An ongoing controversy regarding the presence of formamide in baby diapers has seen multiple twists and is now mired in a state of uncertainty. On June 22nd, the State Administration for Market Regulation announced it would lead the formation of a joint investigation team to verify the issue of formamide in infant diapers.
The origin of this dispute was a report published by a media outlet claiming that some infants experienced repeated diaper rash and even skin breakdown after using certain diaper brands, with symptoms significantly improving after discontinuing use. The report stated that sampling tests detected the toxic substance formamide in products from multiple brands.
Following the report's publication, a blogger known as "Reliable Lao Wang" was implicated. Rumors suggested the testing process mentioned in the report was related to equipment sold by "Reliable Lao Wang," with his testing methods and motives facing widespread skepticism.
Who exactly is "Reliable Lao Wang"? Amid the public scrutiny, is his company still operating normally?
The company behind him is Shenzhen Burui Biotechnology (referred to as Burui Tech). On June 22nd, a field visit was conducted to its Shenzhen office. On a weekday afternoon, the office was found empty, with piles of diapers from brands like Babycare and Huggies inside. An informed source revealed that "on the final day of the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, their boss returned to the office to mail out diaper samples."
Empty Office and Stacks of Samples
As the formamide controversy in diapers continues to unfold, blogger "Reliable Lao Wang" has become a focal point of the debate. On one hand, he has released multiple diaper testing videos since May this year. On the other hand, the rigor of his testing methods was subsequently questioned, with accusations that he was exploiting maternal anxiety to promote his own testing equipment lacking authoritative certification.
On social media platforms, "Reliable Lao Wang's" personal bio describes him as "a doctor by training, founder of a Shenzhen high-tech specialized and sophisticated enterprise." He emphasizes being "reliable and professional in mass spectrometry," stating he "only looks at data, tells no stories." Public information shows "Reliable Lao Wang's" real name is Wang Dongjian, the founder of Burui Tech.
Records show Burui Tech was established in 2018, with a business scope including biotechnology development and sales of Class II and III medical devices. The company's main product is a "Human Exhaled Breath Detection Mass Spectrometer," with its core selling point being the ability to test via breath without sample pre-processing. This product received NMPA certification in 2021, with Burui Tech stating it was the world's first clinically approved human breath detection platform in the field.
According to corporate data, Wang Dongjian directly holds approximately 23.62% of Burui Tech's equity. The company's 2025 annual report shows only 8 employees enrolled in social insurance. Previously, the company secured four rounds of financing, the most recent being a Series A round worth tens of millions in February 2022, led by Primavera Capital with follow-on investment from Gaolue Capital. The company also obtained national high-tech enterprise certification in 2023 and holds 25 authorized patents.
On June 22nd, a weekday, a visit was made to Burui Tech's registered office address in Shenzhen. From outside, the approximately 200-square-meter office was visible. Awards and certificates, including "High-Tech Enterprise" and "New Sharp Enterprise," were displayed on a cabinet near the entrance. Inside, three rows of desks were arranged, with an idle instrument on one. Two large boxes were placed on the floor, one containing diapers from brands like Babycare and Huggies. Additionally, a shelf held materials like plastic products and equipment wiring in blue boxes. Due to limited visibility, it was not possible to confirm if the scenes from "Reliable Lao Wang's" testing videos were filmed in this office.
The observation lasted about an hour. During this time, the office door remained locked, lights were on inside, but repeated doorbell rings during business hours went unanswered. An informed source stated the company has about 10 employees who usually work there. The source also revealed that "on the final day of the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, the company boss returned to the office to mail out diaper samples," speculating they were "likely sent to Beijing for testing."
Founder's Response and Account Changes
Facing intense public questioning, Wang Dongjian released a video response on the evening of June 21st. He stated the company's technology originates from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and holds all related patents for the machine, dismissing claims of "amateur-built instruments or stolen equipment images" as deliberate distortion and baseless smears.
