

“While benzene is not an ingredient in any of our sunscreen products, it was detected in some samples of the impacted aerosol sunscreen finished products,” Johnson & Johnson wrote in a July 14 press release following internal testing. Neutrogena’s UltraSheer Weightless Sunscreen Spray SPF 100, for example, contained the most benzene of the batches tested, with 6.26 ppm, or more than triple the FDA’s limit. Valisure petitioned the FDA for a recall of 40 affected batches of sunscreen, which includes all samples that had a benzene concentration of at least 0.1 ppm. Neutrogena, Sun Bum, CVS Health, and Fruit of the Earth were among the brands with the highest levels of the carcinogen, per the lab’s results.Īlthough these findings sound concerning, they don’t prove that every product from these brands are always chock-full of benzine: “There was significant variability from batch to batch, even within a single brand,” the report states. “Sprays, gels, and lotions with both chemical and mineral-based formulations contained benzene,” Valisure wrote. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limit of 2 parts per million (ppm). Benzene was detected in 78 (over a quarter) of those batches-and 14 of them contained more than the U.S. In a report released May 24, Valisure, a lab and online pharmacy that regularly tests consumer products, explains it analyzed 294 batches of sunscreen and after-sun products from 69 brands. Now, Johnson & Johnson has voluntarily recalled five entire lines of Neutrogena and Aveeno spray sunscreens. Sunscreen is a crucial step in any skincare routine, but some brands might not be living up to their safety promises: In May, an independent lab announced it discovered potentially harmful levels of benzene, a known carcinogen, in several popular sun-care products.

Other major sunscreen manufacturers have recalled their own products after detecting traces of benzene in them. In its announcement on the FDA’s website, company said, “Daily exposure to benzene at the levels detected in these affected Coppertone aerosol sunscreen spray products would not be expected to cause adverse health consequences based on generally accepted exposure modeling by numerous regulatory agencies.”Ĭoppertone said it has alerted retailers about the recall and is arranging for returns of all voluntarily recalled lots of sunscreen spray products.Īdverse reactions or quality problems experienced with the use of Coppertone’s products can be reported to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program.Īnyone who has experienced problems that may be related to using Coppertone’s recalled products should get in touch with a physician or a health care provider. Exposure either orally, through inhalation or on skin, can result in an increased risk of cancers, such as leukemia, blood cancer of the bone marrow and other life-threatening blood disorders, the FDA says. The FDA says benzene is classified as a human carcinogen. Here is the list of recalled Coppertone products.
BENZENE IN SUNSCREEN RECALL FULL
You can see the full list of batches that were recalled, and when they were manufactured, on the Food and Drug Administration’s website. Two of the aerosol spray sunscreens were marketed for use on infants and children. Coppertone, owned by Beiersdorf, is voluntarily recalling five Coppertone aerosol sunscreen spray products. The voluntary recall is for three types of Coppertone Pure & Simple SPF 50 Spray, Coppertone Sport Mineral SPF 50 Spray and Travel-Size Coppertone Sport Spray SPF 50, all of which were manufactured between Jan. Business & Finance Click to expand menu.Ĭoppertone is voluntarily recalling five spray-on, SPF 50 sunscreen brands after it detected benzene, a known cancer agent, in them.
