Over 30 aerosol spray haircare products possibly containing cancer-causing agent benzene have been recalled by Procter & Gamble.
According to P&G’s recall notice last Friday, the affected items include various dry conditioner and dry shampoo products from the brands Pantene, Old Spice, Herbal Essences, Hair Food, Waterless, and Aussie. Photos of the impacted products can be seen below, while a full list of the recalled items complete with their corresponding production code numbers can be found here.
In a statement, P&G said that the affected products will likely not expose people to levels of benzene high enough to cause health issues. Though the company noted that it has not “received any reports of adverse events” from the use of the affected items yet, it still decided to move forward with the recall out of “an abundance of caution.”
As pointed out in the recall notice, “exposure to benzene can occur by inhalation, orally, and through the skin and it can result in cancers, including leukemia and blood cancer of the bone marrow and blood disorders which can be life-threatening.”
Retailers have already been advised to remove the affected products from store shelves. Meanwhile, people who bought the recalled items are instructed to throw them away and contact P&G customer service at 1-888-674-36319 from Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET to get a full refund.
To ease the worries of its customers, P&G made it clear that other products under the affected brands that were not mentioned in the recall notice “may continue to be used as intended, including those aerosol dry shampoo spray products with production code ranges different from those specifically communicated.”
P&G’s latest recall notice came less than a month after the company issued a similar recall for over a dozen Old Spice and Secret-branded aerosol deodorants and sprays, warning that the products could also contain benzene.