Read the article to know the affect of Johnson & Johnson baby powder controversy in Guwahati.

After facing several lawsuits from women, Johnson and Johnson (J&J), a household name in baby products, had on August 11 announced that it will discontinue the sale of its baby powder from 2023. Since the late 1990s the company has been sued numerous times for the talc-based power which is claimed to contain asbestos, a carcinogenic, that has allegedly caused ovarian cancer.

Until a few years back, when other companies launched baby products in the Indian market, Johnson and Johnson (J&J) had been the undisputed giant in the baby products market. Most of its other products still remain amongst the most trusted for newborns, and even for adults. However, the baby powder has been surrounded by controversy for over two decades now.

According to Bloomberg, it faces over 40,300 lawsuits in the US alone. Launched in 1894, J&J has been ordered to pay USD 3.5 billion in settlements so far over lawsuits against its baby powder.

Amid such controversies have the demands for the product lessened in Guwahati?

Business Northeast spoke to several pharmacies and customers on the issues.

A drug store proprietor said, "The demand for the product is still the same from the customers. As far as I'm concerned the controversy has not resulted in any decline in the sale of the baby powder. But if it is hampering the health of the customers then the company should definitely have a concern over the same."

Another pharmacist added, "Johnsons holds an age-old legacy. If we compare today's baby products with J&J's, then the latter is more affordable than the former and if we speak about our sale of the powder in the last six months we have collected revenue of approximately Rs. 50,000".

On the other hand, another pharmacist opined, "It is due to the rise of other products like Mamaearth, Himalaya in the market that the demand for the J&J products has seen a drastic decline. Customers now have options to choose from which weren't available a few years back. Now we cannot directly claim that if it is because of the controversy."

Besides the above statements we also had a direct conversation with a distributor. On being asked about the present demand for the J&J baby talc powder he answered, " Our sale depends on the demand of the pharmacy since we do not cater to retail demands. And the bulk orders from pharmacies have been the same, so I don't think the claims and accusations have had any real impact on Guwahati or Assam's market."

"I would advise people not to use it if there is any kind of irritation after applying the baby powder. I would add that every other person has a different skin texture. A product might suit one's and might not another's. There are already a variety of other brands. If this one doesn't suit your skin then you are free to switch to the next for your baby. That's all I can comment for now," said a pediatrician in Guwahati.

As per a report published on the Indian Express, "Investigations by Reuters and The New York Times in 2018, revealed that since the early 1970s, J&J knew that their talc products were sometimes contaminated by small amounts of asbestos. After examining internal documents, the agencies claimed that executives at the company were concerned about a potential government ban and public backlash, all while refusing to disclose the information."

Reportedly, Johnson and Johnson has also decided to switch to cornstarch-based baby powder although the company had termed the decision a "commercial decision".

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