Dove and other Unilever dry shampoos recalled due to cancer risk – Press Telegram

Anna Edney | Bloomberg

Unilever is recalling popular brands of aerosol dry shampoo, including Dove, after discovering they were contaminated with a cancer-causing chemical called benzene.

The recall also affects brands such as Nexxus, Suave, Tresemmé and Tigi, which make Rockaholic and Bed Head dry shampoos. according to a notice posted on the Food and Drug Administration’s website on Friday.

Unilever’s recall affects products manufactured before October 2021. The move again raises questions about the safety of aerosols in personal care products.

Over the past year and a half, a number of aerosol sunscreens have been pulled from shelves, including Neutrogena by Johnson & Johnson, Banana Boat by Edgewell Personal Care Co. and Coppertone by Beiersdorf AG, as well as spray antiperspirants such as Procter & Gamble Co. .’s Secret and Old Spice and Suave by Unilever.

The recall was prompted by the detection of benzene in such products by an analytical laboratory called Valisure, based in New Haven, Connecticut, beginning in May 2021.

This isn’t the first time spray dry shampoo has been identified as a problem. P&G tested its entire range of aerosol products following Valisure’s findings. Then in December, the company recalled its Pantene and Herbal Essences dry shampoos, citing benzene contamination.

“Given what we’ve seen, it unfortunately makes sense that other consumer product categories, such as aerosol dry shampoos, could be severely affected by benzene contamination, and we’re actively investigating this area,” said Valisure chief executive David Light.

The problem with aerosols is mainly related to the aerosols used to spray personal care products from cans. Unilever said this was the case with the dry shampoo recall.

The company did not release the amount of benzene found in the products, but said it was recalling them out of an abundance of caution.

The FDA said that “daily exposure to benzene in the recalled products at the levels found during testing is not expected to cause adverse health effects.” However, the agency also said that exposure to benzene can lead to leukemia and other blood cancers.

Spray-on personal care products, such as dry shampoos, often contain propellants such as propane and butane, which are petroleum distillates derived from the refining of crude oil. Benzene is a known contaminant of petroleum products. FDA has confirmed that propellants are a potential source of benzene contamination.

Although the FDA has not set limits on benzene content for cosmetic products such as dry shampoo, it states that the products must not contain “any poisonous or harmful substances.”