Which Sunscreen Products Have Been Recalled?
Johnson & Johnson, parent company of Neutrogena and Aveeno, recalled these products “out of an abundance of caution”:
- Neutrogena® Beach Defense® aerosol
- Neutrogena® Cool Dry Sport aerosol
- Neutrogena® Invisible Daily™ defense aerosol
- Neutrogena® Ultra Sheer® aerosol
- Aveeno® Protect + Refresh aerosol
In their statement, Johnson & Johnson told consumers to discard these specific products and halt use immediately. Specific lots of those sunscreens can be found here.
CVS has also stopped selling CVS Health After Sun Aloe Vera and CVS Health After Sun Aloe Vera Spray, which both tested positive for benzene. Another CVS product that tested positive for benzene, After-sun Aloe Vera Moisturizing Gel, remains on the shelf.
These Contaminated Products Were Not Recalled
Despite health warnings, some brands have refused to recall their contaminated sunscreen.
Three Banana Boat products – Kids Max Protect & Play Sunscreen C-Spray SPF 100, UltraMist Deep Tanning Dry Oil Continuous Clear Spray SPF 4 and Ultra Sport Clear Sunscreen Spray SPF 100 – had contaminated samples but were not recalled.
Samples from these products also tested positive for benzene:
- Eco Formula Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30
- Advanced After-Sun Gel by Sun Burst
- Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30 by SunBurnt
- Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30 by Goodsense
- Ultimate Sheer Sunscreen Lotion SPF 70 by TopCare Everyday
- UV Aero Broad-Spectrum Full-Body Sunscreen Spray, SPF 45 by EltaMD
Why is Benzene in Sunscreen?
Let’s be clear: benzene is not supposed to be in your sunscreen.
Benzene is a chemical that naturally occurs in emissions from forest fires and volcanoes, but is most commonly found in gasoline emissions and cigarette smoke. It has many uses in the manufacturing industry and is extremely toxic. It can cause several types of cancer if exposed to the bloodstream, whether through inhalation, ingestion, or absorption through the skin.
The FDA does allow products to contain a certain level of benzenes in certain cases as long as they do not go over two parts per million (ppm).
But benzene is not an ingredient for sunscreen. And the FDA has determined that it should not be used in standard pharmaceutical production at all because of its toxicity to humans. Officials aren’t sure how the batches of sunscreen were contaminated at this time.
Some of the samples contained over three times the FDA limit, and yet not every brand that tested positive for benzene has pulled their products from the shelves. Brands are not doing their part to keep buyers safe from defective sunscreen.
If you have been diagnosed with cancer after using a sunscreen that has been contaminated with benzene, please call us as soon as possible.