Food and Drug Administration (FDA) press release. Long-term exposure to benzene in the air can cause cancer in humans, according to the agency.Īn independent health assessment says exposure to benzene from the recalled sunscreen is not expected to have adverse health consequences, per the U.S. What Is Benzene?Īccording to the CDC, the chemical benzene is found in oil, gasoline, and cigarette smoke, as well as naturally formed in forest fires and volcanoes. The company said that while benzene is not an ingredient in any of its products, the chemical was discovered in the propellant that sprays the product from the can. Traces of the carcinogen benzene were found in three lots of Banana Boat Hair & Scalp Sunscreen Spray SPF 30 during an internal audit, according to Edgewell Personal Care, which owns the Banana Boat brand. That is what I use on my kids.” She also notes that cream and lotion SPFs are a great choice, and what she uses on herself.The parent company of Banana Boat issued a voluntary nationwide recall of a popular sunscreen on Friday, July 29. “If you want to be absolutely safe, you can choose the stick sunscreens as they are solid bars and therefore the least likely to be contaminated by benzene.
“My feeling is that since we know that benzene is absorbed more easily by inhalation, it would be best to avoid spray-on sunscreens altogether,” says Dr. It is known to reduce the actual and well-established risks of UV radiation."īut if you want to be extra cautious, your best bet is to avoid aerosol sunscreens.
"Sunscreen is a highly regulated product and is regulated as a drug here in the U.S. "The reality is that modern life has a certain exposure to benzene with a number of factors that are especially germane-Are you a factory worker where it is used in high volume as a solvent? Do you park a car in a garage? Are you a firefighter? All of these are examples where you would have a more significant exposure than what might be potentially possible from a trace contaminant," says Dr. And one thing worth noting? Even if there is benzene in other aerosol products on the market that has yet to be discovered, the concentrations are likely so low that you won't be exposed to it at a harmful level. If you’re still a bit spooked, know that this isn’t a chemical versus mineral sunscreen situation: The through line among the recalled products from both Banana Boat and J&J is that they were all aerosols that were contaminated with benzene during the production process.
If you purchased any of the contaminated Banana Boat products, you are eligible for a refund and can get more information here. The bottom line is that brands don't want dangerous products on the market, which is why they operate with extreme caution, and why recalls (like this one) happen in the first place. "To date, Edgewell has not received any adverse events related to this recall and we are conducting this recall out of an abundance of caution and are advising consumers to stop using the affected product immediately and appropriately discard," reads Banana Boat's website. However, in accordance with the recall, the Food and Drug Administration recommends stopping the use of the following contaminated products:Īccording to a statement from Edgewell, Banana Boat's parent company, even though the brand is pulling its contaminated lots off shelves, it isn't aware of anyone who's been harmed. So while reducing benzene exposure is beneficial, you will likely be fine if you have used one of Banana Boat's contaminated sunscreens.
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