Shampoo Recalled Due to Cancer Risk. Check Your Cabinets for These 6 Brands

If you’re an avid dry shampoo user, you’ll want to take a close look at your product before spraying it in your hair. Unilever has voluntarily recalled several dry shampoos due to potentially elevated levels of benzene, a human carcinogen, according to an announcement published by the US Food and Drug Administration in October. The consumer goods company issued the recall after an internal investigation identified the propellant in aerosol cans to be the source of the contamination and has worked with suppliers to address the issue.

The recalled products include Dove, Nexxus, Suave, TIGI (Rockaholic and Bed Head) and Tresemmé dry shampoo aerosols produced prior to October 2021. The products were distributed throughout the US, and retailers have been notified to remove the shampoos from their shelves.

Benzene is a chemical that can cause cancer in humans. Long-term exposure to high levels of benzene can lead to cancers such as leukemia and cancer of blood-forming organs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition to aerosols, the chemical is often found in common household products like detergents, paints, furniture wax and glues, and exposure can occur through the skin, orally or through inhalation.

“Based on an independent health hazard evaluation, daily exposure to benzene in the recalled products at the levels detected in testing would not be expected to cause adverse health consequences,” the company said in its release. “Unilever US is recalling these products out of an abundance of caution. Unilever has received no reports of adverse events to date relating to this recall.”

Benzene has recently been linked to recalls for other personal care products like sunscreens, aerosol deodorants and children’s hand sanitizer.

Valisure, a Connecticut-based independent testing laboratory that has previously detected benzene in various consumer products, filed an FDA citizen petition on Monday and issued a press release saying that it detected the carcinogen in 70% of dry shampoo samples it tested, from multiple companies. Valisure’s petition doesn’t list any dry shampoo products where it’s “aware of active manufacturer efforts to address benzene contamination in the affected products,” including those recalled by Unilever, but asks the FDA to request recalls for the products listed. Additionally, the petition asks the FDA to review and update regulations and guidance related to the use of impurities like benzene in consumer cosmetic products, among other requests. A citizen petition is a means by which an individual or organization can request changes in health regulations from the FDA.

Of the samples tested and included in the petition, some potentially contained benzene levels as high as 170 times the FDA’s concentration limit of two parts per million, the laboratory said. 

“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,” Valisure CEO David Light said in the release. “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.”

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.