Dove dry shampoo recall in US: Mkt too small, no impact likely in India

Hindustan Unilever (HUL) recalled its Dove and Tresemme aerosol dry shampoo in US after discovering they were contaminated with benzene, which can cause cancer, but the product continues to be sold in India on Nykaa and Amazon, as verified by Business Standard.

Nykaa had listed the US as the country of origin for the Dove and Tresemme dry shampoo products sold on its platform.   But the move is unlikely to have any significant impact on the company in India, say analysts.

“Even if Dove and Tresemme dry shampoos are taken off the market, the impact will be insignificant as it is a very small market in India,” said Sachin Bobade, vice-president, Dolat Capital.

“Unilever US and Canada voluntarily recalled select lot codes of dry shampoo produced prior to October 2021 out of an abundance of caution, after an internal investigation identified elevated levels of benzene. An independent health hazard evaluation concluded that levels of benzene detected do not pose a health risk,” HUL said in an email response to Business Standard. 

“No other Unilever products or markets are impacted by this voluntary recall.  HUL does not manufacture dry shampoos in India. If consumers have any questions, they can visit www.UnileverRecall.com for more information,” it added.

According to a USFDA notice dated October 21, “Unilever United States today issued a voluntary product recall to the consumer level of select lot codes of dry shampoo aerosol products produced prior to October 2021 from Dove, Nexxus, Suave, TIGI (Rockaholic and Bed Head), and TRESemmé due to potentially elevated levels of benzene.”

The notice also said, “Benzene is classified as a human carcinogen. Exposure to benzene can occur by inhalation, orally, and through the skin, and it can result in cancers, including leukemia and blood cancer of the bone marrow, and blood disorders, which can be life threatening.”

Retailers in the US have also been notified to remove these products from their shelves.

The notice said that Unilever worked with its propellant suppliers to address this issue.