WASHINGTON – Unilever is the latest company to issue a voluntary recall of aerosol personal care products because of elevated levels of benzene. Benzene contamination has led to similar product recalls by other major manufacturers, including Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson.
The Food and Drug Administration issued the latest benzene contamination warning on dry aerosolized shampoo by Unilever brands Dove, Nexxus, Suave, Tresemmé and TIGI-branded products Rockaholic and Bed Head.
“Recalls of products contaminated with benzene a year after production of those products stopped, and after they’ve likely already been used, is no cause for celebration,” said David Andrews, Ph.D., a senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group. “Consumers deserve better.”
Over the past two years, the cancer-causing chemical has been found in tests of sunscreens, hand sanitizers, antiperspirants and deodorants, antifungal treatments, and other spray shampoos and conditioners.
Benzene is classified as a human carcinogen to which there is no safe level of exposure. The World Health Organization has concluded it is not safe to be exposed to benzene by inhalation.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, exposure to benzene is linked to an increased incidence of leukemia and other blood cancers. The EPA has classified it as a known human carcinogen. The agency also lists drowsiness, dizziness, headache and unconsciousness as symptoms of benzene inhalation.
The FDA has acknowledged that exposure to benzene can result in leukemia and other blood disorders.
This recall raises questions – yet again – about the safety of aerosols in personal care products.
“How can consumers be sure products are safe when one company after another has announced product recalls over the past year and half?” said Andrews. “The FDA and cosmetics companies must do more to ensure harmful contaminants like benzene and PFAS are not in products.”
The FDA has identified the propellant used in aerosol products as the source of the benzene contamination. These propellants often use liquefied gas such as butane and propane, petroleum products that are known sources of benzene contamination.
More oversight is required of the global supply chain that produces personal care products.
Companies must assess and investigate this toxic contamination. The personal care industry needs to fix problems in its supply chain.
In June, the FDA stated that drug manufacturers should avoid using benzene in the manufacturing process. With cosmetics products such as dry shampoo, the agency lacks the authority to issue recalls and may be limited in its pre-market authority to require tests for benzene.
Advocates are calling on the FDA to clarify an existing benzene limit, set new exposure limits and conduct more tests of products already on store shelves to ensure they are safe, instead of leaving that up to independent labs.
Benzene is banned from use as an ingredient, so consumers won’t find it listed on product labels.
To reduce inhalation risk and minimize benzene exposure, shoppers should avoid aerosol-based consumer products. Because of respiratory concerns and strict standards for public health, the EWG VERIFIED® program does not allow aerosol personal care products.
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The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action.
