Benzene seems to have cropped up everywhere in recent years. First, it was hand sanitizers with “unacceptable levels” of the carcinogen. Then there were recalls of antifungal foot sprays and alarming reports of tainted deodorants, dry shampoos and sunscreens. Some of these findings have driven panicked news headlines and social media posts. On TikTok, wellness influencers have warned people to stop wearing sunscreen; one doctor on the platform even compared using dry shampoo with benzene to smoking cigarettes. Several class-action lawsuits have also been filed over the findings.
Benzene, which is found naturally in crude oil, isn’t intentionally added to these products. Rather, it’s used to manufacture chemicals such as dyes, detergents, paints and plastics. It can end up in personal care products when the chemicals in them aren’t purified enough, or when certain active ingredients in products react with each other or break down.
There isn’t data yet to suggest that low levels of exposure to benzene from personal care products carries significant health risks. And some experts have cautioned that many of the most alarming findings about benzene have come from a single testing lab that has been criticized for straying from standard testing methods. To read the full story.