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Shampoo products taking a bath in Beijing

By Qin Zhongwei (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-07-19 07:58

Beijing's consumers are still in a lather about herbal Bawang shampoo products, despite the fact that China's food and drug watchdog has declared the Guangdong-based company that makes them compliant with quality and safety requirements.

Bawang International Group's products were on supermarket shelves on Sunday, but, following recent health scares about the products, few consumers were buying them.

Related readings:  SFDA says Bawang shampoo 'safe to use'  New 'dry shampoo' catching on in salons  Fake shampoo puts pair in lather

At the Ito Yokato Shopping Mall near Huixindongqiao, Chaoyang district, a news report stating that the products had been tested and pronounced safe had been pasted to the shelf next to the shampoo.

Other than that, the supermarket did not have a concrete plan for what to do next, according to a saleswoman who declined to be named.

"The business did witness a big decline in recent days," she told METRO on Sunday.

The State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) issued a statement on Friday saying tests showed the levels of 1,4-dioxane in the product posed no danger to users.

The statement was issued after Hong Kong media earlier claimed that samples of two herbal shampoo products from Bawang were found to contain 1,4-dioxane, which is considered to be a cancer-causing chemical, according to Xinhua News Agency.

The SFDA said in its statement that the amounts of dioxane were below 100 ppm and were considered safe according to internationally agreed standards. The SFDA did not reveal the exact amount of the chemical in the products.

At an outlet of Wu Mart, another big supermarket chain in Beijing, staff launched a promotion of Bawang shampoo at the weekend. The 750 ml shampoo that would ordinarily sell for 52.9 yuan was selling for 39.9 yuan, according to salesperson Rao Tingting.

But she claimed that the promotion had nothing to do with the recent controversy.

Some shoppers, though, said they were going to play it safe when buying shampoo after the scare.

A consumer surnamed Sun had in the past bought anti-hair-loss herbal shampoo for his father but said he would now be turning to other "safe" alternatives. After picking a cheaper product he said: "at least, we won't need to worry about whether it will jeopardize our health."

Wang Wei contributed to the story.