The company tested the product with the highest levels of benzene (Old Spice Pure Sport with 17.7 ppm) in a closed bathroom, spraying once under each arm as a consumer would. By doing so, you “could bring the entire bathroom air to 15 times the limit for what the EPA has said is an increased risk for leukemia,” Light said.

The vast majority of tested sunscreens, however, were free of benzene, and experts stress the importance of sunscreen use to protect skin from the aging and cancerous effects of the sun. Introducing Dove Refillable Deodorant. Our first-ever stainless steel deodorant case designed to be kept for life* with our most caring 0% aluminum refills made from 96% recycled plastic. Tests by Valisure, however, found concerning levels of benzene in some batches of P&G products. The most highly contaminated – two lots of an Old Spice antiperspirant called Pure Sport (Lots 11671458SQ and 11671458SB; UPC 012044001912) – contained 17.7 and 17.4 average parts per million of benzene, said Valisure CEO David Light.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), exposure to benzene over time can cause issues with the immune system, blood, and bone marrow, which can include cancers such as leukemia.

Benzene is not an intentionally added ingredient in body spray products; however, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as product manufacturers, are aware that it may be present in food and drug products at very low levels,” PCPC wrote.

Valisure said one possibility is that benzene could come from ingredients such as hydrofluorocarbon 152a, butane, isobutane, propane and alcohol used to propel sprays onto the skin. We've been on a journey to a more sustainable deodorant for two years, learning as we go to improve our refillable deodorants and give you the best experience possible. And we’re so excited to share the latest. The sunscreens tested by Valisure were only a tiny sample of the more than 11,000 registered sun care products on the market. Impurities may be present in the manufacturing environment due to the use of certain chemicals, equipment or containers. We need more testing,” said David Andrews, a senior scientist for the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit environmental and consumer health advocacy group.

With aerosols, you might be using it every day, probably in a closed space like a bathroom,” Light said.We’ve made our refillable deodorants even better, with a beautiful new and improved design and a stronger, smarter formula – all with the same Dove care and benefits you know and love. The result? A refillable deodorant you can buy once and refill for life. We’re confident you’ll love them as much as we do. Exposure to high levels of benzene in the air can cause death, and if “you spill benzene on your skin, it may cause redness and sores,” according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). “Benzene in your eyes may cause general irritation and damage to your cornea.”

Benzene is used in the U.S., according to the CDC, but it’s more common in dyes, detergents, lubricants, and rubbers. Because it’s listed as a class one solvent with “unacceptable toxicity,” it shouldn’t be used in drug products, which antiperspirants are typically classified as, according to CNET, while deodorants are classified as cosmetic products. How much benzene is bad for you? Secret Powder Fresh, 24 HR Aerosol (Lots 11721458SG and 11701458SH; UPC 037000711087) had about 16 average parts per million, tests showed.Although not all the brands have responded to the lab findings, P&G, the parent company of both Old Spice and Secret, voluntarily recalled 17 of its products “out of an abundance of caution.” P&G said, while recalling their products, that “daily exposure to benzene in the recalled products at the levels detected in our testing would not be expected to cause adverse health consequences.” CVS Health and Coppertone also voluntarily stopped selling several sunscreen or after-sun care products due to similar findings. Light said to the best of his knowledge other sunscreens and after-sun cosmetics, which also tested positive for the toxin, remain on the market. That’s nearly nine times the upper limit of 2 parts per million the FDA has set for emergency use,” Light said.