As we have been warning about for years, personal care and body care products produced by many large companies can contain compounds that are hazardous to your health—including substances linked to cancer. The recall of multiple aerosol deodorants by Procter & Gamble (P&G) is just one more example of why blind trust in large manufacturers is not a strategy for protecting your health.
Published: September 2022
Last Updated: April 2026
This article was originally written in response to a 2022 product recall. It has been updated to reflect ongoing findings and continued concerns surrounding benzene contamination in personal care products.
In this particular case, several P&G aerosol deodorant products were found to contain benzene—a chemical that has long been recognized as a human carcinogen. The recall impacted multiple product lines, including Old Spice and Secret aerosol sprays.
If you want a deeper dive into how benzene continues to show up in everyday products—and why this is still happening years later—we covered that in detail here:
Toxic Touch: The Ongoing Discovery of Benzene in Self-Care Staples
But let’s take a step back, because this is where things get important.
What is benzene, and why does it matter?
Benzene is an industrial chemical used in the production of plastics, resins, synthetic fibers, and other materials. It is not an ingredient that should be intentionally included in personal care products. When it appears, it is typically the result of contamination—often linked to propellants or manufacturing processes used in aerosol products.
The problem is not theoretical. Long-term exposure to benzene has been associated with serious health effects, including impacts on the bone marrow and an increased risk of certain cancers, particularly leukemia.1,2
Now here’s the part that should concern you: this wasn’t an isolated incident.
The discovery of benzene contamination in personal care products has occurred across multiple brands, multiple product categories, and multiple years. Sunscreens, deodorants, dry shampoos, and the list continues to grow.3
So when people ask, “How does this keep happening?” the answer is not complicated: because it can. Because the system allows it. Because in many cases, products are not tested thoroughly enough for contaminants that are not expected to be there.
And because when problems are discovered, they are often discovered after products have already made it into consumers’ hands.
This is not about one company. This is about a pattern. And to be clear, this is also not about claiming that every product on the market is dangerous. It’s about recognizing that the current system does not always catch problems before they reach you.
Regulatory agencies like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) do provide oversight, but their authority over cosmetics and personal care products is limited compared to pharmaceuticals.3 In many cases, companies are responsible for ensuring the safety of their own products, and reporting of issues can be incomplete or delayed.
So what does that mean for you?
It means that you cannot rely solely on brand recognition, marketing, or assumptions of safety. It means that transparency matters. It means that understanding what you’re putting on your body matters.
And it means that when patterns like this continue to emerge, it’s worth paying attention.
We have discussed related concerns in previous articles, including:
Vital reasons to boycott hormone disrupting products
Perfume: personal choice or public chemical exposure?
Detergents versus real soap, facts and fictions
Should you only buy products that carry the organic or non-gmo seals?
Personal care product preservatives and the truth – part 2
The goal here is not fear. It’s awareness.
Because once you understand how these issues happen, and how often they happen, you can make better informed decisions.
And that’s ultimately what matters.
For Health,
Rob
References:
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Benzene and Health Effects. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/benzene/
2. International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Benzene. IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans. Available at: https://www.iarc.who.int/
3. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Benzene in Cosmetic Products and Drug Products. Available at: https://www.fda.gov/
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