FDA Citizen Petition #7: Benzene in Dry Shampoo Products
On November 1, 2022, Valisure announced the detection of high levels of benzene, a known human carcinogen, in several brands and batches of dry shampoo products, which are regulated as cosmetic products by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Valisure analyzed 148 unique batches from 34 different brands using industry-standard GC-MS technology. Significant variability from batch to batch was observed, even within a single brand. There was also significant variability between subsequent sprays from some bottles, suggesting inconsistent product mixtures in some products. Therefore, the analysis of the first spray from each product’s bottle is detailed in this summary, and further data is presented in the full FDA Citizen Petition on Dry Shampoo.
3 lots of dry shampoo products from 1 brand contained spray with over 100 ppm of benzene; 11 lots from 3 brands contained spray with detectable benzene over 20 ppm; 18 lots from 10 brands showed levels between 2 - 20 ppm; and 71 lots from 20 brands contained quantifiable benzene between 0.18 - 2.0 ppm. Benzene was not detected or below the limit of quantitation in an additional 45 lots of dry shampoos from 23 different brands.
Media Highlights:
- Bloomberg: Even More Dry Shampoos Found to Have Cancer-Causing Agent
- Bloomberg: Is My Dry Shampoo Safe? Try These Alternative Brands
- Bloomberg: How to Read Your Dry Shampoo Label to Spot Dangerous Chemicals
- Business Insider: Popular dry shampoos contain elevated levels of a chemical linked to cancer, report says
- C&EN: Valisure finds benzene in more dry shampoos
- CNN: Independent lab finds ‘troubling’ levels of cancer-causing chemical in more types of dry shampoo products, report alleges
- CBS News: Dry shampoos containing benzene remain on store shelves, study finds
- Dermatology Times: Warning: Concerning Levels of Benzene Detected in Dry Shampoo Product
- MedPage: Dry Shampoo Added to List of Products Contaminated With Benzene
- New York Magazine - The Cut: ‘Should I Stop Using Dry Shampoo?’
- The Washington Post: Aerosol hair products tainted by benzene may still be on store shelves
- The Hill: Study finds benzene in many dry shampoos
- TIME: Popular Dry Shampoos Found to Have Cancer-Causing Chemical
- Los Angeles Times: Is your dry shampoo safe? Even more brands found to have cancer-causing agent
Related Documents:
- Press Release - Valisure Detects Benzene in Dry Shampoo
- FDA Citizen Petition – Contains lists of products and levels of benzene detected, if any
- Please read about Responsible Disposal of Potentially Contaminated Products
- Summary Timeline of consumer product recalls due to benzene
