Deodorant Recall 2021: Secret, Old Spice Antiperspirant Pulled Over Cancer Risk

Procter & Gamble (PG) has issued a recall for a number of Secret and Old Spice products because they may contain benzene – a human carcinogen – which could cause cancer.

The recall affects select Old Spice and Secret aerosol spray antiperspirants and Old Spice Below Deck aerosol spray products sold in the U.S. with an expiration date through September 2023.

The Old Spice and Secret products were sold at retailers nationwide as well as online.

A full list of products, along with their UPC codes and images, can be viewed here.

According to the recall notice, exposure to benzene, if inhaled, orally ingested, or contact is made through the skin, can result in cancers that include leukemia and blood cancer of the bone marrow and blood disorders that can be “life-threatening.”

However, the Environmental Protection Agency published a risk assessment that showed that daily exposure to benzene in the recalled product is not expected to cause “adverse health consequences.”

Procter & Gamble said it has not received any reports of adverse events related to the recall and has red-flagged the products out of an “abundance of caution.”

Consumers are urged to stop using the affected Old Spice and Secret products. They should be discarded.

Procter & Gamble is offering a refund for consumers who have purchased the recalled Old Spice and Secret products. Consumers can visit www.oldspice.com or www.secret.com for more information about the recall and to learn how to receive a refund for the affected products.

For questions about the recall, consumers can call the company’s Consumer Care team at 1-888-339-7689, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST.

Individuals with problems from the impacted products should contact their healthcare provider.

All other Old Spice and Secret products, such as body sprays, solid sticks, soft solids, gel antiperspirants, and deodorants, are not impacted by the recall and can continue to be used as intended, according to the company.

As of Wednesday premarket hours, shares of Procter & Gamble were trading at $149.02, down 42 cents, or 0.28%.