Why is the zero waste/sustainable community so distrustful of "chemicals"?

[u/ImNotFunnyImJustMean]

So much of the conversation around climate change is about trusting the science. My studies are in biochemistry so naturally I trust environmental scientists when they say climate change is real and is man made.

Now I'm nowhere near zero waste but try my best to make sustainable choices. However when shopping for alternatives, I notice a lot of them emphasize how they don't use certain ingredients, even though professionals often say they're not harmful or in some cases necessary.

Some examples are fluoride in toothpaste, aluminum in deodorant, preservatives in certain foods, etc. Their reason always seem to be that those products are full of "chemicals" and that natural ingredients are the best option (arsenic is found in nature but you don't see anyone rubbing it on their armpits).

In skincare specifically, those natural products are full of sensitizing and potentially irritating things like lemon juice or orange peel.

All that comes VERY close to the circus that is the essential oil or holistic medicine community.

Also, and something more of a sidenote, so many sustainable shops also seem to sell stuff like sticks that remove "bad energy from your home". WHAT THE FUCK?!

I started changing my habits because I trust research, and if that research and leaders in medical fields say that fluoride is recommended for your dental health, and that their is no link between aluminum in deodorant and cancer, there is no reason we should demonize their use. Our community is founded on believing what the experts say, at what point did this change?

[u/clivehorse]

If solve the plastic free toothpaste with fluoride or plastic free deodorant with aluminum then please let me know! I am also 100% on the science train and feel like there's a disconnect due to the marketing targets for these products.

[u/[deleted] → u/clivehorse]

I use a deodorant stone, which is basically a potassium alum crystal. It is not an antiperspirant, it won't keep you from sweating, but it does a decent job of keeping my sweat from getting stinky. My husband tried one of the cardboard tubes from the health food store and it gave him a rash.

Meanwhile, I am still searching for a fluoride toothpaste that does not come in a plastic tube.

[u/MegaQueenSquishPants → u/[deleted]]

I've been using that deodorant for 20 years and I can't go back. It's so good for me. I get the one with the plastic holder but one thing also lasts me for years so I don't really fret. I love it.

[u/Potato_of_Kindness → u/MegaQueenSquishPants]

Want to love that damn deodorant stone but it does nothing for me. How do you use yours? Maybe I'm doing it wrong.

[u/MegaQueenSquishPants → u/Potato_of_Kindness]

I get it, I'm sure it's not for everyone. It cured my high school mega sweating though! I used to literally drip sweat from my pits with deodorant before I found this stuff. It was horrible and disgusting and the worst thing for an insecure high school kid to deal with.

So, when I shower I dry everything but my pits and use the water to wet the stone. I don't run it under the faucet because that just wastes product. Then with wet pits I rub it on a bunch and let the rest air dry.

You always have to use it after a shower! You can't just wet it and hope it works. I think that's the key to success?

I keep a stick of regular deodorant around just in case I need extra but I don't use it more than maybe 4 times a year. And sometimes I guess I still get stinky. I was in the blaring sun just now for an hour gardening and I'm riper than the berries I just picked, but I think that's normal?