Dove and other Unilever dry shampoos are recalled due to cancer risk

Unilever recalled its popular dry shampoo spray brands, including Doveafter discovering that they were contaminated with a chemical called benzene that can cause cancer.

The recall also covers brands such as Nexxus, Suave, Tresemmé and Tigi, which makes Rockaholic and Bed Head dry shampoos, according to a notice posted Friday on the company’s website. Food and Drug Administration of the United States (FDA).

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

In the past year and a half, several spray sunscreens have been pulled from shelves, such as Neutrogenade Johnson & Johnson, Banana Boatde Edgewell Personal Care Co., y Coppertonefrom Beiersdorf AG, along with antiperspirant sprays such as Secret from Procter & Gamble Co., Old Spice and Mild from Unilever. The withdrawals were prompted by the findings of benzene in such products by an analytical laboratory called Valisure, based in New Haven, Connecticut, beginning in May 2021.

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This is not the first time spray dry shampoo has been identified as a problem. P&G tested its entire portfolio of aerosol products following Valisure’s findings. The company then recalled its dry shampoos Pantene y Herbal Essences in December, citing benzene contamination.

Given what we have seen, it sadly makes sense that other consumer product categories, such as dry shampoo sprays, could be greatly affected by benzene contamination and we are actively investigating this area,” said David Light, CEO of Valisure.

The problem with aerosol sprays seems to stem largely from the propellants used to spray the personal care products out of the cans. Unilever said this was the case with its dry shampoo recall. The company did not disclose the amount of benzene found in the products, although it said it was withdrawing them from the market out of an abundance of caution. The FDA said “everyday exposure to benzene in the recalled products at levels detected in testing would not be expected to cause adverse health consequences.” However, the agency also said that exposure to benzene can lead to leukemia and other blood cancers.

Aerosolized personal care products, such as dry shampoos, often contain propellants such as propane and butane, which are petroleum distillates made by refining crude oil. Benzene is a known contaminant of petroleum products. The FDA has confirmed that propellants are a potential source of benzene contamination.

While the FDA hasn’t set benzene limits for cosmetics like dry shampoo, it does say the products must not contain “any poisonous or harmful substance.”