Green Moms Tell Johnson & Johnson To Get The Chemicals Out
There is a lot of buzz going around these days about Johnson & Johnson’s new “Big Bubblin Star” campaign to promote their latest line of baby’s bubble bath. The timing on this campaign is interesting, as it follows right on the heels of a recently released safety report, No More Toxic Tub, compiled by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics that cited several Johnson & Johnson baby products as containing known carcinogens such as formaldehyde and 1,4 dioxane within their formulas.
I’m not too cool with bathing my kids in chemicals. Nor am I thrilled with having to pay a fortune in hard earned dollars just to find products that I can feel comfortable using to bathe my kids.
So I am very excited about a new movement underway, spearheaded by the women of the Green Moms Carnival, that questions this new Johnson & Johnson campaign and asks the company to come up with a better way to earn our trust. Just as we as consumers questioned the safety of BPA and demanded that it be removed from our products, we are mobilizing a grass roots effort to demand a higher safety standard and greater transparency in the products we use to clean and care for our children.
As a leader in the personal care product industry, Johnson & Johnson has an opportunity here to spearhead this effort, proving that they truly “aspire to be the most environmentally responsible company in the world,” as they state on their website. That’s a lovely sentiment, but these days, it takes more than talk to go green. It takes leadership, innovation, and above all a concern for the health of people and the planet that means you will go above and beyond in your efforts to protect them.
Here is what it would take for Johnson & Johnson to earn my trust:
Safety: As an American consumer, I am finally beginning to understand that I need to take responsibility for demanding that safety is priority #1 when it comes to my family. If there are chemicals that are known carcinogens (ie 1,4 dioxane, phthalates, and formaldehyde) I do not want them in my personal care products. And
I want Johnson & Johnson…a company that promotes itself as a leader in caring about families and protecting the environment…to take the lead on undertaking initiatives to ensure that the products they sell are safe for people and the planet.
I also want to know what is in the products I put on and in my children. Many companies that make personal care products claim that they cannot reveal their ingrendients because they are part of their product’s “secret formula.” I’m calling baloney on that. To me, the average consumer, “properitary formula” is just a fancy way of saying “dangerous chemicals that we don’t want you to know about.” I will not buy any product unless I know what’s in it. It’s as simple as that. If your product has chemicals in it that you don’t want me to know about, then I don’t want your product.
Sustainability: To quote the Johnson & Johnson website, “we must protect the environments in which we work and live. A healthy planet and a healthy community go hand in hand.” I couldn’t agree more. I wholeheartedly applaud Johnson & Johnson’s efforts to reduce their company’s carbon dioxide emissions and minimize their overall environmental footprint. According to their website, Johnson & Johnson “aspires to be the most environmentally responsible company in the world.” That’s wonderful! But you can’t just greenwash this. Johnson & Johnson needs to put their money where their mouth is to make this happen. And that means making products that do not bathe our children in chemicals or release toxins in to the environment.
Support: It goes without saying that Johnson & Johnson is a leader in the personal care industry. So I’d like to see them use that leadership to support the Kid Safe Chemicals Act that is in front of Congress right now. I would like to know that they are willing to ensure that all chemicals in kids products are proven safe BEFORE they’re used to create baby bath and lotion. How is it possible that this is not already the case?
So there it is. That is what I want from Johnson & Johnson. And believe you me, if they can deliver on this, then I will be a Johnson & Johnson customer for life. Because this is what it will take for them to earn the title of “the most environmentally responsible company in the world.”
Great post! It very effectively highlights what I found so annoying about the Johnson & Johnson campaign. It isn’t that the products contain 1,4-dioxane and formaldehyde - I already knew that. And lots of products have those ingredients. Not products I want to use, but it isn’t outside the norm. The thing that was annoying is that Johnson & Johnson touts itself as an environmental company, but does not provide transparency in labeling. And it could easily vacuum strip the 1,4-dioxane out but it doesn’t. And the spokesperson, Angie Harmon, advertises herself as an environmentalist and staunch supporter of children’s rights. But you can’t claim to be green unless you are all green - or you have to qualify your claim to green.
Jennifer,
Well said and I truly hope that J&J is listening. I hope the moms of the Walmart Eleven that have decided to participate in the campaign (some of them did opt out) will use their blogging star power and their leverage with the company to join us and stand up for all of the things you have mentioned. J&J is just one company among many that need to be disclosing (some of which I have openly supported) and learn that consumer want more and demand more now then maybe they used to. Times change - deal. It just so happens that J&J has launched this big social media strategy and that make them an easier example or target because of what they are doing.
Well said! I so agree that I want transparency — and what a great idea for J&J to sign on in support of the Kid Safe Chemicals Act. That really would help me believe that they do want to be on the side of green parents.
I was mortified when I learned what J&J was putting in their products. I had been a faithful customer with my first child (now 4) and I TRUSTED them. Fortunately prior to the birth of my 6 month old, I had more time to really read and investigate so that I could avoid exposing my newborn to any toxic substances.
They are exploiting the trust of the American public and new parents everywhere by not disclosing how harmful the ingredients are to our precious children. I appreciate you highlighting the campaign. Count me in!!
