A British man who suffered a severe allergic reaction to Johnson’s baby shampoo described the harrowing experience as feeling like ‘acid’ was being poured on his skin.
Luke Tyrell, 34, of Clitheroe, 30 miles north of Manchester, was left with intense throat and neck pain for an hour after using the shampoo made for infants.
He said that he had to use anti-inflammatory medication for a time after the ordeal to manage the pain and side effects.
Tyrell, who works as a hairdresser, contacted Johnson’s, which is the portion of the Johnson & Johnson brand that produces products for babies, and was told that the company would investigate the matter.
‘It was very painful, like an acid burn all down my neck, and my throat started to swell,’ Tyrell said.
‘Luckily, I had some antihistamines, so I took a couple and sat and meditated to stop the panic and it calmed down.’
Luke Tyrell, 34, of Clitheroe, England, suffered a severe allergic reaction after using Johnson’s baby shampoo. He said he notified the company and was unhappy with the ‘bog standard’ response
‘It was very painful, like an acid burn all down my neck, and my throat started to swell,’ said Tyrrell, a hair stylist
He took to social media to share the horrendous event with his friends and family, only to learn that others had similar experiences.
When looking online, Tyrell found other stories of people using Johnson’s baby shampoo only to have horrible reactions.
‘I put a status on my Facebook on Tuesday, and I was shocked at how many other people have suffered reactions to their products,’ he said.
‘I’m not after compensation or anything like that but just to warn other people off it, a lot of people on my status feel it needs banning.
‘I’ve had a look online and the stories of negative effects are endless. It’s scary, and I do not have sensitive skin.’
Tyrell (pictured) said that after sharing his story on social media, others reached out with their own tales of disaster after using the shampoo
Other stories shared include a person who said their face turned red and began to swell when they used the shampoo at age 14.
Another person described the shampoo as ‘awful stuff’ and said it made their scalp itch, with another saying that they would ‘never again’ use it to take off makeup after a previous poor experience.
Tyrell emailed Johnson’s to inform them of the situation that had occurred, though he did not plan any sort of lawsuits of other measures seeking damages.
The company replied, thanking him for the notice and notifying him that they would investigate the matter.
They said they were unable to make time for a phone call with him, and sent him information about allergies to their products.
Johnson’s told Tyrell they would investigate the matter. Other products under the same parent company, like Johnson and Johnson’s talc-based baby powder, have been under similar scrutiny
Tyrell expressed displeasure with the company’s response, describing it as ‘bog standard’ and said he did not expect them to do much to address the issue many have faced with the shampoo.
‘The health and safety of the people who use our products is our highest priority,’ the company told SWNS is a statement.
‘We take all complaints very seriously and have been in contact with Luke to investigate. We only choose high-quality ingredients, and all of our products go through a rigorous five-step safety assessment.’+
There have been more serious reports of people having negative reactions after using Johnson & Johnson products.
The company famously had to pull its talc-based baby powder from shelves in Canada and the U.S. in recent years over allegations that it was tainted with asbestos, and caused cervical cancer in some women.
Billions were paid out by the company to settle thousands of lawsuits and the company even ended up declaring for bankruptcy as a result.