A hairdresser has suffered a severe allergic reaction to a shampoo designed for babies, likening it to pouring "acid" on his skin.
Luke Tyrell, 34, had to take anti-inflammatory medication after the Johnson's Baby Shampoo Gold left him with intense pain down his neck and throat for an hour.
Luke, from Clitheroe, Lancashire, said that he purchased the hair product from his local supermarket and had lathered it on his scalp on March 14 believing that it would be soothing, Lancs Live reports.
However, within mere minutes, he was left writing in agony as the product, which is labelled as “an ideal shampoo for your baby”, left his skin red and irritated.
He said: “It was very painful, like an acid burn all down my neck, and my throat started to swell. Luckily, I had some antihistamines, so I took a couple and sat and meditated to stop the panic and it calmed down.”
Luke later put a post on social media describing his reaction to the hair product and was amazed to see others sharing similarly negative stories about it. He said: “I put a status on my Facebook on Tuesday, and I was shocked at how many other people have suffered reactions to their products.
“I'm not after compo (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.”
One Facebook user commenting on his post said: “Made all my face go red and swell up when I was 14. Thought baby lotion was okay to take off make-up. Then used baby oil for moisturising and came out in hives. Never again”
Another person wrote: “I stopped using it years ago when the shampoo made my scalp itch like hell, it’s awful stuff.”
Mr Tyrell sent an e-mail to Johnson’s to inform them of the reaction. He received the following response: “Thank you for your recent message regarding our Johnson's Baby Shampoo Gold. We are sorry to hear of the problems you have experienced, which you attribute to the use of this product.
“Accept our sincere apologies, for not being able to contact you through the phone. Today we are experiencing an unusual amount of calls. You reported a reaction in association with the use of our product and we would like to assure you that we will examine this occurrence in detail.
“Please find some general information on the safety of our products, as well as on incompatibility and allergic reactions. We take reports of any adverse experience with our products very seriously.
“So that we can keep your information secure and to maintain confidentiality, we ask you follow the link below and provide us with additional information about your experience.”
Mr Tyrell said he felt the reply from Johnson’s was “bog standard” and doesn’t expect them to do anything about the shampoo. But when asked for comment, a Johnson and Johnson spokesman added: "The health and safety of the people who use our products is our highest priority.
"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.
"Johnson's Baby Shampoo is specially formulated to be mild, gentle and hypoallergenic and this formula has not recently changed."
Johnson's has been contacted for further comment.
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