Batiste Dry Shampoo in Bare 200ml, Barely Scented Light Fragrance, No Rinse Spray to Refresh Hair in Between Washes

Product Information

Benzene, which is at the center of the Batiste Dry Shampoo Class Action Settlement, is a well known odorless, and colorless chemical. Prolonged exposure to benzene carries serious health risks and consequences. Thus, the CDC and FDA recommend that consumers be aware of ingesting or consuming benzene in products, as well as the environment. For more about benzene, read the CDC's fact sheet on the chemical here. We’ve reached out to Batiste to ask about this issue, and we’ll update this article if and when they give us an answer! Does Batiste Dry Shampoo Have Aluminum? When Valisure tests a product, it uses a standard procedure that requires putting a sample into a vial. This means some chemicals may escape before they’re measured. Syft uses a method that detects chemical levels in the air, including whatever is sprayed from an aerosol can. Using Syft’s data, Valisure determined it’s possible the actual benzene levels in spray-on dry shampoo could be 10 times to 50 times higher than what standard testing reveals. the individual using the product (some people are much more sensitive to these ingredients than others) However, now that we have the test results from the Valisure independent lab testing, we now know that Batiste does indeed contain benzene. At this time, Batiste still has not been recalled, even though the Valisure petition is calling on the FDA to do a mandatory recall.

Dry shampoo is a cosmetic, which the FDA regulates, but not nearly as stringently as it does drugs. No limitsLimonene, Linalool, Geraniol: These are iffy ingredients. They’re found naturally in many plants (mostly citrus), but they can also be extracted and made synthetically. These ingredients are classified as irritants, allergens, and sensitizers, but their potential to cause damage depends a lot on: Some companies have pointed to propellants as the problem. Spray personal-care products, including dry shampoos, often contain propellants like propane and butane that are petroleum distillates made by refining crude oil. Benzene is a known contaminant of petroleum products. The propane and butane used in personal-care products are supposed to be purified so that no benzene is present. The FDA has confirmed propellants are a potential source of benzene contamination.

Propane: Propane is the last of the ingredients used as a propellant for aerosol sprays. It’s not as bad as the previous two ingredients, but it’s not great either, as it is also a known irritant. Propane is NOT on MADE SAFE’s banned list (although many similar ingredients are). It gets a score of 3 in EWG’s database, which is considered the low end of moderate. P&G was the first to recall dry shampoo in December, pulling Pantene and Herbal Essences versions from shelves. The move came after P&G tested its entire aerosol portfolio following the revelations from Valisure’s previous work. No other major consumer-goods manufacturer has publicly disclosed similar internal testing. Sunscreens, sanitizers Benzene is a known carcinogen, most specifically linked to leukemia. P&G sums it up pretty well in their statement: Distearyldimonium chloride: This ingredient is a known irritant. According to the Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics, it is an asthmatic sensitizer, which means it can actually cause (not just exacerbate) asthma.It’s important to keep in mind that benzene has not been added to these products intentionally; rather, it is a contaminant. This is why it’s practically impossible to tell whether or not a certain product contains benzene without someone actually testing it. In general, though, there is increasing concern about aerosol products of all kinds containing benzene—not just dry shampoo but also other things like spray sunscreen and deodorant. Batiste Ingredient Investigation Batiste is owned by Church & Dwight Co. Other brands you might know of owned by Church & Dwight Co. include Arm & Hammer, Oxi Clean, Orajel, Trojan, First Response, Nair, and Kaboom. What to Use Instead of Batiste If you’ve used dry shampoo from haircare line Batiste, you may be able to cash in on an incoming multimillion-dollar settlement. There is also an ongoing voluntary recall for certain dry shampoo products like Dove, Tresemme, Suave, Nexxus, and other dry shampoos and conditioners produced by Unilever that may contain benzene. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. is fully committed to ensuring and protecting animal welfare. We use only materials already known to be safe. It is our policy not to test on animals, and we also request that suppliers not test any materials or products on animals, unless required by law or regulation.”

Is this popular dry shampoo brand a part of the recall? – No, it’s not part of the December 2021 recall nor the October 2022 Unilever recall (in part because Batiste is not owned by either of those companies.)

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A similar situation resulted in a massive national product recall. The consumer recall was issued by Proctor and Gamble in 2022 over the same ingredient, known as benzene, over certain P&G shampoos and conditioners such as Pantene, Aussie, Herbal Essences, HairFood, Old Spice, and Waterless. Yes. Valisure tested many different kinds of Batiste dry shampoo (including ones like “Bare,”“Floral & Flirty Blush,”“Divine Dark,” and others). Benzene was found in almost all of them, all the way up to 14.9 part per million (ppm). (The FDA currently has benzene limits set at 2ppm.) Valisure has asked the FDA to clarify that there isn’t an acceptable level of benzene in cosmetic products and to develop guidelines for benzene testing in cosmetics.

P&G has been making headlines this past week (December 2021 if you’re reading this in the future) by voluntarily recalling 32 of its dry shampoo products because they were found to contain “unexpected levels”of benzene, a known carcinogen. P&G brands affected included Aussie, Hair Food, Herbal Essences, Old Spice, Pantene, and Waterl