Edgewell Personal Care Company expanded its voluntary nationwide recall of Banana Boat Hair & Scalp Sunscreen Spray SPF 30 today. An internal review found that some samples of the product contained trace levels of benzene, a known human carcinogen. Some spray sunscreens, deodorants, and other products have also been recalled because benzene contamination.
According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Benzene is a chemical naturally found in volcanoes and forest fires, and “a natural part of crude oil, gasoline, and cigarette smoke.” It is used in the production of a wide range of industrial products, including chemicals, dyes, detergents, and some plastics. However, it is a chemical most people are likely exposed to on a daily basis given the air we breathe contains low levels of it “from tobacco, smoke, gas stations, motor vehicle exhaust, and industrial emissions.” Repeated exposure to high levels of benzene can cause cancers including leukemia and blood cancer of the bone marrow and blood disorders.
Why is benzene in some sunscreen products?
Benzene is not a standard ingredient of sunscreen. In fact, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that due to its known toxicity, benzene should not be used in the manufacture of drug substances, excipients, and drug products unless it is unavoidable in a product of “significant therapeutic advance,” then their levels should be restricted to 2ppm for these special circumstances.
A 2021 study by Valisure, an independent, for-profit pharmacy and research testing lab, detected high levels of benzene in several brands and batches of sunscreen sourced from the U.S. This study analyzed 294 unique batches of sunscreen from 69 different brands. Out of those 294 batches, 78 contained detectable levels of benzene (27%), 14 of which were over 2-ppm limit.
To date, more than 25 million products have been recalled because of benzene contamination. That includes other aerosol sunscreens, such as products from Aveeno and Coppertone, deodorants from Old Spice and Secret, and conditioners and shampoos from Aussie and Pantene. Some of these recalled products had extremely high levels of benzene. For example, the Aveeno and Neutrogena sunscreens had benzene levels ranging from 11.2 to 23.6 ppm, five to 12 times the level advised by federal regulators.
So why is benzene in some sunscreen products? Well, this may be a manufacturing contamination issue because benzene is not supposed to be anywhere near the sunscreen manufacturing process or could it be a cost-cutting tactic by cosmetic manufacturers that is yet to be uncovered. In the meantime, you should stop using these recalled sunscreens if you have you, but you should continue to cover up and wear sunscreen when you head outside. If you had an adverse reaction to one of these products, you can file a report with the FDA or tell me your story.
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