Procter & Gamble Faces Another Class Action Lawsuit Over Old Spice, Secret Deodorant Benzene Problems

Just days after Old Spice and Secret deodorant benzene problems resulted in a massive recall, another class action lawsuit has been filed against Procter and Gamble, alleging that consumers should be reimbursed and compensated for purchasing products that may have endangered their health.

The complaint (PDF) was filed by Haley Canaday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California on December 1, pursuing damages for all consumers in the state of California who purchased Old Spice or Secret brands of deodorant since December 1, 2018

In early November, the independent testing pharmacy Valisure released a report that found high levels of benzene in Old Spice, Secret, Suave, and Tag deodorants and body sprays, resulting in a citizen’s petition that calls for the FDA to recall the affected products.

Acknowledging the Old Spice and Secret deodorant benzene problems, Procter & Gamble announced an Old Spice and Secret recall on November 23, pulling nearly twenty separate Proctor & Gamble aerosol antiperspirant spray products from the market. By that time, at least two similar class action lawsuits had already been filed.

This latest lawsuit alleges the company failed to inform those who purchased Old Spice and Secret deodorant spray products that the products contained benzene, and claims the company purposefully misled consumers.

“Making matters worse, Defendant discloses some ingredients, but failed to disclose the presence of benzene,” the lawsuit states. “Defendant’s misrepresentations and omissions about the Products were uniform and were communicated to Plaintiff, and every other member of the Class, at every point of purchase and consumption throughout the Class Period.”

The lawsuit seeks class action status, noting that consumers never would have purchased Old Spice and Secret deodorants had the labels indicated they contained benzene. It calls for Procter & Gamble to pay monetary damages for those who purchased the products, which were unknowingly worth far less than the premium price they paid for them.

Benzene is an industrial chemical associated with the development of several fatal forms of cancer, leukemia and other conditions, such as AML, Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL), Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), Hairy Cell Leukemia (HCL), Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma, Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDL), Myelofibrosis and Myeloid Metaplasia, Aplastic Anemia and Thrombocytopenic Purpura.

The FDA categorizes benzene as a Class I Solvent, which should not be used in the making of drug products because of its toxicity. However, if a product must contain benzene, it should be limited to 2 parts per million (ppm).

In addition to claims of false and misleading advertising, the Old Spice and Secret benzene lawsuits filed against Proctor & Gamble also claim tha the manufacturer failed to adequately screen its aerosol deodorant spray products for harmful chemicals, exposing consumers all across the nation to cancer causing chemicals.

The deodorant benzene problems follow the discovery of similar chemicals in many sunscreen spray products earlier this year, which led to a number of consumers filing sunscreen cancer lawsuits and class action claims against Johnson & Johnson, as well as other manufacturers.

Johnson & Johnson issued a Neutrogena and Aveeno sunscreen spray recall in July 2021, after confirming the known human carcinogens was present in its products. Since then, a number of similar class action complaints have also been filed in different U.S. District Courts nationwide, each raising similar allegations that Johnson & Johnson endangered consumers’ health by not warning them of the presence of benzene in brands of Neutrogena and Aveeno spray sunscreen, which could increase their risk of cancer.