Unilever U.S. has issued a voluntary recall of several of its dry shampoo products due to fears that elevated levels of benzene are creating cancer risks, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The products made for the dry shampoo brands Dove, Nexxus, Suave, Rockaholic, Bed Head, and TRESemmé since October 2021 were pulled off the shelves. In total, 19 products were recalled.
"Unilever U.S. is recalling these products out of an abundance of caution," the company stated last week. "Unilever has received no reports of adverse events to date relating to this recall."
After an internal investigation, Unilever found that the product's propellant was the source of potential high amounts of benzene. The chemical compound can lead to anemia when consistently applied, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted.
It isn't the first time a major company has pulled products off its shelves over benzene fears. Just last year, Johnson & Johnson pulled its Neutrogena and Aveeno spray sunscreens temporarily after detecting the chemical.
Most recently, Edgewell Personal Care Co. also issued a voluntary recall of one of its sunscreen spray products in July after finding trace levels of benzene.
"While benzene is not an ingredient in any Banana Boat products, the review showed that unexpected levels of benzene came from the propellant that sprays the product out of the can," Edgewell said at the time.
"Importantly, no other batches of Hair & Scalp [either before or after these batch codes] and no other Banana Boat products are in the scope of this recall and may continue to be used by consumers safely and as intended."