Cathy Salerno, the vice president of research and development for the company’s consumer products division in North America, said she had seen consumer attitudes change significantly over the last decade.

When Johnson & Johnson acquired Aveeno, the natural skin care company, in 1999, it polled customers about their interest in the brand’s ingredients. The answer demonstrated little consumer concern about the details — customers wanted the company to keep it simple. “They’re telling us the opposite now,” she said.

Other manufacturers are also responding to these concerns. This fall, Walmart announced that it would eventually require suppliers to reduce or eliminate 10 chemicals from cleaning and personal care products.

Target has said it would monitor suppliers’ use of potentially harmful chemicals, then give incentives to companies that use safer chemicals. Procter & Gamble has promised to eliminate phthalates and triclosan, whose safety has also been questioned, by the end of this year.

Environmental groups disagree with the safety claims that Johnson & Johnson makes about the chemicals it is removing, and say they wish the company would be more forthright about the hazards. Nevertheless, they praised the company for keeping its commitment.

“A lot of companies say they’re going to do something, but in this case Johnson & Johnson actually did what they were going to do,” said Janet Nudelman, director of program and policy at the Breast Cancer Fund and the co-founder of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, which pushed Johnson & Johnson on the chemicals.