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If you buy special shampoo for your baby, the last thing you’d expect it to contain would be known or suspected carcinogens…

But if you live in the U.S., this may in fact be the case.

For the past two years, health and environmental groups have been urging Johnson & Johnson to remove two potentially cancer-causing chemicals from its baby shampoo.

One of these ingredients is quaternium-15, which releases formaldehyde; a skin, eye, and respiratory irritant, and a known carcinogen (formaldehyde exposure has been associated with leukemia specifically).

According to SafeCosmetics.org:

  “The North American Contact Dermatitis Group considers quaternium-15 to be among the most clinically significant contact allergens in children.”

The other, 1,4-dioxane, is a “likely carcinogen,” and is present in Johnson & Johnson’s:

Baby Shampoo      Oatmeal Baby Wash      Moisture Care Baby Wash, and      Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Creamy Wash

According to the CDC, 1,4 dioxane is “probably carcinogenic to humans,” and is toxic to your brain, central nervous system, kidneys and liver.