Complaint Review: Melaleuca The Wellness Company - Idaho Falls Idaho

To Stephanie in Nebraska: You've left me mystified! If Melaleuca doesn't list ingredients on their products, as you say, then how do you know what's in their products??? What credible source do you have to back your claim that surfactants and dyes are used in Melaleuca's products?

I became a member of this site specifically to respond to this post. I stumbled across it while searching for other information about Melaleuca, and at first found the post alarming, to say the least. However, as I consider myself to be an informed and educated woman, I feel it's prudent to do the research and not believe everything I read. (I mean, really... otherwise I'd still be waiting for Bill Gates to send me a cheque, still believe Walt Disney was cryogenically frozen, and still be chomping down on mutant chickens at KFC.) But, I digress. I did check into your claims of Melaleuca products containing cationic surfactants and their link to Kawasaki Syndrome (or Disease). First, let's discuss cationic surfactants. What is a surfactant? The definition at scienceinthebox states, "A surfactant or surface active agent is a substance that, when dissolved in water, gives a product the ability to remove dirt from surfaces such as the human skin, textiles, and other solids. In more technical terms: -they enable the cleaning solution to fully wet the surface being cleaned so that dirt can be readily loosened and removed. -they clean greasy, oily, particulate-, protein-, and carbohydrate-based stains. -they are instrumental in removing dirt and in keeping them emulsified, suspended, and dispersed so they don't settle back onto the surface being cleaned." Surfactants are also known as wetting agents or foamers. Cationic surfactants specifically are found in 3 different categories. In fabric softeners - to provide the softness - in laundry detergents - to remove stains - and in household cleaners - to sanitize and disinfect. (I'm just guessing here, but I bet that asking if cationic surfactants are an ingredient in Melaleuca products would not receive the response as you indicated because there are multiple kinds.) Second, Kawasaki Disease: According to the Kawasaki Disease Foundation (kdfoundation.org) Kawasaki Disease (KD) is "a disease that primarily affects young children. It is characterized by an inflammation of the blood vessels throughout the body. About 75 percent of patients are under 5 years old, but it can affect older children, teenagers, and babies as well. KD is more common in boys than girls, and the majority of cases are diagnosed in the winter and early spring. KD gets its name from Tomisaku Kawasaki, a Japanese physician who first described the illness in medical literature in 1967..." This site (and others) go on to state that the disease is rare - but yet, completely treatable with only one to five percent of patients developing coronary abnormalities. It is also stated that there is NO KNOWN CAUSE for this disease, and thus no preventative measures can be taken. That being said, I would love to hear what your sources were for linking surfactants to KD. It bothers me when people believe such blatant misinformation and/or outright lies. In this day and age, and with such fabulous research tools as the Internet, we should be more informed. Using the Internet to spread rumors, hoaxes and scams is a waste of everyone's time, IMHO. But hey... if you believe all the hype, I know a wealthy man in Nigeria who needs some help moving his cash. He'll pay you millions...