The company urged customers to stop using these products and discard them immediately.
The recalled sunscreens include:
Neutrogena Beach Defense aerosol sunscreenNeutrogena Cool Dry Sport aerosol sunscreenNeutrogena Invisible Daily defense aerosol sunscreenNeutrogena Ultra Sheer aerosol sunscreenAveeno Protect + Refresh aerosol sunscreen
Distributors and retailers will be notified of the recall and Johnson & Johnson will arrange for product returns.
“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 said in its press statement. “We are investigating the cause of this issue, which is limited to certain aerosol sunscreen products.”
This is not the first time Johnson & Johnson has recalled a product due to potential carcinogens. In 2019, the pharmaceutical giant recalled 33,000 bottles of Johnson’s Baby Powder after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found small amounts of asbestos in a sample. It also halted sales of Power Morcellators, a surgical tool used in abdominal procedures, after the FDA found it had the potential to spread or worsen uterine cancer.
Benzene is a naturally occurring carcinogen, which people can be exposed to through breathing, eating or skin contact. It is mostly found in cigarette smoke and it can increase a person’s risk of developing leukemia or other blood disorders.
Currently, no adverse health effects from customers have been reported. While the levels of benzene in the sunscreens are not expected to be high enough to affect people’s health, the corporation said it is voluntarily recalling the products “out of abundance of caution.”
Neutrogena Beach Defense aerosol sunscreen
Neutrogena Cool Dry Sport aerosol sunscreen
Neutrogena Invisible Daily defense aerosol sunscreen
Neutrogena Ultra Sheer aerosol sunscreen
Aveeno Protect + Refresh aerosol sunscreen
You should still opt for another sunscreen product or brand to protect yourself from risks of skin cancer.
