Indecopi warns against dry shampoo with carcinogenic ingredients

National Institute for Competition and Intellectual Property Protection (indexcopy) ordered product recall ‘shampoo spray drying for allegedly containing benzene, a carcinogenic ingredient.

“Its use is worrisome because it is believed to contain high levels of benzene, which would be risky as it is a component classified as carcinogenic,” Indecopi warned.

The product belongs to brands Dove, Nexxus, Suave, TIGI (Rockaholic and Bed Head) and TRESemmé.

Indecopi clarified that the benzene hazard occurs in bottles produced before October 2021 and sold in USA.

According to the agency, “as soon as it became aware of this, it contacted Unilever Andina del Perú SA, the Peruvian subsidiary of the international company Unilever Global IP Limited, who indicated that the products were not imported for sale at the national level.”

However, the recall order for the products was issued due to the risk that the public had purchased said products overseas or that other vendors were commercializing them.

What happened to the products?

Last Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned that there are products manufactured before October 2021 that have been distributed to retailers across the country.

Unilever has recalled some dry shampoo sprays from Dove, Nexxus, Suave, TIGI and TRESemmé due to the possible presence of benzene.

According to the statement, this ingredient is a human carcinogen and exposure to benzene can occur by inhalation, by mouth, and through the skin and can cause cancer, including leukemia and blood cancer.