Johnson & Johnson’s baby shampoo samples have failed quality tests conducted by the Indian state of Rajasthan. The state’s drug regulatory authority has issued a public notice on the matter as well.
However, J&J’s has rejected the findings. A few months ago, the Indian authorities launched a probe into J&J’s Baby Powder to check if it contains cancer-causing asbestos.
The company said that it had resumed the production of baby talc after the government tests did not find any asbestos in the product. However, the Rajasthan Drugs Control Organization’s notice stated that the samples of the baby shampoo taken from two batches did not pass the quality test for containing ‘harmful ingredients’.
The J&J spokeswoman said that they have received results from the watchdog, which indicate that formaldehyde has been discovered in the samples. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen and used in making building materials.
“We do not accept the interim results given to us, which mentioned samples to ‘contain harmful ingredients- identification positive for formaldehyde,” says the spokesperson.
“We unequivocally maintain that our products are safe and our assurance process is amongst the most rigorous in the world,” the J&J spokeswoman said. She also said that J&J has challenged the interim test results of the government analysis.
They relied on “unknown and unspecified methods,” said the official.
Notably, the two batches taken for the tests are due to expire in September 2021.
It is worth noting here that Johnson and Johnson’s came under severe criticism when it surfaced that the company was using formaldehyde (a carcinogen) in its baby shampoo. The company is undergoing several trials across the world and has lost on more than one occasion.
The company is still fighting the claims in attempts to justify that their products are safe.
The company had pledged to remove the chemical from its product formula by 2015. It also clarified that formaldehyde involved in the formula was 15 times less than the amount harmful for humans.
