The Washington Post spoke with experts in aerosols and cosmetics about the recall and the health risks associated with continued exposure to benzene. Here’s what they said.
Which dry shampoos are being recalled by Unilever?
Unilever has issued a voluntary recall for aerosol dry shampoos produced before October 2021 under the brands Bed Head, Dove, Nexxus, Suave, Rockaholic and TRESemme in the United States. The company said in a statement that it hasn’t learned of any “adverse events” relating to the products in the recall and that an “independent health hazard evaluation” found that daily exposure to benzene in the recalled products is not expected to cause health problems.
“Unilever U.S. is recalling these products out of an abundance of caution,” the statement said. “Consumers should stop using the affected aerosol dry shampoo products.”
The company is offering refunds for the specific products, which can be found here.
Benzene is a colorless or light yellow liquid that smells sweet and is highly flammable, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency says it’s one of the top 20 chemicals used in the United States. It is a “building block” for other chemicals and materials, according to the American Chemistry Council.
Benzene is commonly found in crude oil, according to the CDC. Companies use benzene to make plastics, resins, nylon and synthetic fibers, as well as some lubricants, rubbers, dyes, detergents, drugs and pesticides.
Experts say that we’re exposed to benzene every day in the air we breathe, especially when we fill our vehicles at the gas station. Benzene also is in certain cigarettes, detergents, glues and paints.
How does benzene end up in your dry shampoo?
Unilever said that the propellant in the spray cans of the dry shampoo was the source of the benzene and that it is working with suppliers to address the issue.
Chris Cappa, a professor of environmental engineering at the University of California at Davis, said butane, a petroleum product, is a common propellant in spray cans. If the refinement process of butane “isn’t very good,” then you can end up with gas that contains other components from the crude oil, such as benzene. “That gas is where, most likely, this benzene is coming from,” Cappa said.
“If you want to limit the potential exposure to things like benzene from contaminated spray cans, then you can make different choices about the products that you use,” he said.
Cappa said he’s less concerned about using a spray can of sunscreen outside vs. an aerosolized dry shampoo inside because the benzene will dissolve into the wider atmosphere and limit the risk of a high level of benzene exposure.
Marisa Plescia, a cosmetic chemist based in Minneapolis, said dry shampoos are “really basic” products, with a combination of powder starches, silica and fragrance to absorb the oil in your hair. No company is intentionally putting benzene in their products. “It’s a contamination,” Plescia said.
Is benzene harmful to humans?
Breathing in, digesting or otherwise absorbing benzene over long periods of time can lead to serious health issues, including cancers such as leukemia and other blood disorders, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
Benzene can slow down the amount of red blood cells produced by the bone marrow, leading to anemia, the CDC says. It can also damage the body’s immune system by changing the blood levels of antibodies. People who breathe in high levels of benzene…
Read More: What is benzene? Answering questions about the dry shampoo recall.
