Last year many personal care products like sunscreens, deodorants and hand sanitizers were recalled from the market due to benzene contamination.
Benzene is a carcinogenic chemical and according to the Centres of Disease Control and Prevention long term exposure to it can cause blood forming cancers and leukemia in humans. The chemical can commonly be found in household products such as paints, glue and furniture and exposure can happen by the way of skin or through inhalation.
Most recently, Unilever has decided to voluntarily withdraw six of its dry shampoo products from the market after an internal investigation revealed the presence of benzene in its aerosol cans. The company has decided to work with suppliers to address the issue as well as per the report published by the Food and Drug Administration.
Among the products being recalled are dry shampoo aerosols of Nexxus, Suave, Dove, Tresemme and TIGI (Rockaholic and Bed Head) produced prior to October 2021. Retailers from all over the United States have been asked to remove these products from shelves.
The decision to do so was based on an internal health hazard evaluation conducted by the company. The company, however, was quick to clarify in a press release that the levels of benzene found in products during testing were not a concerning amount and do not pose any health related concerns and this measure was only a form of precaution on the company’s part. The company has also reported that to date they have not received any complaints regarding this matter.
Unilever’s voluntary withdrawal in October was followed by a citizen petition filed by Connecticut-based independent testing laboratory, Valisure. Through the means of a citizen petition an organization or individual can request changes in health related regulations by the FDA.
The basis of Valisure’s citizen petition is the tests it conducted on dry shampoos from multiple companies that discovered that around 70% of the products in the list contained the carcinogen. Valisure’s lists of products mentioned in the petition excludes products recalled by Unilever and those where manufacturers are making the active effort to address the hazards caused by benzene contamination.
The aim of the organization’s petition is to ensure that products listed in their petition are recalled from the market and regulations and guidelines regarding the use of impurities in cosmetic products be updated and revised.
David Light, CEO of Valisure shared in a press release, “The detection of high levels of benzene in dry shampoos should be cause for significant concern since these products are likely used indoors, where benzene may linger and be inhaled for prolonged periods of time, these and other issues identified by Valisure, including the detection of benzene in body spray, hand sanitizer, and sunscreen products, strongly underscore the importance of independent testing and its need to be better integrated into an increasingly complex and vulnerable global supply chain.”
Some of the samples tested by the organization contained benzene levels as high as 170 times the FDA’s concentration limit which is two parts per million. This is also not the first instance where Valisure has played a part in detecting benzene in consumer products.
