• 03
  • November
    2011

Parents in New Jersey and elsewhere might be shocked to learn that one of the most popular baby shampoos on the market contains two carcinogenic ingredients. At least, they would have been shocked to learn that information more than two years ago when it was first made public.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC) warned consumers in March of 2009 about the chemicals that make Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ) baby shampoo a dangerous product. However, a second report which was recently issued by the same group reveals that the shampoo still contains these cancer-causing agents.

In the original report, the CSC named two ingredients - commonly found in children's bath products - that are known or believed to be carcinogens. These include formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane.

Recently, the CSC released follow-up report showing that JNJ's baby shampoo is still commonly manufactured with these dangerous chemicals. They tested the company's shampoo by buying sample bottles from 13 different countries. The samples from the US, Canada and three other countries were found to contain quarternium-15, which releases formaldehyde.

JNJ is not the only manufacturer to include these dangerous carcinogens, but they are certainly a market leader. As such, more consumers are exposed to their products and they could be instrumental in setting an industry safety standard.

That's why the follow-up report was issued. The CSC wants to put pressure on JNJ to remove these harmful chemicals from its baby products. The president of the CSC said: "Clearly there is no need for Johnson & Johnson to expose babies to a known carcinogen when the company is already making safer alternatives. All babies deserve safer products."

Hopefully, industry leaders like JNJ will make the right move by choosing to clean up the products that clean up America's children.

Source: International Business Times, "Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo Still Contains Cancer-Causing Chemicals: Report," Brett LoGiurato, Nov. 2, 2011