Dove and Tresemme Shampoo Recall: Unilever Recalls Dry Shampoos Due To Benzene In The US; Read Why
Unilever recalls its Dove and other aerosol dry shampoos in the US after discovering a harmful chemical benzene in their content.
Unilever had to recall its Dove and Tresemme aerosol dry shampoo in the US after learning that the products were tainted with benzene, a substance that can lead to cancer.
According to a notice published on the Food and Drug Administration website on Friday, the recall extends to brands including Tigi, Nexxus and Suave, which manufactures the dry shampoos Rockaholic and Bed Head.
Unilever is recalling those products that were made before October 2021. The incident raises new concerns about the safety of aerosols in personal care products. Aerosol sunscreens like Johnson & Johnson's Neutrogena, Beiersdorf AG's Coppertone, and Edgewell Personal Care Co.'s Banana Boat as well as spray-on deodorants like Procter & Gamble Co.'s Secret and Old Spice and Unilever's Suave, have all been removed from store shelves over the previous 15 months according to a Bloomberg report.
The recalls started in May 2021 after Valisure, an analytical facility with headquarters in New Haven, Connecticut, found benzene in a number of products. The US FDA stated that exposure to benzene can result in leukemia and other blood cancers. In fact, petroleum products are known to contain the chemical benzene. Additionally, the FDA states that propellers are a known potential source of benzene contamination.
Unilever claims that this is what prompted the dry shampoo recall. The business did not say how much benzene was present in the products, only that it was recalling them out of an excess of caution. Spray-on dry shampoo has already been identified as a potential issue. In December, P&G also issued a recall for its Pantene and Herbal Essences dry shampoos due to benzene contamination.
Although benzene levels for cosmetics like dry shampoo have not been defined by the FDA, the agency does state that such items shouldn't include "any toxic or detrimental chemical." And owing to the safety of people, US retailers have been instructed to take certain items off the shelves.
(Corrects an earlier version that misstated that HUL recalled dry shampoos)