Unilever shampoos are quite popular in many countries, including India, however there is bad news for those who use them. After finding that its aerosol dry shampoos, including Dove and Tresemme, were contaminated with benzene, a chemical known to cause cancer, Unilever Plc in the United States issued a recall. The recall order, which covers goods from Nexxus, Suave, and Tigi, the manufacturer of Rockaholic and Bed Head dry shampoos, was prompted by an observation made by the US Food and Drug Administration. Unilever Plc has announced a voluntary recall of 19 popular dry shampoo aerosol products sold in the US. Benzene, which is classified as a human carcinogen, can cause leukaemia and other blood malignancies to manifest.
According to several sources, the company purportedly conducted an internal investigation and found that the aerosol can propellant was the reason for the elevated levels of benzene. The company stressed that daily exposure to the benzene in its recalled dry shampoo products was not predicted to have a detrimental effect on health, citing an independent assessment of the health hazards.
Dove was among the well-known brands of aerosol dry shampoo that Unilever Plc had to recall after learning that they were tainted with benzene, a substance that can lead to cancer. The Food and Drug Administration announced the recall on its website on Friday, mentioning names like Nexxus, Suave, Tresemmé, and Tigi, which makes the dry shampoos Rockaholic and Bed Head.
According to media sources, Unilever has recalled several well-known brands of its aerosol dry shampoo after realizing that they were tainted with benzene, which can lead to cancer.
According to a notice published on the Food and Drug Administration’s website, other companies that have products recalled include Nexxus, Suave, Tresemme, and Tigi, the company behind the Rockaholic and Bed Head dry shampoos, Bloomberg reported.
The action, according to reports, raised questions about the security of aerosol personal hygiene products. The main cause of the problem is the propellants used to spray the personal care products from the cans. Unilever reportedly stated that this was the circumstance around the dry shampoo recall.
In addition to the one from Unilever, several other comparable products have also been recalled in the last 18 months, including those from Johnson & Johnson, Edgewell Personal Care Co., and Beiersdorf AG. Everything started when a Connecticut analytical lab by the name of Valisure found benzene in such products.
Unilever is recalling products that were made before October 2021. The incident raises new concerns about the safety of aerosols in personal care products. Over the past 15 months, spray-on deodorants like Procter & Gamble Co.’s Secret and Old Spice and Unilever’s Suave, as well as aerosol sunscreens like Johnson & Johnson’s Neutrogena, Edgewell Personal Care Co.’s Banana Boat, and Beiersdorf AG’s Coppertone, have all been taken from store shelves. The recalls started in May 2021 after Valisure, an analytical facility with headquarters in New Haven, Connecticut, found benzene in a number of products.
One possible problem has already been brought up: spray-on dry shampoo. In response to Valisure’s results, P&G looked at each aerosol product it offered. In December, the company subsequently announced a benzene contamination recall for its Pantene and Herbal Essences dry shampoos.
We are actively looking into this matter, according to Valisure Chief Executive Officer David Light. “Given what we’ve seen, it regrettably makes reasonable that additional consumer product categories, including aerosol dry shampoos, could be substantially harmed by benzene contamination.”
The propellants used to spray the personal-care items from the cans in aerosols have generally been found to be the cause of the problem. This, according to Unilever, was the case with the dry shampoo recall. Although the company said it was recalling the products out of an abundance of caution, it did not disclose the quantity of benzene found in them. The FDA stated that “daily exposure to benzene at the levels discovered in testing in the recalled products would not be expected to create serious health implications.” The EPA did, however, add that benzene exposure can cause leukemia and other blood malignancies.
Propane and butane, which are petroleum distillates produced by refining crude oil, are frequently included in spray-on personal care products like dry shampoo. A recognized petroleum product contaminant is benzoene. Propellers are a known potential source of benzene contamination, according to the FDA.
The FDA has not established benzene limits for cosmetics like dry shampoo, but it has stated that the items shouldn’t include “any toxic or detrimental ingredient.”
