Old Spice and Secret Spray Products Contain Benzene Class Action

Consumers assume that the personal products made by Procter & Gamble are safe for human usage, but this class action bring suit against the company, alleging that some in fact are not. The complaint alleges that certain Old Spice and Secret brand body sprays contain benzene, a carcinogen.

The class for this action is all consumers who bought the products at issue anywhere in the US during the applicable statute of limitations period. A New York Subclass has also been proposed for those who bought the products in New York. The products at issue are the following:

• Old Spice Pure Sport
• Old Spice Below Deck Powder Spray, Feel Drier & Cleaner, Down Below, Fresh Air
• Old Spice Sweat Defense Stronger Swagger Dry Spray, Sweat & Odor Protection
• Old Spice Sweat Defense Ultimate Captain Dry Spray, 48 Hour Sweat & Odor Protection
• Secret Powder Fresh 24 HR Aerosol
• Secret Cool Light & Airy Smooth Feel Dry Spray, 48 Hour Freshness, Rose
• Secret Cool Light & Airy Smooth Feel Dry Spray, 48 Hour Freshness, Light Essentials
• Secret Cool Light & Airy Smooth Feel Dry Spray, 48 Hour Freshness, Waterlily
• Secret Out Last, Protecting Powder 48 HR Sweat & Odor Protection Dry Spray

The benzene seems to have been detected by Valisure, LLC, which also found benzene in certain sun care products recently.

The complaint says, “Benzene has been recognized, acknowledged, and accepted as a well-known health hazard and human carcinogen for approximately a century.” The National Toxicology Program says benzene is “known to be a human carcinogen…” The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) says it has been “found to be carcinogenic to humans[.]” And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that benzene can cause anemia, immune system damage, and cancer.

In fact, benzene is a negative enough substance that P&G specifically claims not to use it in its personal care products. The complaint points to a page on its website headed, “Ingredients we do not use.” Benzene is on the list. Also, the packaging of the products lists both active and inactive ingredients, but benzene is not on these lists. The complaint alleges that the advertising and marketing of the products is “false, deceptive, and misleading.”

People can be exposed to benzene by inhalation or application on the skin. The complaint alleges, “This makes benzene exposure from body sprays especially troubling because the spray is put directly onto the skin, with the remnants flying through the air likely to be at least partially breathed in by the user an absorbed into their lungs. Thus, even a relatively low concentration limit can result in a very high total benzene exposure.”

Article Type: Lawsuit
Topic: Consumer
Tags: Deceptive Advertising, Deceptive Labels, Made or Constructed with Harmful Chemicals