Hundreds of thousands of travel-size bottles of a nasal spray are being recalled due to a labeling problem, according to a notice published by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
Pharmaceutical giant Bayer is recalling around 786,100 6-milliliter bottles of Afrin Original Nasal Spray after federal officials said in an April 30 notice that the packaging could pose a danger to children.
The bottles contain an imidazoline, a compound that is found in eye drops and nasal sprays. Some imidazoline compounds can cause poisoning if the product is swallowed, officials say.
As a result, according to the CPSC, such products containing the substance “must be in child-resistant packaging or meet the labeling requirements for non-complying packaging as required by the Poison Prevention Packaging Act.”
“The 6 mL nasal spray’s packaging is not child-resistant nor bears the required labeling statement, posing a risk of serious injury or illness from poisoning if the contents are swallowed by young children,” it said.
The products, which were made in Germany, have the lot numbers 230361, 240822, 241198, 250066, 250152, 250646, and 250831. They also have the text, “Afrin® Original Nasal Spray” and “1/5 FL OZ (6 mL)” printed on the bottle’s front label. There is a “six-digit number, followed by the expiration date,” the agency said.
The items were sold a travel hubs such as airports and convenience stores starting in September 2024 until April 2026 for around $7 to $9, the CPSC said.
No other sizes of Afrin nasal spray are being recalled, it said, and no injuries have been reported in connection with the product.
Bayer confirmed the recall in a statement on its website, saying the action was done on a voluntary basis and that it is working with the CPSC. The product formulation is not compromised, the company said, and the recall was only being issued due to the labeling and packaging.
The statement emphasized that the “bottles are NOT sold at major retailers such as Walmart, Target, or amazon.com” and that it is “also notifying its distributors and retailers by letter and is arranging for returns of all voluntarily recalled products.” Bayer did not list the names of stores that had sold the items.
Consumers are advised to secure the bottles and keep them out of children’s reach. Those who want to request a refund can go to Bayer’s website, where they will be prompted to take a photo of the item before disposing of it to get the refund.
“If you used or otherwise no longer have the product,” the company said, “we are unable to confirm whether your product is part of this recall and cannot provide a refund.”