Secret, Old Spice, Power Stick, Right Guard Body Sprays Contain Undisclosed Benzene, Lawsuits Allege

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Three proposed class action lawsuits respectively allege that certain varieties of Secret-, Old Spice-, Power Stick- and Right Guard-brand body sprays contain undisclosed benzene, a carcinogenic substance considered to be especially dangerous when applied directly to the skin.

The cases, filed against The Procter & Gamble Company, maker of Secret and Old Spice; A.P. Deauville, LLC, who makes Power Stick aerosols; and Thriving Brands and the Henkel Corporation, the companies behind Right Guard, allege the following aerosol body sprays are falsely and deceptively labeled since their packaging does not mention that benzene is an ingredient: 

• Secret Powder Fresh 24 Hour Aerosol Antiperspirant;
• Secret Cool Light & Airy Smooth Feel Dry Spray Antiperspirant;
• Secret Out Last Protecting Powder, 48 Hour Sweat & Odor Protection Antiperspirant;
• Old Spice Pure Sport Antiperspirant;
• Old Spice Sweat Defense, Stronger Swagger Dry Spray;
• Old Spice Sweat Defense, Ultimate Captain Dry Spray;
• Right Guard Sport, Fresh, Up to 48 HR Odor Protection;
• Right Guard Sport, Powder Dry, Up to 48 HR Odor Protection; and
• Power Stick All-Day Fresh Body Spray, Cool Blast. 

The suit against Procter & Gamble, citing the Department of Environmental Protection, states that benzene is used as a constituent in motor fuels; as a solvent for fats, waxes, resins, oils, inks, paints, plastics, and rubber; in the extraction of oils from seeds and nuts; and in photogravure printing. It is also used as a chemical intermediate and in the manufacture of detergents, explosives, pharmaceuticals and dyestuffs, the case says. 

Per the lawsuit against Thriving Brands and Henkel, benzene, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, can cause severe health issues such as anemia, immune system damage and cancer, with direct exposure to the skin being “particularly concerning.” 

“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 and absorbed into their lungs,” the suit says. “Thus, even a relatively low concentration limit can result in a very high total benzene exposure.” 

Central to all of the complaints is a study done by International Organization for Standardization-accredited analytical laboratory Valisure LLC. Each case relays that Valisure found after independently testing a number of batches of body sprays that the products listed above contained benzene, even though the manufacturing process could have been organized so as to ensure that each product was entirely free of the carcinogen.

In its petition to the FDA, Valisure asked the federal agency to recall affected batches of body sprays, notify the public of the products’ apparent dangers and conduct further examination and testing, the lawsuit states. 

The suits contend that consumers, increasingly concerned about the effects of synthetic and chemical ingredients in the things they buy, would not have bought the body sprays at issue had they known they were buying products that “are in no way safe for humans and are entirely worthless.” The lack of any mention of benzene on the products’ labels indicates to buyers that the body sprays are free from such chemicals, the cases argue. 

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