I agree. Unfortunately, it’s not just J&J….the majority of companies producing ANY sort of skin and hair care products in the US contain toxic chemicals. Even the so-called “natural” products sold at stores aren’t so great. My now 7 year old son used to break out in a rash from almost any children’s bath product that touched his skin. After MANY unsuccessful attempts with products recommended by his dermatologist AND allergist, I started using the Arbonne ABC baby care line. Guess what? No rash since. These products are all botanically-based, contain no petroleum products, animal products, parabens, dyes or chemical fragrance. They worked so well that I started selling the products! If you or anyone you know is interested in learning more about these products, please feel free to email me at frumkin5@att.net. I will be happy to send you an ingredient list for any and all products that interest you.
There is another side to this story that isn’t being told, and one that the activists pushing this report don’t want you to know. Click the following links for some observations that debunk the hysteria:
http://www.stats.org/stories/2009/baby_bath_cancer_mar13_09.html
http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/Children_s_Health_200/Stop_The_Fear_Mongering_On_Children_s_Health.shtml
The bottom line here is simple: The trace amounts of chemicals found in these products aren’t harmful, and in fact helps keep these products safe. As Michael Shaw wrote in his Health News Digest piece:
“Formaldehyde is used as a preservative to prevent the harmful contamination of these products that could occur with bacterial overgrowth. Sophisticated technology allows the amount of available formaldehyde in these products to be very low, but still be enough to prevent bacterial contamination. In practice, formaldehyde is incorporated into the chemical structure of special compounds, and is released as needed—as a function of time, and in some cases, as a function of the amount of oxygen present.”
“Without preservatives, the bacterial content of the product would be sufficient to cause infection. Cases are recorded whereby contaminated product was introduced into the eye, causing serious infection and blindness.”
Furthermore, Johnson and Johnson has issued statements standing behind the safety of their products, while FDA has also issued similar statements attesting to their safety.
Thanks all for your supportive comments! In response to Mr. McErlain, there really is no reason to suspect a conspiracy here. I am all for open dialogue. But you seem to have missed my point. I know that formaldehyde can help prevent the development of bacteria, but I also know that there are a number of all-natural products on the market that do not use it, yet still have very high quality products. If it’s a question of longer shelf-life or eliminating the exposure to formaldehyde, I will always opt for eliminating exposure to formaldehyde.
And why is it when a mom raises concerns, it is considered “hysteria?” I think my post was open and honest, and I made sure that it was non-inflammatory. I’m simply stating what I want in a baby care product. If companies don’t wish to provide me with that, they will lose me as a customer. That’s not hysterics. That’s economics.
Love the list of what it would take to earn your trust back. I completely agree! And great response to the hysteria comment. It’s plain and simple. We are consumers, and want only the safest and best (and greenest) products for our kids.
Katy
http://www.non-toxickids.net
I hope you’ll write a letter to J&J and send them a link to your blog! We need to take a stand with these companies. Maybe the FDA isn’t watchdogging them, but we sure can!
I am almost brand new to blogging and really like your post, it is really on target.
Jenn, Bravo to this great post. I’m sorry it took me so long to leave a comment (although I did read it the day you posted).
I love the way you so simply communicated the issues here.
I’d add this: I don’t even necessarily think J&J has to be in favor of Kid Safe, but if not, they need a response to these concerns and a reasonable alternative.
Yet when I called to talk to them about this before posting my blog post, they didn’t respond….and still haven’t responded.
And as for these formaldehyde council PR reps who are leaving comments on our blogs - they accuse us of hysterics? And say few support the EWG and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics? Really/ Here’s who supports the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics: their founding members include organizations such as The Breast Cancer Fund and Massachusetts Breast Cancer Fund (See: http://www.safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=219)
and their many “endorsing organizations” include many breast cancer advocacy groups, the US Public Interest Research Group (the group that publishes the annual toy safety report around Christmastime) and many environmental, nursing, and health organizations. See: http://www.safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=278
Hysterical? Indeed.
That is a nice post, really significant. You blog is right on.
Not that I’m impressed a lot, but this is more than I expected for when I found a link on Digg telling that the info is awesome. Thanks.
Thanks for the heads up. Good to know the facts about Johnson & Johnson products. Hope they come up with some sort of control to pacify the public.
Thanks for this recap of the J&J campaign. The KSCA really holds a lot of potential for improvements to the safety of all families. The only problem is that the science behind this legislation is still stuck in the past – current animal models provide only rudimentary safety data – and improperly tested chemicals are just as dangerous as untested ones. A specific plan detailing how to update and improve these tests was outlined in a report, “Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century: A Vision and Strategy,” which holds the hope for ensuring true safety for our children. It is essential to not only speak up for chemical regulatory change but for language including the enforcement of improvements to the science behind this legislation.
I love your list of what J&J has to do - I really hope someone from J&J sees it because it is vital that kids have safe, non-chemical products to use. It’s the only way the next generation is going to grow up healthy.
I really think the big companies like Johnson & Johnson need to lead the way with environmental issues. It’s the only way to bring the cost of green products down to where everyone has the option of buying them
We need to see a lot more green products out there and I think your list should give a lot of companies a really good idea of what they need to do and what it takes to get a life-long customer - which is what big companies spend millions to discover how to do! Great post!!!