Johnson & Johnson Recalls a Single Lot of Johnson’s Baby Powder in the United States

Today Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. (JJCI) announced that it is initiating a voluntary recall in the United States of a single lot of its Johnson’s Baby Powder in response to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) test indicating the presence of sub-trace levels of chrysotile asbestos contamination (no greater than 0.00002%) in samples from a single bottle purchased from an online retailer. In full cooperation and collaboration with the FDA, JJCI is initiating this voluntary recall of Lot #22318RB of Johnson’s Baby Powder, from which the tested sample was taken.

The FDA also reported that JJCI has immediately initiated a rigorous, thorough investigation into this matter, and is working with the FDA to determine the integrity of the tested sample, and the validity of the test results. At this early stage of the investigation, JJCI:

• Cannot confirm if cross-contamination of the sample caused a false positive.
• Cannot confirm whether the sample was taken from a bottle with an intact seal or whether the sample was prepared in a controlled environment.
• Cannot confirm whether the tested product is authentic or counterfeit.

JJCI tells the FDA they have a rigorous testing standard in place to ensure its cosmetic talc is safe and years of testing, including the FDA’s own testing on prior occasions–and as recently as last month–found no asbestos. Thousands of tests over the past 40 years repeatedly confirm that their consumer talc products do not contain asbestos. Their talc they note come from ore sources confirmed to meet our stringent specifications that exceed industry standards. Not only do they and their suppliers routinely test to ensure their talc does not contain asbestos, but their talc has also been tested and confirmed to be asbestos-free by a range of independent laboratories, universities, and global health authorities.

If you or someone you provide care for owns a bottle of Johnson’s Baby Powder Lot #22318RB, you are advised to discontinue use of the product. For refund information, contact the Johnson & Johnson Consumer Care Center at www.johnsonsbaby.com or by calling +1 (866) 565-2229.