#Sunscreen benzene list skin#

Benzene is used as a starting material for synthetic fragrances. Moreover, benzene is used as a constituent in motor fuels, in the extraction of oils from seeds and nuts, in the manufacture of detergents, explosives and pharmaceuticals, for example. Smaller amounts are often used in chemical laboratories as solvent and reagent. It is used as a chemical intermediate to make several industrial chemicals. Despite this, the agency continued advising patients to use broad spectrum sunscreens with SPF 15 or higher in conjunction with other sun protective measures.īenzene is a chemical that can be found in nature and manufactured products. Some brands already started voluntarily recalling the products and advised consumers to stop using them. Food and Drug Administration started investigating the root cause of benzene found these sunscreen products. In March 2021, a petition had already been issued (2021 Citizen Petition) on benzene contamination in hand sanitizer and there were several recalls of contaminated hand sanitizer products. Study authors are currently pushing for a recall of all the contaminated batches and asking the FDA to better define limits for Benzene contamination in drug and cosmetic products.

#Sunscreen benzene list skin#

Since benzene is one of the most studied and concerning human carcinogens known to science, with numerous studies showing its association with blood cancers in humans even at trace levels of parts per million and below, the presence of this carcinogen in products widely recommended for the prevention of skin cancer and that are regularly used by adults and children is very troubling. Benzene was detected in sprays, gels, and lotions (with both chemical and mineral-based formulations). Some batches contained up to three times the conditionally restricted FDA concentration limit (2 ppm). According to the study, 27% of the samples tested, representing a total of 78 sun care products, contained benzene.

The company analysed 294 unique batches from 69 different companies, observing significant variability from batch to batch, even within a single company. has detected high levels of Benzene in several brands and batches of sunscreen (classified as drug products by the FDA) and after-sun products (generally regulated as cosmetics by the FDA). A testing and consumer protection organization located in the U.S.