Unilever has issued a voluntary recall of dry shampoo products due to potentially elevated levels of benzene, a chemical known to cause cancer.
The recall, announced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, involves dry shampoo aerosol products from Dove, Nexxus, Suave, TIGI (Rockaholic and Bed Head) and TRESemmé.
Benzene is a human carcinogen. Exposure to the chemical can occur by inhalation, orally, and through the skin. It can cause cancers such as leukemia and blood cancer of the bone marrow. It can also cause blood disorders that can be life-threatening.
Unilever said an independent health hazard evaluation found that daily exposure to benzene in the recalled products at the levels detected in testing would not be expected to cause adverse health consequences and the company is only recalling the products out of an abundance of caution.
The recalled products were produced before October 2021 and distributed to stores nationwide and online. Retailers have been notified to remove recalled products from shelves.
A complete list of the lot codes for the affected products is available here.
Consumers should stop using the affected aerosol dry shampoo products and visit UnileverRecall.com for instructions on how to receive reimbursement for eligible products. If consumers have further questions, they may also contact Unilever U.S. by calling (877) 270-7412, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET.
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