More Banana Boat hair & scalp sunscreen recalled due to benzene
MIAMI - The company behind Banana Boat has expanded its voluntary nationwide recall of three batches of six ounce Banana Boat Hair & Scalp Sunscreen Spray SPF 30 aerosol sprays.
Edgewell Personal Care Company said one additional batch has been added to the original recall, announced on July 29, 2022, after a review found that some samples contained trace levels of benzene.
The recalled products have these:
Lot Code Expiration Date
20016AF December 2022
20084BF February 2023
21139AF April 2024
20301CF September 2023
The Food and Drug Administration classifies benzene as a human carcinogen. Exposure to it can occur by inhalation, orally, and through the skin and it potentially can result in cancers including leukemia and blood cancer of the bone marrow and blood disorders which can be life threatening.
While benzene is not an ingredient in any Banana Boat product, the review showed that unexpected levels of it came from the propellant used to spray the sunscreen out of the can.
The company said no other batches or products are being recalled.
People should take the benzene-related recalls seriously, as they involve a far more dangerous contaminant than most, according to David Light, CEO of Valisure, an independent lab in New Haven, Connecticut, that alerted the Food and Drug Administration to its findings of benzene in sunscreen sprays last year.
Aerosol-type products are more at risk of containing benzene than the general sphere of consumer products, as are petroleum-derived products such as gels, lotions, creams, and sunscreens.