Unilever has issued a recall on dry shampoo products made before October 2021 under the brands Dove, Nexxus, Suave, TIGI, Rockaholic, Bed Head, and TRESemmé. The company voluntarily posted a notice with the FDA disclosing that the propellant in the cans contained benzene, which unambigiously causes cancer in humans; see here for a complete list of recalled items.
Exposure to benzene can occur by inhalation, orally, and through the skin and it can result in cancers including leukemia 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.
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. Unilever U.S. is recalling these products out of an abundance of caution. Unilever has received no reports of adverse events to date relating to this recall.
Adds the $113bn British consumer goods giant: "stop using the affected aerosol dry shampoo products."
