Johnson and Johnson's Products?

I heard something similar to this, but until I see significant results claiming that their products are so harmful to children that they pull their products off the shelves...then I'm going to continue using those products. So far, my children are just fine. :D I think it's just a matter of personal preference. :D

Why ? Read some articles here about it:

http://search.mercola.com/Results.aspx?k=johnson%20and%20...

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/0...

Skin Deep is a fantastic database for products I have linked to their home page as well as their page for baby products. You can search for specific products and see ingredients that are problematic and what the issues are with the ingredients.

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/index.php

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/browse.php?maincat=babycare

There is a lot of information but it will help you make informed decisions for your child.

Hope that this helps.
Kind regards and good luck.

Ingredients such as parabens, phthalates, 1,4-dioxane and or formaldehyde are just a few that have been found in a high percentage of tested, common baby products and are known carcinogens and or allergen triggers. This is the primary concern many parents have right now and why they are turning to all natural and organic products for their babies. Skin is our largest organ and many products absorb directly into our bloodstream. No one knows what long term effects all of these chemicals are doing to us.

I personally refuse to use any of the mainstream chemical laden products on myself or my children as I do not want to feel like I contributed to possible cancer or health issues later on in my children's lives.

I do however, love Johnson and Johnson's tear free shampoo when I have hemmorhoids though. The numbing chemicals provide some relief when washing down below when pregnant and miserable!

HI C.,

The problem isn't really with Johnson & Johnson specifically, but the ingredients that are in most of their products and in most other conventional bath products. I don't have time to look up websites for you, but if you want to know more, you should look up info on these ingredients:
parabens (such as methylparaben, propylparaben, or anything else that ends in "paraben"), and sodium laurel sulfate (or it might be lauryth sulfate, I'm blanking right now, sorry). Among others. Anyway, many of these chemicals and preservatives have been extensively researched and have links to cancer in the long term.

Because it is long term damage, that is why people will tell you "I have been using Johnson & Johnson and have never had any problems." Well, that's because we don't know what kind of damage these products are causing us in the long term over many many years. My suggestion is to really read ingredient labels for bath and beauty products, the same way that you would read food labels. If there's something that sounds like you might not want to put it in your body, then you probably don't! (And remember, all of these things get absorbed into our skin and bloodstream when we lather ourselves and our children with shampoo and lotion) Brands like Burt's Bees and other natural products usually disclose all ingredients and will tell you what everything is. These are usually safer

Natural products tend to be more expensive, but I save money by just using less- just a tiny bit of shampoo is plenty for my kids' little heads, and for their skin I actually just put olive oil on them! Sounds strange, but after a bath it is the best for keeping them moisturized. And they smell really yummy too! :)

We do not use J&J products or any of the other commonly available baby products (Aveeno etc). My main concern is the number and make up of of the chemicals in their formulations as well as their reluctance to fully disclose ALL ingredients.
There are a lot of great alternatives widely available, I like California Baby and Burt's Bees, to name two.
Also most children do not actually need a lot of beauty products. A mild shampoo, high quality oil (I prefer almond or jojoba, but you can use canola or olive oil) are enough for everyday hygiene. If you children are prone to dry facial skin and additional cream for their face will help and in the summer we use sunblock that only uses physical sunscreen (zinc oxide or titanium oxide) rather than chemicals and wear protective clothing.

We know that many of the chemicals used in beauty products from infancy on, will accumulate in our bodies. Maybe it will have no effects on my child's health, but as we know from experience, we do not truly understand the toxic effects of many common chemicals until they have been in widespread use for years (remember DDT anyone...?.)I would rather be safe than sorry!

I am so glad you're asking this question, C.. As a sixty-something granny, I grew up exposed to "insignificant" amounts of hundreds of potentially toxic chemicals. I was healthy and seemingly doing just fine until my late 30's, when I abruptly found myself so ill that I thought I must be dying. I was physically miserable and drained, and emotionally undone.

I gradually learned (with the guidance of a fantastic doctor) that I felt better as I learned to identify and avoid toxins in my food, water, air, and all the products I used to apply to my body or clean my home.

This required a MAJOR restructuring of my whole life and cost a lot of time, effort, and money. To this day, I still have to leave the room if someone enters with perfume or fabric softener wafting from their bodies; I can't use public bathrooms with air "fresheners"; I have to avoid driving in heavy traffic, and numerous other major and minor inconveniences. And I have never again been truly healthy or even comfortable, even with those precautions.

No parent would want this to happen to their their children, and kids are becoming overloaded with toxins today that didn't even exist when I was young. Signs of trouble can come on gradually or be sudden and severe. In either case, it may be difficult to learn what the problem is, and any number of other illnesses can be suspected first.

Most modern toxins are present in minute amounts, but are ubiquitous and hard to avoid. And these ingredients combined can have a much greater synergistic effect than they would have by themselves.

One quick way to check product safety is to google "safety, (name an ingredient)." You'll usually get pages of everything from consumer reports and articles to scientific fact sheets to alarming rumors, many unfounded. But you don't have to read and weigh all the rumors when you can go straight to the scientific evidence for yourself. It can be a little daunting at first to understand some of the terminology used in a chemical fact sheet, but far from impossible, and then you'll have real information on which to base your shopping choices. Best of luck to you on your inquiry.

C., from what I have taught myself through website research, the problem with almost all shampoo/conditioner/body wash you find on the drug store/Target shelves is the SLS. You've probably seen it when staring at the shampoo bottle ingredients section while showering: Sodium Laurel Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate/Sulfite. These chemicals are hormone interrupters, so not only can you absorb them through your skin, but you also inhale them in a steamy shower. The other problem in body washes and lotions are parabens which block your skin from transferring toxins out and nutrients in.

