose for Thyme Oil and Thymol for adults or children. They also indicate that skin inflammation and inflamed lips and tongue have been reported from topical applications of products with Thyme Oil. Thyme Oil is expressly not recommended for use by pregnant or breastfeeding women as Thyme Oil may act as an emmenagogue (promotes menstruation) and abortifacient (promotes abortion).
Effectiveness, Safety and Cost
As noted in a previous new release entitled “Hand Sanitizers Part I” http://www.microarmorinc.com/News/6-choosing-a-hand-sanitizer-part-1-effectiveness.aspx it is important to avoid the intended misinformation contained within purely marketing phrases such as “ALL NATURAL”. Clearly the constituents of Thyme Oil are chemicals which are used because they are TOXIC to some bacteria, fungi and viruses. Based on both the available research and lack of evidence provided by the manufacturers, disinfectants and hand sanitizers that use Thyme Oil as their active ingredient do not appear to be as effective against the breadth of germs that the majority of alcohol and certainly non-alcohol products are. As noted above, all available evidence indicates that while they are perhaps safer than alcohol products, they are not safer than non-alcohol sanitizers. In the end, the informed consumer will look beyond the NATURAL marketing message and false safety representations and choose a hand sanitizer based on comparative effectiveness, safety and per application cost.
MicroArmor’s patented Naturally Derived, hypoallergenic formula is regarded by many as the most effective, safest and least cost per application hand sanitizer available. Published testing data support claims of killing up to 99.9999% of the common germs that cause illness and, as with ANY Hand Sanitizer is safe for children if used as instructed. MicroArmor’s products have a Biorenewable index of 75 and their wipes are completely biodegradable.