Users of certain Neutrogena and Aveeno sunscreens should stop using the products right away. That’s because maker Johnson & Johnson has found traces of benzene in some of the products. Benzene is a human carcinogen that can cause cancer.
In a press release, Johnson & Johnson says consumers should cease using the following products immediately:
- 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
All of the products listed come packaged in aerosol cans and were available nationwide at various retailers. If you find these products in your possession, Johnson & Johnson says to stop using them right away and “appropriately discard them.” The company is also contacting distributors and retailers to recall all the products in question.
Johnson & Johnson says it does not use benzene in the listed products. It detected “low levels” of the carcinogen in some samples and is investigating how it ended up in them. However, the company says, “daily exposure to benzene in these aerosol sunscreen products at the levels detected in our testing would not be expected to cause adverse health consequences” and notes that it is pulling the above products “out of an abundance of caution.”
Johnson & Johnson says consumers can call the Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. (JJCI) Consumer Care Center at 1-800-458-1673 to request a refund or if they have any questions about the voluntary recall.
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