Pantene maker Procter & Gamble moves to reassure Chinese consumers after US recall of shampoo sprays
Procter & Gamble has sought to reassure Chinese consumers that its products sold in the country are safe, after it recalled some lines from its popular Pantene and Herbal Essences brands in North America due to the presence of a cancer-causing chemical.
On Friday, the Cincinnati-based company announced that it was voluntarily recalling the 13 aerosol dry conditioner spray products and 19 aerosol dry shampoo spray products after detecting “unexpected levels” of benzene in the products.
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These included sprays from Pantene, Herbal Essences, Aussie and Waterless produced in the United States and previously discontinued products from Old Spice and Hair Food.
News of the recall triggered widespread concern in China, the firm’s second-biggest market, where there have been a number of problems over product safety.P&G’s product recall was among the top three most searched topics on Weibo on Sunday, with some leaving comments on the social media platform asking whether a similar review should be conducted for products sold in China.
“If bigger brands are having this kind of problem, what about smaller brands?” asked one commenter.
The company posted a statement on the platform on Sunday to clarify that products sold in China were not affected.
“The recall only involves some dry spray products in North America, which doesn’t involve shampoo and conditioner products,” the statement said.
“The relevant products are produced in the US and are not imported into China. All products sold in the Chinese market comply with relevant national regulations and standards. Please be assured they are safe to use.”
P&G Hong Kong has been contacted to ask whether products sold in the city are affected.
Benzene can cause cancer depending on the level and extent of exposure.
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It was not an ingredient in any of P&G’s products, but a review found “unexpected levels” in the propellant that sprays the product out of the can, the company said in its Friday statement.
While P&G did not disclose how many units it had to recall in total, the company said it had not received any reports of adverse events to date.
P&G’s business in China has doubled over the last 20 years, the company’s president and chief executive Jon Moeller told CNBC in October.
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Over the past few years, the consumer giant has been growing its sales network using e-commerce venues such as JD.com and Taobao, which is owned by the Post’s parent company Alibaba, to sell directly to consumers.
The company said in 2017 that it would invest US$100 million over three years in a digital innovation centre in Guangzhou, in part to bolster its digital marketing.
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