![]() ![]() And be reassured that benzene was not detected in any of the aerosols we tested-including Trader Joe’s Spray SPF 50+, which has the highest score in our tests. Instead, use CR’s ratings to find an effective one. The products are essential to protecting you against skin cancer and other skin damage. What You Should DoĬoncerns about benzene should not be a reason to avoid sunscreen. He underscores the importance of avoiding it when you can. And it is the combined exposure from multiple sources that poses the biggest health risks, he says. For example, the Aveeno and Neutrogena sunscreens had benzene levels ranging from 11.2 to 23.6 ppm, five to 12 times the level advised by the FDA.Įven at those levels, benzene is unlikely to cause immediate, serious health problems, says David Eastmond, a toxicologist and professor emeritus at the University of California, Riverside, who has extensively studied benzene.īut he and other health experts worry about the risk posed by repeated exposure, especially because people are also exposed to benzene from other sources, notably cigarette smoke and fumes at the gas pump. Some of the recalled products had benzene levels well above that amount. Frequent exposure to amounts above that could increase the risk of leukemia. ![]() The FDA says benzene levels in consumer products should be less than 2 parts per million (ppm). What is clear is that while the amounts of benzene found in the products aren’t high enough to pose immediate health threats, they do raise safety concerns, especially if people are exposed to them for long periods or to benzene from other sources. “This contamination may be related to inactive ingredients such as carbomers (thickening agents), isobutane (a spray propellant), or other drug components made from hydrocarbons,” the FDA said in December. So far, the agency has no clear answers, because benzene is not an ingredient in the products. Since Valisure found benzene in sunscreens, the FDA has been trying to figure out why the chemical is showing up in so many products. What’s going on, and how concerned should you be? Here’s what you need to know and how to stay safe. Most recently, two types of Suave aerosol antiperspirants, from the company Unilever, were recalled in March after they too were found to contain benzene. ![]() But other products continue to be recalled for benzene. We also tested current versions of some sunscreen products that had been previously recalled, including from Johnson & Johnson, as well as one from Coppertone.Īll the products CR tested came back negative for the carcinogen. The findings also prompted Consumer Reports to look for benzene in every aerosol product in our sunscreen ratings as well as several top-rated insect repellents. ![]()
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