Mother's Bliss Nipple Cream -- removed from market

[meijhen]

Don't know if we have any mother's here using this product, but if you haven't seen this announcement:
Company has stopped making it and FDA warns consumers not to use it as it has apparently made several infants very ill. The ingredients in question are : chlorphenesin and phenoxyethanol

Comments

[pqowlaks]

"Chlorphenesin is a muscle relaxant. It works by blocking nerve impulses (or pain sensations) that are sent to your brain. It is not known whether chlorphenesin will harm an unborn baby. Do not take chlorphenesin without first talking to your doctor if you are pregnant. It is also not known whether chlorphenesin passes into breast milk. Do not take chlorphenesin without first talking to your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby. Chlorphenesin is not approved for use in children."

From Yahoo! Health... WHAT?! They were adding this to their product??

[rc]

Here's the full list of ingredients from Drugstore.com:
Water, Capric/Caprylic Triglycerides, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Stearic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycine, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Olea Europaea Seed Oil (Olive), Dimethicone, Squalane, Hydrolyzed Algin, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract (Algae), Borago Officinalis Oil (Borage), Oenithera Biennis Seed Oil (Evening Primrose), Triticum Vulgare Seed Oil (Wheat Germ), Persea Gratissima Butter (Avocado), Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Opunitia Ficus Indica Extract, Lecithin, Retinyl Palmitate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Allantoin, Bees Wax, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Sorbic Acid

I know phenoxyethanol is an alternative preservative that many companies use due to the fear of parabens.

According to this, chlorphenesin is a muscle relaxant and is not approved for use in children. So uh, I don't know why they would say "safe for baby" on their product.

[the_questess]

Oh man, I would have never let that stuff anywhere near my nipples (or any other part of my body, let alone my baby's) in the first place.
Blech.

[rc]

Most companies that don't list all the ingredients use the term "key ingredients" (like Aveda) but I guess Mommy's Bliss really wanted to call themselves "all natural" and lying to consumers is the only way to accomplish that. I dunno.

[miss_lumpy]

I agree but don't know how to do this. Can you suggest any good websites? I'd really like to learn and Google is nice but doesn't have any way to rank, etc. websites, or know which are the good and which are the bad.

[miss_lumpy]

Cool, I'll definitely check those out. Thanks!

[jocelina]

Phenoxyethanol is a cosmetic preservative that's often used in place of parabens, but as far as I know it is NOT food safe, so I find it very odd that it would be used in a nipple product.

I think that chlorphenesin is also used as a cosmetic preservative, but I don't think it's a common one.

I'm surprised that a company would use either in a nipple cream, though -- there are food-safe preservatives out there that I'd think would be much more suitable for a product that an infant might end up ingesting.

Their ingredient list looks suspiciously short to me -- if the product contains either of the above-mentioned preservatives, even in minute quantities, I would expect to see both on the ingredient statement, probably near the end.

[flayre]

OMG you should see their press release responding to the FDA's recommendation. Seriously, they are perplexed by the FDA's position on this? What a joke

[misslam2u]

The reaction of that company.is.outrageous.

Any number of chemicals, drugs and heavy metals are probably "allowable" in adults. I certainly don't want to find out that they are in our toothpaste or soaps.

That is probably the main reason why we use so very few personal care products-- companies simply cannot be trusted with our safety or the safety of our babies and children.

[flayre]

On another community (a parenting community I'm on) it was pointed out that this company also had their Gripe Water product recalled last year due to cryptosporidium. Um, yeah, so not going to buy from them. I did, however, write them via their feedback page on their web site....this is what I had to say

[misslam2u]

Good on ya!
Give 'em hell.