What are the ingredients in Rub ‘n Restore® products, and are they safe?

You may notice that Rub ‘n Restore® products say “suspected of causing cancer,” but they are safe for home use, around pets and children. The product labels are required by law and follow the precautionary principle, meaning they assume the following worst-case scenarios:

• that the most hazardous method of application is being used (spraying as opposed to painting or sponging),
• and long-term, chronic exposure.

Our founders, CC (mom) and Lesandre (daughter), have been using these products — in the most hazardous fashion — since 1987 and 2000 respectively with no injury or chronic disease.

Rub ‘n Restore® is comparable to most latex paints on your walls, and are no worse than the chromium used to tan leather, the PVC used to manufacture vinyl, and the flame retardants applied to upholstery foam, carpets and fabrics. Changes in environmental and health regulations in California and the European Union continue to improve product safety (though not without some double standards).

Read the Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for our products here:

Color I (colors containing white)

Color II (colors without white)

Clear Prep+Finish™

Soft Filler Leather Repair Putty

Flite™ Cleaner-Degreaser

Let’s look at the ingredients.

• 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene – Often paired with gasoline, kerosene, fuel oil and products with petroleum distillates, it is also used in protective surface coatings. Our products contain less and half a percent of this ingredient. And this is probably not the first time you’ve encountered it. It’s also used in aerosol or liquid insect pest products and furniture polishes.
• Ethylene Glycol Monobutyl Ether – Also known as 2-butoxyethanol, this common ingredient is found in liquid soaps, sterilizing and cleaning products, and cosmetics. “It is the main ingredient of many home, commercial and industrial cleaning solutions.” You’ll be surprised to learn that “it is also approved by the US FDA [United States Food & Drug Administration] to be used as direct and indirect food additives, which include antimicrobial agents, defoamers, stabilizers, and adhesives.”
• Solvent Naphtha – More commonly known as mineral spirits, you may have a can of this common paint thinner in the garage.
• Titanium Oxide – Used as pigment for paints (like ours), it has UV resistant properties and is a main ingredient in sunscreens, cosmetics, and skin care products. As such, this mineral pigment it great for the marine vinyl on your boat or the leather sofa in your south-facing window.
• Quartz (SiO2) – Also known as silica, it is the most abundant mineral in the Earth’s crust. Quartz is an ingredient in the white pigment used in many of our colors. The Safety Data Sheet (SDS) assumes the color will be sprayed, not appliued with a sponge or brush. Spraying silica creates a fine dust, and extended exposure to airborne silica causes progressive lung injury or silicosis. CC & Lesandre sprayed colors containing white on the daily (CC from 1987-2015; Lesandre from 2000-2015) and neither have developed silicosis nor other injuries. Furthermore, while airborne silica can pose a hazard, the FDA considers it safe to eat in small quantities. Quartz is used as a fining agent used to bind and filter impurities in alcohol and juices.

Thus, it’s likely that you have encountered the aforementioned chemicals, and it’s unlikely that you will develop cancer as a result of occasionally using Rub ‘n Restore® on your furniture, car or boat interior. In fact, a woman with a multitude of skin allergies experienced no reaction to our products on her leather sectional. You can see the video and her comments here.

Our colors are low VOC, and Clear Prep+Finish™ is considered medium VOC. More info about VOCs is here.

What can you do to protect yourself from the chemicals in Rub ‘n Restore®?

1. Don’t eat it!
2. Wear gloves.
3. Stick with a sponge or brush when applying our products. If you need to spray a surface, do it outdoors, or ventilate the area. If you’re particularly sensitive, wear a respirator.

Then ask yourself, what other endocrine-disrupting and cancer-causing chemicals in your life could be eliminated? Things like:

• memory foam mattresses (where you spend 6-8 hours every night);
• non-stick and Teflon® cookware;
• air fresheners and scented candles;
• pesticides and herbicides;
• some laundry and dish detergents;
• some cosmetics, sunscreens, lotions, body washes, and hair products;
• vape pens containing propylene glycol;
• food and water packaged and stored in plastic or styrene (Styrofoam®);
• even coffee which contains acrylamide and is now labeled as cancerous in California!

Many of these substances are unnecessary and can be eliminated without compromising the protection of your skin and the cleanliness of your home, laundry, baby, and body.