FACT CHECK: Did Neutrogena brand Pure & Free sunblock cause chemical burns on a young child?
Claim: Neutragena brand Pure & Free sunblock caused chemical burns on a young child.
UNDETERMINED
Example: [Collected via Facebook, July 2015]
Origins: On 2 July 2015, Facebook user Amy Malpocker Kohl posted a message reporting that her child had received chemical burns from Neutragena brand Pure & Free Baby sunblock: Shortly after Kohl posted her Facebook message (which was shared more than a hundred thousand times), another parent shared a similar story on Twitter:
@AmyJKohl @Neutrogena this same thing happened to my 5 year old just this past weekend. Her face swelled up and now left with scabs all over
— Dr. Matthew Roe (@DrMattRoe) July 8, 2015
On 8 July 2015, Neutrogena responded to the messages, saying that the chemical burns resulting from use of their sunblock product were not "typical":
@DrMattRoe We're sorry to hear this happened to your daughter while using our product. It's not typical and we'd like to chat more to help!
— Neutrogena (@Neutrogena) July 8, 2015
While the specific cause of the burns has not yet been identified, Kohl said that she believes that the ingredient retinyl palmitate could be the culprit:
Some groups have cautioned consumers to avoid sunscreens containing retinyl palmitate, but because of the possibility that it may increase skin cancer, not because it causes burns:
Government-funded studies have found that this particular type of vitamin A may increase risk of skin cancer when used on sun-exposed skin. However, these reports have been in mice and evidence has been inconclusive for humans.
Neutrogena has said they are working with parents to find the cause of the reported rashes:
@bnay333 We've been in touch with this consumer several times. We take this very seriously and we're working to find the possible cause.
— Neutrogena (@Neutrogena) July 8, 2015
Last updated: 9 July 2015
Originally published: 9 July 2015