‘Luxury’ brand Antica Farmacista recalls $42-per-bottle hand sanitizer after cancer causing chemical benzene found inside
- Bottles of $42 Antica Farmacista hand sanitizer have been recalled for containing a carcinogen
- A lot of the Antica Ocean Citron Hand Sanitizer that includes over 50 bottles was recalled last week
- All of the potentially-affected bottles have ‘Alaska Airlines’ branding on them, the company reports
- The sanitizer was found to be contaminated with benzene, a chemical linked to blood cancers and leukemia
A luxury hand sanitizer has been recalled for potentially containing the cancer-causing chemical benzene.
A lot of the Antica Ocean Citron Hand Sanitizer – which retail for $42 per 16 ounce bottle from Antica Farmacista – was voluntarily recalled by Salon Technologies International after internal lab testing found traces of the carcinogen. The lot includes over 500 bottles that also feature Alaska Airlines branding.
The chemical has been linked to blood cancers and leukemia, along with other blood disorders. The affected products have the lot number 1166A and expire on June 18, 2023.
The product is still being sold on the Antica Farmacista website as of mid-day Thursday. The company did not report any adverse events yet linked to their product – though benzene exposure could take years to develop into severe health issues.
A lot of Antica Ocean Citron Hand Sanitizer, which retails at $42 for a 16 ounce bottle, has been recalled after lab testing found benzene contamination
The company issued the recall voluntarily on Friday, with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) putting out an alert shortly after.
The bottles are branded as a high end ‘luxury’ products, costing nearly six-times what is charged by popular brands like Purell.
‘Our Hand Sanitizer is FDA-approved and is available in our top-selling scents,’ the company writes in its product description.
‘We’ve been working tirelessly to provide you with a luxury hand sanitizer that sanitizes effectively while leaving hands beautifully scented without sticky residue or feeling dry.’
The company did not immediately reply to a DailyMail.com request for comment.
It total, 512 bottles are affected by the recall. They all were shipped to the Seattle, Washington, area and are branded with an Alaska Airlines logo.
The FDA warns that benzene is used in many industrial products like dyes, detergents and some plastics.
It is also released into the air by cigarette smoke and the emissions from automobiles.
The agency lists hand sanitizers as a product that can sometimes face recalls over benzene exposure in particular.
‘The health consequences of benzene exposure depend on the amount, route, and length of time of exposure, as well as age and preexisting medical conditions,’ the agency writes in an explainer.
‘… In small amounts over long periods of time, benzene can decrease the formation of blood cells.
‘Long term exposure to benzene through inhalation, oral intake, and skin absorption may result in cancers such as leukemia and other blood disorders.’
Salon Technologies International, the parent company of Antica Farmacista, said that it has notified its distributors to stop using and return the recalled product.
It also requests that those who may be affected seek out medical attention if they believe they are suffering issues caused by exposure from the product.
Antica Farmacista, based in Seattle, describes itself as a luxury home fragrance brand.
Its offerings include body washes, lotions, diffusers, hand sanitizers and candles that cost as much as $200.
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