P&G refutes involvement in baby perfume

By Michelle Yeomans

- Last updated on GMT

A perfume that "enhances a baby's natural smell'
A perfume that "enhances a baby's natural smell'

Related tags Personal care Personal care products Cosmetics

Procter & Gamble has denied it markets fragrances for children in response to a request from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics to halt the launch of a D&G perfume for infants, due to the potential exposure of hazardous substances.

The personal care company which manufactures and distributes Dolce & Gabbana products in the U.S, was called on by the watchdog to halt the sale of a baby perfume the Italian fashion brand recently developed, due to its' concerns about toxic chemical exposures.

In response to the CSC’s concern of the development of baby perfume, P&G does not market fragrances intended for children​.”

The Association approached P&G’s CEO Robert McDonald, with a letter-writing campaign that urged the company to “do their part to protect the most vulnerable members of our society, not place them at greater risk of harm,"​ stop the sale of D&G’s baby perfume and eliminate chemicals of concern from their baby and adult personal care products.

D&G notes the new eau de toilette as being alcohol-free, and inspired by “the softness of baby skin, the freshness of baby breath, a mother’s sweet hug, made real with notes of honey, citrus and musk, all to enhance a baby's natural scent​."

Concerned

According to the CSC's website, fragrances are likely to contain chemicals that that may contribute to diseases later in life, including breast cancer, obesity, infertility etc. and that creating a product that potentially exposes babies to toxic chemicals at a critical window of development is dangerously out of touch with the healthy future parents are hoping to create for their children.

"When it comes to hazardous cosmetics;the team thought we had seen it all. And now this: Perfume for babies. So wrong," ​says Janet Nudelman, CSC co-founder.

The Association further states that it feels there are major loopholes in U.S. federal law that allow the cosmetics industry to put "unlimited amounts of chemicals into personal care products with no required testing, no monitoring of health effects and inadequate labeling requirements​."

Trade association disagrees with CSC

The Personal Care Products Council frequently disagrees with reports by the CSC that cosmetics are unsafe, in particular it disagreed with a 2010 report; “Not So Sexy: The Health Risks of Secret Chemicals in Fragrance” that stated that certain products showed to have contained hormone-disrupting and sensitizing chemicals as well as chemicals not listed on product labels.

To which the PCPC hit back, saying that many of the mentioned substances in the report have been used for decades, and much is known about them.

According to the PCPC chief scientist at the time, John Bailey; “the actual occurrence of sensitization in the marketplace is quite low, cosmetic ingredients are carefully selected for safety and suitability for their specific applications, and consumers can be confident in the safety of their products."

Related topics Regulation & Safety Fragrance

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