Unilever recalls Dove dry shampoo in US, says contaminated by cancer-causing chemical

Unilever has said that dry shampoo brands including Dove are contaminated with a cancerous chemical called benzene, a Bloomberg report stated. The list of brands recalled by the consumer goods company also included names like Nexxus, Suave, Tresemmé and Rockaholic and Bed Head dry shampoo maker Tigi, an official notice posted on the Food and Drug Administration’s website Friday read. According to media reports, the recall pertains to products made before October 2021.

The problem with aerosols has largely appeared to be from the propellants that are used to spray the products from the cans. As per Unilever, this was the case with its dry shampoo recall. The company has not released the amount of benzene content that was found in the products, and has said that it recalled them out of caution.

According to the report, this isn’t the first time that dry shampoos have been pointed out as a problem. P&G had recalled its Pantene and Herbal Essences dry shampoos in December last year, citing benzene contamination.

Valisure Chief Executive Officer David Light said that it unfortunately makes sense that other consumer-product categories, like aerosol dry shampoos, could be heavily affected by benzene contamination. The officer added that they are actively investigating this area.

The Food and Drug Administration has said that daily exposure to benzene in the recalled products is expected to cause adverse health consequences. "Exposure to benzene can result in leukemia and other blood cancers", Bloomberg quoted the agency.

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