J&J Trims Formaldehyde-Releasing Chemicals In Personal Care Items
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
In response to consumer demand, J&J will remove controversial ingredients from both baby and adult brands, including Aveeno, Clean & Clear, Lubriderm and Neutrogena.
Johnson & Johnson will eliminate or reduce the levels of formaldehyde, phthalates and triclosan in its baby and adult personal care products by the end of 2015 in response to consumer demand.
“We’re doing this because we’re listening to the people who rely on our products, and if they have concerns we’re committed to addressing them, as long as we can do so safely and effectively,” says Susan Nettesheim, VP of product stewardship and toxicology, in an Aug. 14 release.
The move follows a commitment J&J announced in 2011 to remove “formaldehyde-releaser preservatives” from its baby products on the heels of a report from activist group the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics alleging the presence of “cancer-causing chemicals” in Johnson’s Baby Shampoo (Also see "J&J To Phase Out Quaternium-15 In Baby Shampoo In Response To Demand" - HBW Insight, 7 Nov, 2011.).
The specific chemicals cited were formaldehyde-releasing quaternium-15 and 1,4-dioxane.
The latest announcement extends the initiative to address controversial ingredients in adult brands as well, including Aveeno, Clean & Clear, Lubriderm and Neutrogena.
Consistent with the firm’s 2011 pledge, levels of 1,4-dioxane will be reduced to less than 4 parts per million in baby products by 2013. In adult products, J&J will reduce 1,4-dioxane to “below 10 ppm, which is lower than the levels considered safe by regulators around the world,” it says.
When alternatives to formaldehyde-releasing preservatives are not feasible or safe in formulation with other ingredients, the firm will make exceptions for adult products, J&J says on a website it recently launched, SafetyandCareCommitment.com.
Explaining the rationale behind the site, J&J says: “Consumers today expect more information and greater transparency than ever before and we’re always listening to the people who use our products. On this site, we’ll do our best to explain how we make the choices we make, and to show how our plans incorporate consumers’ feedback.
“We want all consumers to see for themselves how and why every one of our products can be used with peace of mind,” the firm says in the release.
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics declared “victory” on its site Aug. 15 with national director Lisa Archer noting that "this is a good step in the right direction.”
"In terms of the cosmetic giants, Johnson & Johnson is going the furthest of any of them in removing chemicals of concern,” she said.
Curtailing Paraben Use
J&J says it will phase out all parabens from the company’s baby-care products, though no specific timeline was given. For adults, the use of parabens in new products will be restricted to methyl, ethyl and propyl parabens, which J&J says “have been extensively studied for safety and are supported by regulatory authorities around the world.”
J&J’s products currently use the naturally occurring preservatives at levels ranging from 0.01% to 0.3%, which is below the level at which the Expert Panel of the U.S. Cosmetic Ingredient Review has concluded is safe in personal care products. European Union regulations state that when multiple types of parabens are used in a formulation, each paraben cannot exceed 0.4%, for a total level of up to 0.8%.
With regard to tricolsan, none of J&J’s baby products contains the material, the firm says. J&J will “continue our research program to discover new alternatives” in adult products in a commitment to “phase out the use of triclosan in our products altogether.”
Reviewing Fragrance Ingredients
While J&J is not moving to full disclosure of fragrance ingredients, as requested by some environmental and consumer watchdog groups, the company highlights a number of fragrance chemicals that it does not use, or will be phasing out, on account of safety concerns.
Such ingredients include animal-derived ingredients, nitromusks and polycyclic musks, tagetes, rose crystal, diacetyl and diethylphthalate, which is a low-weight phthalate that has already been eliminated from baby care products, according to the firm.
“We go beyond IFRA standards by restricting or eliminating ingredients where there are legitimate emerging questions, even though the science is far from settled,” the firm states on its website.
As industry is increasingly facing “mommy” blogs, public health blogs and product reviews where conversations arise in which consumers recommend one product over another because based on the absence of “toxic” ingredients, the International Fragrance Association has launched efforts to educate consumers on the fragrance trade and the importance of trade secrets to perfumers (Also see "IFRA Videos Designed To Educate, Feel Out Public On Ingredient Disclosure" - HBW Insight, 2 Jan, 2012.).
As the debate goes on as to how firms can protect their fragrance compositions and assure consumers of their safety, J&J maintains “there are ways to do both, and we are committed to working with regulators, officials, and other stakeholders to find solutions.”