Popular Sunscreen Pulled From Shelves (Again) For Containing Cancer-Causing Chemical

Summer is in full force and so is sunscreen usage to protect people from harmful UV rays and sun damage that may lead to skin cancer. But a new review says that one popular brand might actually contain a carcinogen itself.

An internal review of Banana Boat Hair & Scalp Sunscreen Spray SPF 30 found that three batches of the product contained “trace levels” of benzene that came from the bottle, even though benzene is not an ingredient in the sunscreen itself.

Edgewell Personal Care Company, which owns Banana Boat, has issued a voluntary recall of the three batches which have expiration dates of December 2022, February 2023, and April 2024.

“The voluntarily recalled sunscreen spray products are packaged in aerosol cans,” Edgewell said in a company release. “The products were distributed nationwide in the United States through various retailers and online. Edgewell has notified its retailers to remove any remaining recalled product from shelves.”

The company said that it would reimburse any customers who purchased from the batch of affected cans.

For those who may have used the product, Edgewell said that daily exposure to the benzene in the can would most likely not be enough to cause health problems, but that customers should still stop using the product immediately.

Edgewell Personal Care Company also owns the well-known sunscreen brand Hawaiian Tropic and a multitude of shaving companies, like Schick and Skintimate.

The company was down just over 2% in a one-year period as of Monday morning.