Multiple Hair Products Have Just Been Recalled In Canada & It Sounds Serious

If you've recently stocked up on drugstore items, you might want to double-check your hair products due to a Health Canada recall.

On Monday, December 20, the department issued a recall on eight different aerosol products by Herbal Essences and Pantene products due to a "chemical hazard" from benzene, which is a human carcinogen.

Health Canada warns that exposure to the chemical either via inhalation, orally or through the skin, can cause leukemia, blood cancer, and blood disorders, which can be "life-threatening."

While that does sound scary, Health Canada said that regular exposure to benzene in the quantities present in these products would not be expected to have any adverse health consequences.

The affected Herbal Essences aerosol sprays are the 50-gram Cucumber & Green Tea Aerosol Spray and the 140-gram Daily Detox Volume Crimson Orange & Mint Dry Shampoo, Refresh Blue Ginger Dry Shampoo, and Cucumber & Green Tea Dry Shampoo.

Government of Canada

For Pantene, the affected aerosol sprays are the 140-gram Dry Shampoo, 120-gram Never Tell Dry Shampoo, and the 112-gram Mist Behaving Dry Conditioning Mist and Smooth Talker Dry Conditioning Oil.

The recalled products were sold between November 2018 and December 17, 2021, and 800,183 units have been bought in the country.

Health Canada advises that you stop using the product immediately and to contact the company for reimbursement.

Earlier this month, the government department issued a similar recall on Old Spice and Secret deodorant and antiperspirant items packaged in aerosol cans, also due to benzene.

As well as for drugstore items, Health Canada also issued a number of notices about food items recently, one of which was due to "the presence of insects." Yikes!

Stay safe, everyone!

This article’s cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.