I know it's nearly impossible to avoid these things, but I've started trying, with my kid's products first. I watch for brands like Jason, Kiss My Face, Burt's Bees, and other natural products to clearance out or go on a good sale, and then I guard them carefully (removing them from the bathroom to the highest shelf in the hall closet so that there isn't a dump into the bath by my scientist 5 year old).

I personally think other things are more important on my limited budget - the food they ingest every day - so I concentrate on that, but like I said, if I see a sale I pick up a couple "safer" beauty products. The licensed products are the worst, by the way, such as Dora bubble bath or Cars soap.

Good luck doing your research! You've been referred to some good websites.

I haven't read anything formal about it, but my experience with my oldest daughter was enough for me to throw out the rest of what we had.

We used J&J with my oldest and she would have horribly dry skin. She also has eczema tht J&J irritates. It's supposed to be gentle, but it irritates her so much that I'm having trouble believing that. It also burns in my eyes.

When my second was born, I insisted that we not use J&J on her and she hasn't had dry skin or eczema yet.

I've really liked Cetaphil for both girls. It doesn't get all sudsey, but it does clean well and the lotion is great for my daugher's eczema.

I've used J&J for myself to see how it compared to my own Dove and the J&& is super drying and doesn't rinse well.

You will find someone who has something negative to say about a given thing. Today it is Johnson and Johnson, tomorrow someone might say something bad about Aveeno products, then someone else might say something about Olay products, get my drift? Also ANYONE can publish on the internet, it doesn't make it right, check the references of their article, wikipedia is written by the public, anyone can change it and it is not allowed to be cited as correct. Do you like Johnson and Johnson products? If so, use them especially if you can't find anything substantial as to why they are bad.

Check out Skin Deep like other posters have said. I use this for all of the products that I use for my family. We have switched to Earth Mama Angel Baby products and we love them!

I second (or third or fourth) the suggestion to use the Skin Deep database. My understanding is that the additional harm from the "tear free" baby products is a numbing ingredient. Rather than eliminating the ingredients that irritate eyes, the ingredient masks the effect of them. I'm now using Melaleuca products which are all natural, containing no phosphates or sulfates. Great for the environment and my family! www.melaleuca.com

Here's my thought:
For starters I'm very skeptical of a site whose information you cannot obtain without subscribing. One of the links in your responses contains "information" from ONE specific site, that you need to access with a subscription. To mean that shows a clear bias.

Second, I have used Johnson and Johnson baby products on all five of my boys. I'm proud to say they are 19, 17, 15, 8, and 8. All of them are healthy, young men.

Third, we're dealing with "suspected trace amounts". It's due to a chemical that can be used as a solvent for paint. NOW, one compound can be mixed to a completely different compound. Meaning, in one form it's fine (i.e. the baby shampoo) created to another form (paint solvent). I'm not a scientist, but I'm willing to bet that is what would happen with the shampoo chemical. Mixed with a certain chemical or processed differently, it could be toxic, but in it's present form it's not.

I'm not knocking organic products, I have some that I love. But, in all honesty when the twins were babies money was tight and I couldn't justify using an expensive product. And the boys loved the Johnson and Johnson lavender Goodnight bath soap. It really did seem to calm them down...or maybe it just calmed me down enough that I thought they were calmer :)

I think it's great to ask and get input, but always take what you receive and use it as a starting point for your own research. You will find many articles that lean for and against any issue. You just need to find the sites that you trust most and go with whether your gut is buying what's being said or not.

Have a great day,
D. J.

I hate to tell you but I threw away all of my Johnson & Johnson products because they are scented & use many toxic ingredients. Just check out this Skin Deep report by the Environmental Working Group: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/company/Johnson_%26_John... I much prefer Burt's Bees & Earth Mama Angel Baby products. There are so many chemicals in water & air already, I really don't want to add to my child's toxic load by putting on various skin chemicals.

Along with the many nasty chemicals that have been listed, J&J, as well as most other OTC products have mineral oil (or petroleum) and tallow. Mineral oil is a by-product of gasoline and oil production and does not absorb into the skin. It sits on top of the skin and acts as a barrier and doesn't allow the skin to breathe and release toxins. Tallow is a byproduct of animal carcasses that have been boiled down for disposal. The fat that floats to the surface is tallow.
Also, the "no-more-tears" formulations are labeled that way becuase an anesthetic agent is added to the products because the chemicals are so caustic to a baby's eyes.
Arbonne is a botanically-based health and wellness company that has no animal by-products or mineral oil. Our ABC (Arbonne Baby Care) is amazing. If you would like more information you can go to my website at www.nursekerry.myarbonne.com.

I used them for my children and nothing ever went wrong. The shampoo was great it never burned their eyes. The lotions were fine too. I wonder who started that rumor.

I grew up with J&J products and turned out just fine. I have my kids use them as well. I live overseas so all that organic stuff is way too expensive.

Johnson and Johnson products have always been great for my kids, never had any problems.

There has been considerable press coverage of the family and the business due to the death of a family member. It is rumored that she had a prescription drug and other chemical dependency issues. But none of this has anything to do with the quality of their many products... from personal care to cleaning products.

Enjoy whatever works for you and your family!!

There are numerous chemicals used in their products that I would never put on my baby. Several are carcinagenic...my rule is that if my grandma wouldn't have heard of it, I dont use it. Not too specific, but sodium laurel sulfate, anything that says "paraben" are both carcinogenic. Natural brands that don;'t use parabens are probably your best bet, I like burts bees wax shampoo & body wash.