As professional dog groomers, selecting the right grooming products is crucial for maintaining the health and well-being of your clients' pets. A huge problem for many of us as we highlight in the recent blog, is harmful substances in pet shampoos due to bad regulation.
Why harmful substances end up in pet shampoos?
In human cosmetics, ingredients that are suspected of causing cancer, allergies and skin irritations, or that can harm the skin and respiratory tract are prohibited by cosmetics regulation in most countries. We, consumers are protected from damage that can be caused by certain ingredients in cosmetics. However, this does not apply to dog shampoos in most countries. We as an exporter of this product see this when trying to obtain export/import documentation from various authorities who to be fair are also confused about the lack of regulation.
Dog Grooming Shampoos are not regulated for Safety and Effectiveness in most countries in EU and USA
In Germany for example, dog shampoos are regulated as are cleaning products. Sadly, most countries have similar regulation for dog shampoos. As a result, these products are hardly controlled, ingredients do not have to be fully declared and many chemicals can be used that are prohibited in human cosmetics. When a German groomer wrote a petition to the Parlament to change the situation, it was flatly refused.
However, while dog skin has a different pH value, it is structured in the same way as human skin. Humans also come into contact with these chemicals when washing their dogs. So why are some ingredients in cosmetics prohibited, but on dogs they can be applied? As a dog groomers, most of you have contact with dog shampoo every day. Many of you have sore hands from the dog shampoos and have to wash dogs with gloves.
Selecting Safe Grooming Shampoos is not easy
Groomer training is not standardised. It focuses in most cases on grooming techniques and there is very little know-how taught about the dermatological aspect. In practise most groomers learn by trial and error. Customers might notice a skin rush in dogs after the treatment (as in the photo below). Until now we have no reliable way to tell if a product will be harmful when used in grooming. We test ourselves and go by word-of-mouth.
How to Evaluate Grooming Shampoos for Safety and Effectiveness in Evaluating Grooming Shampoos
With artificial intelligence (AI), evaluating the quality and safety of grooming shampoos has become more accessible and accurate. AI can assist groomers in determining the effectiveness of a product, identifying harmful substances, and ensuring the highest standards of care for the dogs they groom.
Here's how AI can help:
Ingredient Analysis
AI-powered tools such as Mistral or ChatGPT can analyse the ingredient list of grooming shampoos and help identify potentially harmful substances. These tools can cross-reference ingredients against databases of known allergens and toxic substances, ensuring that the products used are safe for pets.
To use it look for a full ingredient list on the product label. Responsible manufacturers will print all ingredient sorted by declining volume % used in the final product. Example in the photo below:
To test our company's Organic Conditioner suitability and safety for pts, you can enter a query similar to this on into the AI assistent:
COPY & PASTE into your AI assistent:
Analyse this professional dog grooming organic conditioner. Make an ingredient and safety analysis. Predict Allergic Reactions. List any harmful substance.
Ingredients: Aqua/Water, Macadamia Ternifolia( Macadamia) Seed Oil, Argania Spinosa (Argan) Seed Oil*, Cetearyl Alcohol, Volume Booster , Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Panthenol, Dicaprylyl Ether, Decyl Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Glycerin, Benzyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Benzoic Acid, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Keratin-LM (Low Molecular), Linolenic Acid, Linoleic Acid, Parfum/Fragrance, Cinnamyl Alcohol, Anise Alcohol, Geraniol
AI assistent wil provide you in little time with a list of ingredients with description and conclusion:
2nd part:
This can be an invaluable tool for for you to check that the products you use are free from toxic substances. Please try it out and lt me know in the comment section what do you think and if AI is helpful to select products.
Communicating with Clients About AI Evaluations
As professional groomers, it’s essential to communicate the benefits of using AI-evaluated grooming products to your clients. Encourage clients to the the same especially people who own dogs with sensitive skin.
Our Grooming Products
As a leading manufacturer of dog grooming products, we ensure that all our shampoos and conditioners undergo rigorous evaluations and safety checks to guarantee their safety and effectiveness.
Conclusion
AI empowers groomers like you to make better decisions about the products you use. By analysing ingredients, assessing effectiveness, predicting allergic reactions in the products you use, you are a step closer to highest standards of care for your clients' dogs.
By trying and embracing AI technology, you can enhance your services, build client trust, and ensure that the dogs you care for receive the safest and most effective grooming treatments available. In our next blog post, you will find information about few other AI services that can enhance your business.