The company, after these reports, strongly rejected the findings by the Rajasthan government. (File) The company, after these reports, strongly rejected the findings by the Rajasthan government. (File)

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) asked states across the country to stop the sale of Johnson’s baby shampoo after a government lab test found the product to be of substandard quality. The company, however, strongly objected to the Jaipur-based Drug Testing Laboratory’s findings which claimed the shampoo contained formaldehyde.

The company, in a statement, said that its product confirms to all applicable safety guidelines. “We have confirmed to the Indian authorities that we do not add Formaldehyde as an ingredient in our shampoo nor does Johnson’s baby shampoo contain any ingredient that can release formaldehyde over time. Our products are safe to use and conform to all applicable standard under the D&C (Drugs and Cosmetics) Act and D&C rules,” Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) said.

“We unequivocally maintain that our products are safe, and our assurance process is amongst the most rigorous in the world, meeting or exceeding the safety standards in every country where our products are sold,” it added.

On Saturday, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) wrote to chief secretaries of all states, ordering stoppage of sale and removal of the product’s stock.

The child rights body, around a week ago, had sought sample test reports of the shampoo and talcum powder from authorities of five states after purported reports claimed the presence of asbestos and carcinogenic substance in the products.

These five states were Andhra Pradesh in the south, Jharkhand in the east, Rajasthan in the west, Assam in the northeast, and Madhya Pradesh in the centre.

However, only Rajasthan has submitted its reports to NCPCR, while the other four states are yet to submit its reports.

“We will await the results and conclusions of the re-testing process at the Central Drugs Laboratory. We are not aware of any directions from NCPCR. It must be noted that any such directions, under the law, can only be issued under certain prescribed conditions,” J&J said.

India is a growing market for Johnson & Johnson globally. The company’s share in the country’s baby care market is about Rs 4,000 crore.

With PTI inputs

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