Unilever is recalling popular dry aerosol shampoo brands, including Dove, after finding them contaminated with a carcinogenic chemical called benzene.
According to a notice posted on the FDA website on Friday, the recall also applies to brands such as Nexxus, Suave, Tresemmé, and Tigi, which make Rockaholic and Bed Head dry shampoo.
The Unilever recall applies to products manufactured before October 2021. This move raises the question again about the safety of aerosols in personal care products. Over the past year and a half, several aerosol sunscreens have gone off the shelves, such as Neutrogena from Johnson & Johnson and Banana Boat from Edgewell Personal Care Co, and aerosol antiperspirants such as Coppertone from Beiersdorf AG as well as Procter & Gamble Co. Unilever’s Secret, Old Spice, and Suave.
“Given what we’ve seen, it, unfortunately, makes sense that other consumer-product categories, like aerosol dry shampoos, could be heavily affected by benzene contamination and we are actively investigating this area,” said Valisure Chief Executive Officer David Light.
The FDA said, “Daily exposure to benzene in the recalled products at the levels detected in testing would not be expected to cause adverse health consequences.” The agency also declared exposure to benzene can cause leukemia and other blood cancers.
Spray-on personal care products such as dry shampoo contain propellants such as propane and butane, which are petroleum distillates obtained by refining crude oil. Benzene is a known contaminant in petroleum products. FDA has identified propellants as a potential cause of benzene contamination. The problem with aerosols is mainly due to the propellants used to spray personal care products from cans. Unilever said it was because of the dry shampoo recall. The company did not publicize the amount of benzene found in the product but said it was recalling it as a precaution.
