You groom your dog to keep his coat clean and healthy, but could ingredients in grooming products actually harm your dog’s health?
Maybe this seems far-fetched. Let’s take a look at specific ingredients found in popular shampoos:
Harsh surfactants like Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. These strip the coat and skin of natural, protective oils and are known skin irritants.
Another commonly used surfactant, Cocamidopropyl betaine, also causes skin irritation as well as contact allergic dermatitis.
Preservatives like parabens and phthalates. Both classes of chemicals have been banned by the EU because they’ve been linked to cancer.Â
Methylchloroisothiazolinone, another commonly used preservative, is a known, strong skin irritant.
Fragrance. This is an umbrella term for chemicals that have been linked to respiratory distress, reproductive harm, allergies, and dermatitis. Keep in mind that your dog’s sense of smell is orders of magnitude more sensitive than your own.
On top of these ingredients, medicated shampoos contain antimicrobials that destroy the skin microbiome, which is necessary to maintain healthy skin.
Most commonly used antimicrobials - including Chlorhexidine, Miconazole nitrate, and coal tar - also cause serious irritation and dryness that results in a compromised skin barrier. Coal tar is known to cause cancer and organ toxicity.
If your dog’s skin is already irritated, these products will likely exacerbate the problem and leave the skin even more vulnerable to problems.
Skin can absorb chemicals and they enter into the bloodstream - think of transdermal lotions and nicotine patches.
Each time you use a grooming product, you’re exposing your dog to the chemicals it contains.Instead of conventional shampoo, you can choose a shampoo without irritants or toxins, a shampoo with ingredients that will actually support your dog’s skin: Coat Defense Sensitive Skin Dog Shampoo.
We use aloe vera to moisturize and soothe, saponified olive and coconut oils (gentle soaps that clean without stripping the skin), and natural plant extracts to support skin health.
Dogs deserve safe and natural products that promote healthy, happy, and long lives.


This blog is intended for educational purposes only and does not constitute veterinary advice.
At Coat Defense, we pride ourselves on providing safe and natural solutions to everyday skin and coat issues so that we can all go on to live healthier, happier, and longer lives.
