April 16, 2009
Richmond-based Wyeth Pharmaceuticals said today that it would immediately halt production of its recently-introduced pollen-flavored ChapStick, citing a “severe lack of judgement and scientific research” before the lip balm was released to the public.
The move comes af
ter the company acknowledged that the new ChapStick – a lip-moistening ointment mixed with the yellow-green coarse grains found in a number of trees and grasses – may cause itchy faces and throats, severe nasal congestion, inflammation of the mucous membranes, and watery eyes in users. Wyeth confirmed that two people have been hospitalized with “something about a severe allergic reaction or whatever” after applying the pollen ChapStick, marketed as a direct competitor to the Burt’s Bees line of personal care products.
“Over the years, Wyeth has developed a number of popular ChapStick flavors to prevent chapped lips, and we truly thought a pollen seasoning would be a great way for people to experience a taste they may not have tried before,” Wyeth spokeswoman Celina Fleet said in a statement. “As it turns out, pollen doesn’t really have a taste, per se, and a good many people apparently react very, very negatively to its presence.”
The gaffe is the first for the ChapStick brand in nearly a decade, after a 2000 incident when Wyeth introduced a naturally-flavored lip balm that contained real pieces of human lip.
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