Notice: Function _load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly. Translation loading for the wordpress-seo domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /var/www/html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6260 Brands 'Forced' to Reformulate in the UK - Beauty Packaging

What are you searching for?

Sign in
Beauty Industry

Brands ‘Forced’ to Reformulate in the UK

J&J is one brand responding to pressure by consumers and the media.

Author Image

By: Jamie Matusow

Editor-in-Chief

The UK’s Daily Mail says there is an ‘allergy epidemic’ that’s being caused by a common preservative ingredient – methylisothiazolinone (MI) – and it is used by many of the most well-known brands to extend a product’s shelf life.

Johnson & Johnson and Molten Brown have already announced they will remove the ingredient from the products that contain it, while Nivea and L’Oreal are feeling the pressure by consumers – and the media coverage – to do the same.

This comes after the television series, BBC Watchdog, aired a show over two years ago about a severe allergic reaction one woman suffered after using a product from J&J’s Piz Buin sun care line.

After the episode aired, the BBC reported that a team of researchers, led by Dr. Ian White of the St John’s Institute of Dermatology, identified a different chemical in the product that was causing widespread adverse reactions during patch tests – and the team says they advised J&J to reformulate then, but the product was never changed.

Now, the same research team has identified the second potential allergen in the same J&J product, MI. White told BBC watchdog that one in ten of the patients he now sees are allergic to MI.

But – MI is a common preservative considered safe, and used in many beauty products.

L’Oreal defended its use, telling the Daily Mail that MI helps preserve a product’s safety by protecting against contamination from microorganisms.

A spokesperson for J&J’s responded by saying they received 80 consumer complaints relating to Piz Buin during the one year period, May 2012 – May 2103, from consumers in the UK and Ireland. The number represents .01% of sales – proving that the preservative is not an allergen for most.

Still, J&J has said that by summer of 2014, a new formulation that doesn’t contain MI will be on shelves in the UK.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Get the latest Beauty Packaging news, insights and analysis in your Google Search and AI experiences.

Add Beauty Packaging as a preferred source on Google (opens in a new tab)

Keep Up With Our Content. Subscribe To Beauty Packaging Newsletters