Addressing accusations of leveraging the maternal and infant product controversy to promote his company's equipment, he clarified that the core testing data in the report was unrelated to his company's devices. He stated the test results used in the report were obtained independently by the journalist team through a third-party testing agency. "Medical devices have a long, strict implementation cycle. Our current core business involves scientific research cooperation with medical institutions nationwide. Equipment relies on clinical procurement and the establishment of research projects; there is no commercial logic of relying on negative maternal and infant publicity to drive sales."
Notably, "Reliable Lao Wang's" Xiaohongshu account had previously been cleared of all content. In response, Wang Dongjian stated the account was not cleared by him but was restricted by the platform. It was observed that the account's current avatar differs from before, and the personal profile introduction is no longer displayed.
Brands Respond and Consumer Impact
As the controversy intensified, starting June 18th, the three involved brands—Babycare, Huggies, and Beaba—issued continuous statements, releasing multiple test reports emphasizing their products showed no detection of formamide. The impact of the incident has erupted in online channels. Coinciding with the 618 shopping festival, the formamide controversy led many consumers to discuss returns on social platforms.
On June 21st, Huggies stated its official platforms had faced nearly one million cumulative user inquiries and were urgently mobilizing staff to address concerns. On the same day, Babycare reported that after the article's publication, its hotline, online customer service, and offline stores received approximately 600,000 user inquiries in a short period. A 600-person customer service team was working in shifts around the clock but struggled to handle the sudden surge in consultations.
Regarding return policies, Huggies hotline customer service explained that as transaction funds are not settled directly with the brand, Huggies cannot directly process returns, and consumers must contact their original purchase store or platform. Huggies Tmall flagship store customer service stated returns or exchanges cannot be applied for more than 7 days after purchase.
Babycare hotline customer service acknowledged "high inquiry volume, resulting in longer hotline wait times." The service also stated the current return policy for multiple official Babycare flagship stores online is within 15 days of product receipt, unopened, with the customer bearing shipping costs. For diapers purchased through other authorized channels, the service said the brand is only responsible for supply, and after-sales processes are handled by the platforms themselves.
Beaba Tmall flagship store customer service stated, "The products are fine; there is no specific return policy. Orders support 7-day no-reason returns, provided the product is unopened and does not affect resale."
Furthermore, in Douyin live streams, consumers entered streams questioning the involved brands, leaving comments like "everyone be cautious." Hosts repeatedly mentioned test reports showing no formamide detection, expressed respect for consumer doubts, and emphasized "paying attention to subsequent official investigation results."
As of publication, it was noted that the involved product series—Huggies Little Forest, Babycare Master Series, and Beaba Big Fish Begonia Series—were still being sold normally on brand flagship stores across multiple e-commerce platforms. On several instant retail platforms, test reports have been added to the product detail pages of the relevant diapers.
Offline Channel Observations
Based on consumer purchasing habits, the impact of the diaper formamide controversy on offline sales channels appears relatively smaller compared to online. On June 22nd, visits to several large chain supermarkets and maternal and infant brand stores in Guangzhou found Huggies, Babycare, and other diaper series being sold normally, with no proactive posting of declarations stating no formamide detection.
A store clerk mentioned receiving test reports from the brands but said diaper product sales were unaffected, with no large-scale returns. "The brands have issued clarifying statements indicating normal product test results. If there were genuine quality issues, regulatory authorities would immediately require removal from shelves and would not allow products to continue circulating in the market."
Separate media reports indicated that some offline maternal and infant stores in the Beijing area had posted "No Formamide Detected" declarations alongside test reports, which were consistent with the versions published online.
On the afternoon of the previous day, in response to media concerns regarding "formamide in infant diapers," the State Administration for Market Regulation, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Health Commission, and the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration attached great importance to the matter, establishing a joint investigation team to verify issues related to formamide in infant diapers and handle them according to laws and regulations. Relevant information will be released promptly.
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