JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — We are taking a closer look at the sunscreens being pulled from store shelves, and what you should do if you have used any of them before.
Pharmacies and stores are pulling popular sunscreen products off the shelves after they were found to have low levels of benzene, a known carcinogen.
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After internal testing found low levels of benzene, a known carcinogen, Johnson & Johnson has started a voluntary recall of its products packaged in aerosol cans.
“For the simplicity purpose of it all, spray sunscreen is the best,” said Will Bryant, a beachgoer in Jacksonville Beach, who had heard of the recall.
“But when you’re looking for your future and the best thing for your body and your skin for later uses, I think the best thing is to stay away from that,” he pointed out.
Alice Beard agrees. She’s a physician assistant with 15 years of experience in dermatology.
“There really shouldn’t be any benzene in any of [the sunscreens],” she said.
“[Johnson & Johnson] certainly are doing what they should be doing, which is pulling the product off shelves,” she added.
This is a list of those products affected:
Aveeno Protect + Refresh Aerosol Sunscreen
Four Neutrogena sunscreen products:
- Beach Defense Aerosol Sunscreen
- CoolDry Sport Aerosol Sunscreen
- Invisible Daily Defense Aerosol Sunscreen
- UltraSheer Aerosol Sunscreen
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If you own any of these products, you can contact Johnson & Johnson directly for a refund. You can find more information on how to do that by clicking here.
Many stores like Walmart are also accepting in-person returns as well.
The list includes one product that Action News Jax reporter Jessica Barreto used, Neutrogena UltraSheer Body Mist Sunscreen (SPF 100+).
“Should I be concerned?” She asked Beard.
“I really wouldn’t be overly concerned,” Beard explained. “It’s always a good idea to have your general physical every year and if you’re having any symptoms of anything, to be checked. But these are trace amounts and most people inhale very little of it.”
Now instead of a sunscreen spray with chemical ingredients, Beard recommends a powdered sunscreen with mineral ingredients like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide.
But beyond the product itself, it’s about one ingredient.
“Look for zinc,” Beard emphasized. “Zinc is very, very important in our sun protection.”
She says minerals create an instant physical barrier, whereas chemicals need time to act as they absorb into the skin, absorb UV rays, and then convert those rays into heat.
“It’s more about it working right away and being reapplied,” Beard said.
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