Johnson & Johnson recalling Neutrogena and Aveeno sunscreen products due to Benzene

Johnson & Johnson is recalling a total of five items from two of its leading brands Neutrogena and Aveeno. All of the products being recalled are the aerosol sunscreens after Benzene, a cancer-causing agent, has been detected.

The exposure to the said agent can be harmful to users and can potentially cause cancer when exposed to it at certain levels. Fox Business reported that after the discovery, Johnson & Johnson issued a voluntary recall and asked the cosumers to immediately stop using the products.

What is Benzene and why it was on the products

Johnson & Johnson announced the recall on Wednesday, July 14. The company instructed the people who purchased the affected Neutrogena and Aveeno sunscreen products to discard the items immediately.

The company said that this agent has been classified as a human carcinogen which means it can cause cancer. Although getting the disease depends on the level and extent of exposure to the substance, the company still issued the recall to ensure the safety of the consumers.

Then again, Johnson & Johnson stated that Benzene is ever-present in the environment but it is actually not an ingredient in any of the products being recalled. However, during a testing in some of the samples, the presence of Benzene was detected in the finished products.

As per NBC News, Johnson & Johnson is currently investigating how the harmful substance got into some of Neutrgena and Aveeno suncreens. All the products in the recalled list are the suncreen versions in aerosol cans and not the cream or lotion types. These were said to have been distributed across the United States through different retail channels.

“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 a press release. “We are investigating the cause of this issue, which is limited to certain aerosol sunscreen products.”

The affected J&J products

The Environmental Protection Agency also released data regarding Benzene in the Johnson & Johnson products and stated that the amount of the agent in them is not expected to cause adverse health effects.

At any rate, the affected products that were recalled by J&J include Neutrogena Beach Defense aerosol sunscreen, Neutrogena Cool Dry Sport sunscreen, Neutrogena Invisible Daily defense sunscreen, Netrogena Ultra Sheer sunscreen and Avenno Protect + Refresh sunscreen.