P&G reaches milestone with efforts to wipe phthalates from products
The substances have been a topical debate for the industry of late and many cosmetic brands have been under pressure to wipe them from their products, which has seen the likes of J&J take the same pledge as P&G.
On track with phase out efforts…
According to Dr. Scott Heid of P&G Communications, who gave the update on behalf of the company this week, whilst the brand used phthalate in its formulations, it is the safe kind – DEP.
However, he says phthalates have caused some concern amongst consumers who aren't getting the full picture. "Triclosan is also known to be safe through numerous studies and regulatory reviews, however, there are on-going discussions about how effective it is for reducing bacteria compared to regular soap."
Therefore the expert says P&G wants consumers; "to feel safe about using our products and not have any misperceptions about the product ingredients we use, and we know that there is the potential for people to confuse DEP with other phthalates that are banned from certain product types."
So in this instance Heid says P&G decided to just remove DEP from its products; "Since we have limited use of triclosan in our personal care products, we have decided to eliminate it from all our products by 2014."
Publically distanced itself from harmful substances
Back in February, the personal care giant had to deny 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.
P&G manufactures and distributes Dolce & Gabbana products in the US, and 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.
