J&J will phase out chemicals in shampoo

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SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Johnson & Johnson said it is phasing out formaldehyde-releasing chemicals from its baby products, following the U.S. report "Baby's Tub Is Still Toxic."

Officials of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics said the study found Johnson & Johnson's Baby Shampoo sold in the United States, Australia, Canada, China and Indonesia contains quaternium-15, a chemical preservative that kills bacteria by releasing formaldehyde -- while Johnson's Baby Shampoo sold in Denmark, Finland, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Sweden and Britain contains non-formaldehyde preservatives.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics -- a non-profit based in San Francisco -- purchased and reviewed labels of Johnson's Baby Shampoo sold in 13 countries between July and October to see if the products contained quaternium-15.

Formaldehyde is classified as a known human carcinogen by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Formaldehyde and quaternium-15 are also potent allergens that can trigger rashes and other skin inflammation problems, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics 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," Lisa Archer, director of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics at the Breast Cancer Fund, said in a statement.