In some German drugstores, customers are currently standing in front of empty shelves. At dm, Müller, Rossmann and Co., numerous products can no longer be sold due to an EU ban. (icon picture)
© Robert Michael/dpa
In drugstores like dm and Müller, the shelves have been swept empty for weeks. Behind this is a new EU ban.
Karlsruhe – That in branches of drugstore chain dm* it is not uncommon to find products that cannot be found once more and once more. 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 big one Uproar over an important baby product from dm*which is no longer available in the on-site 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, as reported by BW24*.
Müller, dm & Rossmann – Ban on the sale of certain drugstore products
This story shows that just one missing product can cause a lot of fuss. This suggests that there might be more such debates in the foreseeable future, because a whole range of products might 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. reports of Berlin morning post according to the ingredient is even used in shower gels and shampoos. However, the wording “came into use” is a better one, because “Lilial” has been over in the EU since March 1st. Products from dm, Müller and Co. that contain “Lilial” are taboo for consumers.
| Name | Dm-market |
|---|---|
| founder | Goetz Werner |
| founding | 28. August 1973 |
| CEO | Christopher Werner |
| subsidiary | dm drugstore market GmbH |
Empty shelves at dm and Co.: “Lilial” products are removed from the range
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 once morest “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: war in Ukraine also has repercussions
“Certain branded products have not been able to be delivered to us regularly for months because of Corona. We sometimes only get a fifth of the original amount from some manufacturers,” says a Müller employee Berlin morning post. And in the worst case, shelves are simply empty. A problem for consumers that is facing the Ukraine background* Could get worse as retailers are now reacting to Russia’s aggression.
Report Merkur.de* according to Aldi, Rewe and Co. are boycotting products from Russia*, which 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. *BW24 and Merkur.de are offered by IPPEN.MEDIA.
