From ‘The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics’ – New Concerns Raised About Chemical in Leading Baby Shampoo:
A peer-reviewed paper in the Journal of the Dermatology Nurses’ Association raises fresh concerns that a chemical preservative used in America’s leading baby shampoo may be causing increased rates of allergic contact dermatitis, an inflammation of the skin that varies from mild irritation to rashes and open sores.
The paper states that quaternium 15, a chemical preservative that kills bacteria by releasing formaldehyde, “is the most sensitizing formaldehyde-releasing preservative and has been repeatedly shown to be a strong allergen that can cause contact dermatitis.” Quaternium 15 — found in many baby products including Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, Mr. Bubble Bath and Huggies Baby Wash — is considered by the North American Contact Dermatitis Group to be among the most clinically significant contact allergens in children.
“Quaternium 15 is present in an alarmingly high number of baby products, making exposure and sensitization at an early age increasingly common,” said Sharon Jacob, M.D., co-author of the paper and physician at the Department of Medicine and Pediatrics at Rady Children’s Hospital. “This is a concern because repeated exposures to sensitizing chemicals, especially in early life, can cause a person to develop allergic reactions over time. Therefore, we advise parents to choose products without quaternium 15 and other formaldehyde-releasing preservatives whenever possible.”
We will keep you informed if any regulatory changes result due to this study.
Relevant Nexreg Compliance Links: OSHA MSDS Authoring, CPSC Consumer Label Reviews, Nexreg.