What To Know About The Dry Shampoo Recall Affecting More Than 30 Products
Check your Pantene and Aussie products.
On Dec. 17, Procter & Gamble, also known as P&G, issued a voluntary recall of more than 30 aerosol dry shampoo and dry conditioner products for containing trace amounts of a carcinogen called benzene. Six of P&G’s brands were named in the recall, including Herbal Essences, Pantene, Aussie, and more, which means you may want to check what you’ve got in your bathroom. Here’s what you need to know about the P&G dry shampoo December 2021 recall, including affected brands, refund processes, and more.
According to P&G’s recall statement issued by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on Dec. 17, the company began reviewing its “total portfolio” of products after recent reports indicated trace amounts of benzene, a carcinogen, in some aerosol products. Upon its review, the company found benzene, an ingredient not typically used by P&G, in 32 of its aerosol dry shampoo and dry conditioner products. According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), long term exposure of benzene in the air can cause leukemia among other cancers. The levels of benzene found in the recalled products “would not be expected to cause adverse health consequences,” per P&G’s Dec. 17 statement on the recall, and the voluntary recall is in place “out of an abundance of caution.” (You may remember a similar issue led to a recall of aerosol sunscreens over the summer.)
In an emailed statement to Elite Daily, Alissa Fitzgibbons, Brand Communications Leader, NA Hair Care at Procter & Gamble said the review came after an issue was identified by a manufacturer the company uses. “The manufacturing partner identified an issue with their propellant supply and is implementing additional measures to address the issue identified in the investigation,” Fitzgibbons said, adding, “With this announcement, we conclude a comprehensive review of our aerosol products.”
If you have a product that may have been named in the recall, here’s what you need to know.
Affected Brands:
The 32 products listed in the recall come from six P&G brands: Herbal Essences, Pantene, Aussie, Waterl>ss, Hair Food, and Old Spice. Herbal Essences has five recalled dry shampoos, including Cucumber & Green Tea and Blue Ginger varieties. Pantene and Aussie each have nine. Pantene’s recalled products include Mist Behaving Dry Conditioning Mists in varying sizes, a conditioning oil, a luxury mist, and three dry shampoos, while Aussies recalled items include two dry conditioners and seven dry shampoos.
The rest of the recall includes six Waterl>ss products, one Hair Food dry shampoo, and two from Old Spice. All of the recalled aerosol cans were produced between January 2019 and June 2021. For the full list of recalled products, you can read the full statement from P&G.
How To Tell If Your Product Is Recalled:
If you use a dry shampoo or dry conditioner made by one of these brands, makes sure to cross-reference your item’s production code with the production codes named in the recall.
Each item has a production code listed on the bottom of the can, and you can find them all in the recall statement. If you have a recalled product, you should “appropriately discard the affected aerosol dry conditioner spray products and aerosol dry shampoo spray products,” according to the recall notice.
Refund Process:
Customers who have purchased one of the 32 recalled items should discard their products and file a reimbursement request. Below are the links to follow to request your refund from each brand:
Customers with further questions about the refund process can call the Consumer Care team at 1-888-674-3631 from Monday – Friday from 9:00am – 6:00pm EST.
Does It Affect Non-Recalled Products?
If you don’t own these items but use other products made by these companies, there’s no need to worry. “The majority of our portfolio — mousses, hairsprays, liquid shampoos, liquid conditioners, styling products and treatments — including other Pantene, Aussie, Herbal Essences, Hair Food, and Waterl>ss products are not included in the scope of this recall and may continue to be used as intended,” Fitzgibbons said.
If you experience adverse reactions to the recalled products, make sure to contact the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program, either online or at 1-800-332-1088.
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