Safety
Banana Boat Sunscreen Has Recalled Products That Were Found To Contain Benzene
Three batches have been voluntarily recalled.
Edgewell Personal Care voluntarily recalled three batches of Banana Boat spray sunscreen last week. The batches were found by an internal review to contain trace amounts of benzene, a cancer-causing agent, and have since been taken off the shelves.
Romper has reached out to Edgewell Personal Care for comment and is waiting on a response.
Three batches of Banana Boat Hair & Scalp Sunscreen Spray SPF 30 were recalled. The products are packed in six ounce aerosol cans and all had the same lot number located on the bottom of the can: 0-79656-04041-8. It’s important to note that benzene is not an ingredient added to the sunscreen, and benzene was not detected in any of the other products, according to a statement released by Edgewell Personal Care. Rather it is a chemical created by human activities and found in substances like second-hand smoke or industrial emissions, or natural elements like wild fires, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Benzene is a highly flammable colorless chemical that with a sweet odor. High exposure to benzene can cause headaches, drowsiness, dizziness, irregular heartbeat, tremors, and confusion. Long term exposure to benzene has been linked to anemia, irregular menstrual cycles, leukemia, and cancer in blood-forming organs.
Edgewell Personal Care notes in a statement that the company has “not received any adverse events related to this recall.” These aerosol cans of Banana Boat Hair & Scalp Spray SPF 30 had expiration dates of Dec. 2022, Feb. 2023, and April 2024 and were distributed nationally. Banana Boat is offering to reimburse consumers who bought the recalled product and recommends that consumers immediately discontinue use of these spray sunscreens.
Anyone with questions about reimbursement or the recalled product can get more information at www.bananaboat.com or call Edgewell Personal Care at 1-888-686-3988 Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time. “Adverse reactions or quality problems experienced with the use of this product may be reported to the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program either online, by regular mail or by fax,” Edgewell Personal Care advised in its statement.
Check those sunscreen bottles and make sure you aren’t using a recalled item. It’s not worth the risk.
