Johnson & Johnson Recalls Five Popular Sunscreens Due to Benzene Contamination
Are you using these aerosol sunscreens?
Johnson & Johnson has issued a voluntary recall of five popular Neutrogena and Aveeno sunscreens due to small amounts of benzene recently found in some of these products including…
- Neutrogena Invisible Daily defense aerosol sunscreen
- Neutrogena Beach Defense aerosol sunscreen
- Neutrogena Cool Dry Sport aerosol sunscreen
- Neutrogena Ultra Sheer aerosol sunscreen
- Aveeno Protect + Refresh aerosol sunscreen.
According to the CDC, benzene is a carcinogenic chemical that disrupts bone marrow’s ability to produce enough red blood cells. Long-term or high-volume exposure to benzene can cause symptoms like dizziness, drowsiness, headaches, tremors, unconsciousness, and even death at exceedingly high levels.
Luckily, the recalled Johnson & Johnson products reportedly don’t contain enough benzene to actually cause harm to humans, and the company is recalling the products out of “an abundance of caution.” So if you have been using them, keep an eye out for those symptoms just to be safe. However, as the company stated, the amount of benzene present in the aerosol Neutrogena and Aveeno products shouldn’t be enough to cause any immediate harm or long-term effects.
Johnson & Johnson also reported that their products usually contain no benzene, and they’re currently investigating the cause of the unexpected addition.
If you’ve recently purchased any of the products listed above and had to dispose of them, the company will refund your purchase. Customers can submit the form here or call the Johnson & Johnson Customer Care Center at 1-800-458-1673 to request a refund and address any questions they may have.
If you’ve experienced any adverse reactions while using these recalled products, you can report them to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program via their website or call 1-800-332-1088 to request a mail-in form.
It’s time for people to stop buying Johnson and Johnson products.
AMEN!
Exactly!!
Benzene has been a known carcinogen for decades. They made an oopsie. Who can blame them? We all do that. I’m sure their vaccine is fine too.
Their baby powder is fine also…
🙄
Exactly!!’n
Right?! How many times can they keep having these “oopsies”!?
Thank you! I buy the twin packs at costco and mine were a part of the recall.
Same! I had 3 twin packs under my sink😱
You’re so welcome!
Thank you for posting this!!!
You bet!
I have a few bottles of the recalled sunscreen and I called the J&J phone number listed for a refund and the line was so scratchy it can barely be understood before it abruptly disconnects the call (that was interesting?). It happened every time, even after I made multiple calls from home landline/cell phone, etc. Anyway, I was able to eventually hear the website that callers are required to use to submit request for refund: http://www.NeutrogenaAveenoProductRecall.com
You just need to enter your name, email address, mailing address, name of product/lot number, and quantity. If 4 or more, a photo of a receipt OR a photo of the actual cans is required to be uploaded. Says the refund will be sent out in 3 to 4 weeks if approved.
Thank you!!
Thanks for the helpful comment!
Thanks, Emjay, for providing this link!
I got a severe burn almost like a chemical burn from the neutrogena ultra sheer! I will never buy it again!
😲 yikes!!!
Oh no! SO sorry to hear about that.
You really shouldn’t use spray sunscreens. I have severely sensitive skin and they all burn. Looking at the chemicals in them, it makes sense. A lot have alcohol as the second ingredient
Also you or your kids may be inhaling those chemicals when you spray it. Hard NO from me. My derm told me to avoid the sprays years ago.
It’s not just J&J. J&J is just the first company that did their own testing for it and did the right thing by recalling. A third-party testing lab found benzene in 78 sunscreen products back in May 2021, and so far J&J is the only one to have followed up with it’s own action — other companies are just letting the benzene-containing products stay on the shelves: https://www.valisure.com/blog/valisure-news/valisure-detects-benzene-in-sunscreen/
Thank you for posting this information! We exclusively use Blue Lizard on both our girls. Our pediatrician recommended it! It’s a bit more expensive than some but I feel like it’s worth it, their baby skin is so tender and sensitive!
I just stocked up on many bottles a while ago since we’re heading to Florida in a few weeks of course I don’t have the receipt anymore, but I submitted anyways!
We did too !!
Do a little digging ladies.
Suncreen is the reason we have seen such an increase in skin cancer. The sun is a healthy part of life, the sun screen disrupts and impairs the vital life processes that keep us healthy. Ditch the sun screen.
I am sitting here sunburned where I missed putting on sunscreen and I am thankful I got it on most of my body. I’ll pass on.sunburn.
Lol
Lol I mean, that’s the exact opposite of the truth, but if you want to have leathery skin and possible cancer in old age, you do you. I’ll pass.
All very interesting. We just got home from vacation and a trip to the ER. My daughter had a severe reaction to the sunblock. We have been using Neutrogena for years. After steroid injections and being observed for 12 hours we were sent home with a medrol pack & cortisone cream. Finally over a week later it’s starting to look better. Hopefully she will not have any permanent scaring.
SO very sorry to hear about that, Amie. Glad she is starting to feel better. Thanks a bunch for sharing your experience with us!
Thank you-thank you. I have been exclusively buying neutrogena sunscreens for years now, and have 2 bottles of the recalled sprays. Can’t thank you enough for the heads up!
You’re most welcome! Glad this is helpful!
I recently switched us to ThinkBaby as it’s reef safe, and rated well on the EWG sunscreen list. I’m sharing the link so anyone can check and find a safe sunscreen :)https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/best-sunscreens/best-beach-sport-sunscreens/