Unilever recalls Dove, other dry shampoos in US; cites risk of cancer

New Delhi: Citing health hazards, Unilever (United States) has recalled popular brands of aerosol products like dry shampoos and products from the Dove stable after high levels of Benzene were found in them that can potentially cause cancer and other serious blood disorders which are life threatening.

“Unilever United States today issued a voluntary product recall to the consumer level of select lot codes of dry shampoo aerosol products produced prior to October 2021 from Dove, Nexxus, Suave, TIGI (Rockaholic and Bed Head) and TRESemme due to potentially elevated levels of Benzene,” the company said in a statement.

Unilever made the announcement on October 18, and it was published by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on October 21. The recall is in connection with those products that were manufactured before October 2021.

Higher levels of benzene are potentially carcinogenic and can cause cancer. In a notice posted by FDA on its website, it said, “Exposure to benzene can occur by inhalation, orally, and through the skin and it can result in cancers including leukaemia and blood cancer of the bone marrow and blood disorders which can be life-threatening. Benzene is ubiquitous in the environment. Humans around the world have daily exposures to it indoors and outdoors from multiple sources.”

The recalled products were earlier distributed nationwide in the United States. But retailers have now been told to remove the recalled products from shelves, the company said in its statement.

Unilever, however, did not reveal the amount of benzene found in the products, though it said it was recalling them out of an “abundance of caution” after having received negative reports.

The move once again brings under the scanner the safety of aerosols in personal-care products. According to Bloomberg news, a number of aerosol sunscreens have been pulled from shelves in the last one year and a half, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Neutrogena, Edgewell Personal Care Co.’s Banana Boat and Beiersdorf AG’s Coppertone along with spray-on antiperspirants like Procter & Gamble Co.’s Secret and Old Spice and Unilever’s Suave.

The recall of beauty products was initially set off by findings of benzene in such products by an analytical lab called Valisure, based in New Haven, Connecticut.

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