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MUMBAI: Three years since ceasing production of its talc-based powders in the US and Canada, pharmaceutical giant Johnson and Johnson recently surrendered its licence to manufacture baby powder in its Mumbai plant. The company said the decision to stop manufacturing baby powder in India was part of a global move to switch from talc-based to cornstarch-based baby powders.
Incidentally, J&J’s move comes within months of the company winning a court battle against the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to continue production of baby powder. FDA commissioner Abhimanyu Kale confirmed that J&J submitted an application on June 22 seeking to stop the production of the baby powder at its Mulund plant. Three varieties of baby powder were produced under the cosmetic licence.
“Companies needn’t necessarily provide a reason. They wanted to stop manufacture and we have accepted it,” Kale told TOI. Baby powder bottles may take a while to completely disappear from the shelves though, as the company can continue to distribute and sell the batches it produced till June 22, FDA officials said. However, sources told TOI it has either stopped or significantly slowed manufacture of the baby powder already, given a steady fall in demand over the years.
One of the more recognizable brands of J&J globally, the baby powder has been mired in thousands of lawsuits as well as demands for ban over alleged links to cancer. As per FDA records, the company had taken permission to start manufacturing baby powder in 1965, and has since produced millions of batches at the suburban plant in Mumbai.
“In August 2022, we announced the commercial decision to transition to an all cornstarch-based baby powder portfolio to help simplify our product offerings, deliver sustainable innovation, and meet the needs of consumers, and evolving global trends. Talc-based Johnson’s baby powder is no longer manufactured in India and hence the cosmetic manufacturing licence to produce this product is not needed,” the company said in a statement to TOI.
Incidentally, J&J’s move comes within months of the company winning a court battle against the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to continue production of baby powder. FDA commissioner Abhimanyu Kale confirmed that J&J submitted an application on June 22 seeking to stop the production of the baby powder at its Mulund plant. Three varieties of baby powder were produced under the cosmetic licence.
“Companies needn’t necessarily provide a reason. They wanted to stop manufacture and we have accepted it,” Kale told TOI. Baby powder bottles may take a while to completely disappear from the shelves though, as the company can continue to distribute and sell the batches it produced till June 22, FDA officials said. However, sources told TOI it has either stopped or significantly slowed manufacture of the baby powder already, given a steady fall in demand over the years.
One of the more recognizable brands of J&J globally, the baby powder has been mired in thousands of lawsuits as well as demands for ban over alleged links to cancer. As per FDA records, the company had taken permission to start manufacturing baby powder in 1965, and has since produced millions of batches at the suburban plant in Mumbai.
“In August 2022, we announced the commercial decision to transition to an all cornstarch-based baby powder portfolio to help simplify our product offerings, deliver sustainable innovation, and meet the needs of consumers, and evolving global trends. Talc-based Johnson’s baby powder is no longer manufactured in India and hence the cosmetic manufacturing licence to produce this product is not needed,” the company said in a statement to TOI.
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