Nivea deodorant produced in Nigeria doesn’t contain harmful chemicals, NAFDAC clarifies

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says the Nivea BLACK&WHITE Invisible roll-on deodorant (50 ml) manufactured in Nigeria does not contain harmful chemicals.

In an update to an alert notifying Nigerians of the product’s recall, the agency said it has carried out an investigation on the product.

“A recent investigation shows that the Black and White Nivea Roll-on deodorant manufactured in Nigeria does not contain the non-compliant ingredient (BMHCA),” the update reads.

BACKGROUND

On October 31, NAFDAC alerted Nigerians to the recall of the product by the European Union’s (EU) rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products (RAPEX) in Brussels.

The Nigerian agency said the recalled Nivea product contains 2-(4-tert-Butylbenzyl propionaldehyde) (BMHCA), a chemical prohibited in cosmetics due to its ability to harm the reproductive system, impair the health of an unborn child, cause skin irritation, and cause burns to users.

Produced in Germany, NAFDAC said the product is marked ‘48H protection in African climate’, with batch number: 93529610 and bar code number: 42299882.

In its response, Beiersdorf, manufacturers of Nivea, said the use of 2-(4-tert-Butylbenzyl propionaldehyde (LilialTM) in cosmetic products has been “banned from European markets since 1 March 2022”.

Beiersdorf noted that the batch in question expired in January 2022 and was fully compliant with the European cosmetic regulations at the time.

The manufacturer also said all its products have been reformulated to be Lilial-free and that the variant in question was not sold in Nigeria.

“We wish to assure our valued customers that Batch No. 93529610 has not been marketed in Nigeria and has therefore never been recalled by Beiersdorf, the owner of the NIVEA brand, as the official manufacturer,” the manufacturer said.

The firm stated that all trade partners were informed in advance, and reminded of their duty to remove outdated Lilial products within the legal timeframe, to meet European cosmetic product regulation requirements.