A sweeping investigation by the Economic Information Daily has sent shockwaves through China’s parental communities, revealing that several top-tier infant diaper brands contain formamide, a potent reproductive toxin. The probe was launched following a surge in consumer complaints regarding persistent diaper rash and skin ulcerations that only subsided once specific brands were discontinued. Laboratory tests conducted on popular products from Huggies—a flagship brand of the US-based Kimberly-Clark—as well as domestic leaders Babycare and Biba Baby, confirmed the presence of the hazardous chemical.
Formamide is a colorless organic solvent used in various industrial processes, but its presence in childcare products is a cause for severe medical concern. While the substance is explicitly banned from cosmetics in China, it currently occupies a regulatory blind spot in the national standards for disposable diapers. In a stark demonstration of the chemical’s volatility, a journalist involved in the investigation wore a diaper for ten hours, resulting in a near-doubling of formamide concentration in their bloodstream, suggesting high rates of dermal absorption.
Medical experts warn that infants are uniquely vulnerable to such exposures due to their developing organs and higher surface-area-to-weight ratio. Formamide is classified by the European Chemicals Agency as a reproductive toxicant that may damage fertility or the unborn child, while also posing risks of chronic liver and kidney damage. Clinical screenings of over one hundred infants by the Shandong Public Health Clinical Center have already identified detectable levels of the toxin in blood and urine samples, further linking the products to systemic exposure.
Despite the findings, the brands in question have largely pointed to their compliance with current national safety standards (GB/T 28004.1—2021). However, the investigation highlights that these existing regulations do not currently include testing requirements or limit thresholds for formamide. This discrepancy has sparked urgent calls from researchers and industry watchdogs for an immediate revision of national standards to close the loophole and protect the nation's youngest demographic.