Empty shelves in the drugstore – numerous products are being discontinued because of certain ingredients

Created: 03/07/2022Updated: 03/07/2022 17:03

By: Jason Blaschke

Empty shelves in drugstores are not just the result of delivery bottlenecks - a new EU law also poses major challenges for dm, Müller and Co.

© Robert Michael/dpa

Drugstore chains like dm or Müller have been struggling with empty shelves for weeks.

The reason for this is not Corona hamster purchases, but a new ban.

Karlsruhe – It is not uncommon for products not to be found again and again in branches of the drugstore chain dm.

The drugstore giant from Karlsruhe makes product adjustments at regular intervals, which means that new items are added, and those that are less in demand by customers are sorted out.

A normal process that customers usually don't notice much of.

In some cases, however, product adjustments cause a stir and are a big topic on social networks.

A recent example is the major uproar over an important dm baby product that is no longer available in the local range.

That's not just a pity, but "a catastrophe" for her and her daughter, writes a Facebook user and adds that her child doesn't tolerate other brands.

The fuss over the Rascal + Friends diapers was so great that dm spoke up in the debate and revealed that the product is still available online.

This is reported by BW24.

Empty drugstore shelves at dm and Co. - ban on the sale of certain products

This story shows that just one missing product can cause a lot of fuss.

This suggests that there could be more such debates in the foreseeable future, because a whole range of products could disappear from the shelves from March.

The background is that the ingredient "Lilial" - which is typical for some cosmetics - is often also called butylphenyl methylpropional in technical jargon - has been banned throughout the EU since March 1st and can no longer be sold.

In the cosmetics industry, the active ingredient is often used as a fragrance because of its flowery note, for example in cosmetics, deodorants, perfumes, soap, hairspray or detergents.

According to reports in the

, the ingredient is even used in shower gels and shampoos.

However, the wording “came into use” is more accurate, because “Lilial” has been over in the EU since March 1st.

Products from dm, Müller and Co. that contain "Lilial" are taboo for consumers.

dm and Co. have to take "Lilial" products out of the range - dangerous ingredients

The synthetic fragrance - which is comparable to the smell of lily of the valley - is suspected of triggering allergies and damaging the genetic material.

In a 2019 assessment, the EU Commission's advisory board specifically warned against "Lilial", noting that the substance can easily enter the lungs in the form of hairspray or deodorant.

Since August 2020, the fragrance has been officially classified as "toxic to reproduction" (toxic to reproduction and teratogenic) in the EU and is therefore banned from sale. 

This can pose a major challenge for drugstore chains such as dm or Müller, because all affected products that were no longer sold in February must have left the shelves by March 1st at the latest.

As a result, the shelves in some drugstores are not full.

Products affected by the "Lilial" ban must be replaced.

This is anything but easy in Corona times, because supply bottlenecks are still causing major problems for the markets.

EU law is not the only problem – Ukraine war is having an impact too

"Certain branded products have not been able to be delivered to us regularly for months because of Corona.

From some manufacturers we sometimes only get a fifth of the original amount," says a Müller employee of the

.

And in the worst case, shelves are simply empty.

A problem for consumers that could be exacerbated by the Ukraine background, as retailers are now also reacting to Russia's aggression.

According to reports from

*, Aldi, Rewe and Co. are boycotting products from Russia that are no longer sold in Germany – including well-known brands that consumers will certainly miss.

This means that customers currently have to adapt to some changes and adjust their consumption if necessary.

*