Gujarat FDCA orders expedited testing of J&J baby shampoo following Rajasthan complaint

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Apr 3, 2019

The Gujarat Food and Drugs Control Authority has commissioned an investigation into Johnson & Johnson’s baby shampoo following a failed quality test of the product by the Rajasthan Drugs Controller.

The Ahmedabad Mirror reported that 3,000 samples of J&J baby shampoo are currently pending testing in the Gujarat state laboratory.

“We carry out random sampling on a routine basis but we have now been given orders to test the baby shampoo on priority,” Gujarat’s FDCA Deputy Commissioner of Manufacturing DM Patel told the Ahmedabad Mirror on April 2. “Work will begin from tomorrow and after collection of 24 samples from every batch, they will be tested to see if they meet standards."

The Rajasthan Drugs Controller had previously reported traces of “harmful ingredients” in two batches of J&J baby shampoo and requested that other states also take the product off shelves and investigate. A J&J spokesperson reported that the Rajasthan tests had shown traces of the carcinogen formaldehyde but denied that the brand’s products could be contaminated. 

The investigation into J&J’s baby shampoo follows recent investigations in both India and the US into J&J’s baby powder. A Reuters report stated that J&J’s baby powder could have contained asbestos as far back as in the 1970s. J&J denied these claims. The Indian tests did not find any traces of asbestos in the sample products.