OAKLAND, CA — Since introducing redesigned, thinner Pampers diapers, Procter & Gamble has been on the receiving end of consumer complaints about severe rashes, an investigation from the Consumer Product Safety Commission and class-action lawsuits.

In March, P&G announced the addition of its new Dry Max technology to Pampers Swaddlers and Cruisers diapers, touting that the diapers are thinner, more comfortable and hold in wetness longer.

The diapers are 20 percent thinner, contain 9 percent less material weight, result in 12 percent less solid waste and have an 8 percent lower energy demand in their production.

Consumers on Facebook and blogs like Z Recommends brought up cases of babies ending up with severe, painful rashes (some going so far as to say they look like chemical burns) after using the diapers with Dry Max technology, and the complaints eventually spawned an investigation from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and two class action lawsuits from Seattle law firm Keller Rohrback.

Z Recommends did a side-by-side comparison of Pampers diapers with and without Dry Max, noting the differences in the diapers, including the removal of an inner mesh layer that exposes the wearer's skin to the superabsorbent polymer pad, removal of wood pulp, possible use of adhesive and fragrances.

P&G stated that it has not added any new materials to its diapers, has turned over its safety data to the CPSC and said that the complaints are nothing new.

In a statement, P&G said: "These rumors are being perpetuated by a small number of parents, some of whom are unhappy that we replaced our older Cruisers and Swaddlers products while others support competitive products and the use of cloth diapers...It is very common for parents to correlate a change in our products with the sudden appearance of a rash. Pampers routinely sees a temporary increase in calls whenever we introduce a modification to our products."