Children's Bath Products Tainted with Cancer-Causing Chemicals

Lack of Regulatory Oversight Allows Toxic Products in Marketplace

In March 2009, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics released a national report called Toxic Tub, which revealed that despite claims like "gentle" and "pure," dozens of top-selling children's bath products contain unregulated cancer-causing chemicals. The report found formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, both carcinogens, in several popular baby products including Johnson's Baby Shampoo, Sesame Street Bubble Bath, and Huggies Refreshing Cucumber & Green Tea baby wash.

PORTSMOUTH - Janah Trent of Kittery, Maine, doesn't want her young child - or anyone else's - sitting in bathwater containing formaldehyde, a byproduct of many popular brand-name baby shampoos, she said.

Advocates with Clean Water Action New Hampshire say most consumers also would be troubled to know many lipsticks contain leads, and it isn't uncommon for mascara to contain mercury.

Many people may ask why the government lets companies put such ingredients in hygiene products, but they actually don't, according to Elise Annunziata.

"There isn't any regulation ... it's completely self-regulated by the industry, and we saw how well that worked on Wall Street," she said.