Recall of Toxic Personal Care Products

(Please read our disclaimer)

You may have seen in the news lately a recall on various "grocery store brand" personal care products due to benzene. But what is benzene? According to OSHA, benzene is used in the manufacturing of many types of plastics, detergents, and pesticides. Exposure to benzene can cause blood cancers like leukemia and other health concerns. The CDC website lists not only how benzene exposure can harm consumers, but also how workers are at risk from products made with benzene including those that work in factories, the printing industry, and fire fighters.

The Personal Care Products Council stated that they “are aware of the study reporting the presence of benzene in some antiperspirant and deodorant sprays.” And yet, higher levels allowed by OSHA and CDC were detected in many personal care products the past few months.

As early as the summer of 2021, a recall was sent out for sunscreen sprays manufactured by Coppertone as they had “identified the presence of benzene in lots of these products.” Neutrogena and Aveeno, products of Johnson & Johnson, also recalled many of their sunscreens in July 2021.

In October 2021, over the counter antifungal products made by Bayer were recalled due to a high presence of benzene in some samples of the products. The FDA lists the products that were recalled, among which are Lotrimin® and Tinactin®.

On November 17, 2021, the FDA published a report that Odor-Eaters were recalling some of their products due to benzene contamination.

Early December 2021, “benzene was found in over half of 108 batches of antiperspirant and deodorant body sprayers from 30 different brands.” A citizen’s petition was filed with the FDA due to the unacceptable toxicity.

During the pandemic the FDA allowed a temporary use of benzene in liquid hand sanitizers.

In late December 2021, Proctor and Gamble recalled most of their dry shampoos and conditioners due to trace amounts of benzene found in the products. For more information on products and companies with recalled products due to benzene, visit the FDA website and type in the search engine: “benzene recall”.

What You Can Do to Avoid These Toxic Products

So now that you know which products to avoid, what do you use instead?

As you may well know, one property of Melaleuca oil is killing bacteria. As stated in The Melaleuca Wellness Guide “when we use harsh chemicals against bacteria we can also unbalance and even destroy our own body cells.” Thus using what nature has given us allows us to have a healthy life, or as The Melaleuca Wellness Guide says “pure Melaleuca Oil works with the body, not against it.”

Melaleuca antiperspirants and deodorants come in many types for both men and women. They all contain Melaleuca Oil (tea tree oil) as well as many other plant-derived ingredients that are not only safe to use, but also effective in odor protection.

Just because it’s not summer in some areas of the world, doesn’t mean that you aren’t susceptible to sunburn. Melaleuca’s Sun Shades Mineral Plus and Sport SPF not only protect your skin from harmful UVA and UVB sunrays, but also don’t contain benzene. So you can go out in the sun, no matter what season, knowing that you are helping your skin and yourself.

Dr. Andrew Weil, quoted in The Melaleuca Wellness Guide, writes, “Tea Tree Oil is the best treatment I know for fungal infections of the skin. It will also clear up fungal infections of the toenails or fingernails, a condition notoriously resistant to treatment even by strong systemic antibiotics.” In the “Healthy Body” chapter of The Melaleuca Wellness Guide the section on athlete’s foot states that using Melaleuca Oil and applying Dermatin Antifungal Cream helps prevent and treat any fungal infection on feet. This same treatment can also apply to fungal infections in the fingernails. Just be careful to not rub your eyes or face while having the oil or cream on your fingers.

Melaleuca’s Clear Defense Hand Sanitizer and Hand Sanitizing Wipes kills 99.9% of most illness-causing germs with plant-based ingredients while moisturizing your hands as well. Look in the Product Index of The Melaleuca Wellness Guide for many more reasons why Clear Defense Hand Sanitizer and Hand Sanitizing Wipes are your best defense against germs.

And to replace any over the counter dry shampoos or conditioners, Melaleuca’s Sei Bella Dry Shampoo can be used by everyone, no matter the hair type, for a quick refresh between shampoos or while vacationing, camping, utilizing less water, or to just prevent over-washing your hair. Be sure to follow directions and remember: less is more.

If you’ve been a Melaleuca customer for a number of years you already know that most (if not all) store-brand personal care products and home care products can be switched with Melaleuca products, giving you a healthier lifestyle.

For more information on the products that can be used instead of those that contain benzene or other harmful ingredients, visit many of the chapters covering the home and body, and the product index, in The Melaleuca Wellness Guide.

~ Richard M Barry