Our detergent doesn't have a rinse aid, plastic and unnecessary water, BUT, it's our worst reviewed product, and it may be because we DON'T have a rinse aid.... in fact, before this study came out, we developed another formula with a rinse aid.
What should we do?
A) Stop exploring a rinse aid and suggest customers use vinegar with our detergent (which means another plastic bottle to store the vinegar and knowing vinegar isn't as effective)?
B) Continue exploring alternative rinse aids and cleaning options, knowing that the 'alternatives' often (but not always) cause the same issues because they are new and haven't been tested yet?
C) Wave the white flag and decide our detergent is what it is - it works for a number of people, but not everyone - and in time we'll find a better option?
I would choose option B. I appreciate the attention to detail and up-to-date scientific knowledge on this, which provides some confidence to me that you will make good choices. I think you can look at classes of molecules and make a “best judgement” of what alternatives to pick. I also happen to be a professor specializing in organic chemistry. If you have any questions about comparing similar molecules to get a best guess on tolerance/toxicity/etc, I’m happy to assist. I left my non-work email here but can provide you with my work email upon request.