INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
JJ said that the safety of its cosmetic talc was based on a long history of safe use.Drugs regulator has ordered Johnson Johnson to stop
manufacturing its baby powder using raw materials in two of its Indian factories until test results prove they are free of asbestos, a
senior official said on Thursday
The official at the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), who declined to be named citing the sensitivity of the matter, said
a written order had been sent to the U.S
company telling it to stop using the "huge quantities" of raw materials stocked in its plants in northern and western India.The company said
on Wednesday that drug authorities visited some of its facilities and took "tests and samples" of its talcum powder
It also said that the safety of its cosmetic talc was based on a long history of safe use and decades of research and clinical evidence by
independent researchers and scientific review boards across the world.The visits came as the CDSCO and state-based food and drug
administrations launched an investigation into JJ's Baby Powder following a Reuters report last Friday that the firm knew for decades that
cancer-causing asbestos could be found in the product
JJ has described the Reuters article as "one-sided, false and inflammatory".The company didn't immediately respond to requests for comment
on Thursday.Asked if the order meant the company would have to stop producing its ubiquitous baby powder in the country for now, the
official at the drugs regulator said that was "the inference you have to take" at least as far as the stores of raw materials were
concerned."We have told them until this investigation concludes, you should not use the raw material
Test results will take time," the official said
"Testing for asbestos is not a routine procedure
It will require us to develop a method and all those things."Familiar brandJJ's Baby Powder is one of the most recognised foreign brands in
India along with Colgate toothpaste and Surf detergent.The company started selling its Baby Powder in the country in 1948, just a year after
the country won independence from the British
Presenting gift boxes containing the product and others aimed at newborns is almost a family ritual in this country of 1.3 billion people,
28 per cent of whom are aged between 0-14.The company also commands a strong retail distribution network through small pharmacies, larger
stores and the internet.There is yet to be any significant signs of a backlash against JJ products in the country because of the scare
At eight pharmacies across the country visited by Reuters reporters on Thursday, seven said JJ remained the No
1 seller of powder for babies.That doesn't mean it isn't under pressure from local and international competitors who sell talc-type powders,
such as Bengaluru-based Himalaya Herbals, and Italy's Artsana, which produces Chicco baby brands.And some individual consumers say they are
now very wary of JJ's Baby Powder."It is really very, very shocking," said Sitaram Beria, a chartered accountant in Bhubaneswar city
He said he stopped applying JJ powder on his six-month old baby after hearing about the Reuters report over the weekend.JJ leads sales in
the Indian baby and child toiletries market, which market research provider Euromonitor estimates would be worth Rs 1,250 crore ($178
million) this year, and forecasts will grow 84 per cent to Rs 2,300 crore in 2022.Euromonitor did not give a breakdown for baby powder alone
but said JJ was the biggest player in the overall segment, followed by Mumbai-based VVF Ltd, Artsana, Wipro of Bengaluru and
Himalaya.Himalaya said in a statement that its herbs-based baby care products "are exclusively promoted and recommended by over 40,000
doctors in the country, which is the greatest endorsement for us," while declining to provide any financial figures.The other companies
could not be reached for comment.
