Ah, summertime. Time for trips to the beach, dips in the pool, and relaxing in the sun. Just don’t forget your sunscreen!

Sunscreen is a necessity for preventing skin cancer, or any type of damage that the sun can do to your skin. Without the proper protection, your skin can really take a beating.

There’s just one problem: According to a new study, it turns out that certain types of sunscreen may actually contain a cancer-causing chemical.

In the recent study by Valisure, an online pharmacy that tests medications and supplements for safety and consistency, 27% of nearly 300 sunscreen products tested were found to contain benzene, a known human carcinogen that has been linked to leukemia and other cancers of the blood cells.

In fact, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the World Health Organization, and other regulatory agencies all say that benzene can cause cancer in humans.

“Benzene is one of the most studied and concerning human carcinogens known to science,” said David Light, Founder and CEO of Valisure. “Its association with forming blood cancers in humans has been shown in numerous studies at trace levels of parts per million and below.”

That’s right, something that can cause cancer is lurking inside a product that’s supposed to prevent cancer! How’s that for a Catch 22?

“The presence of this known human carcinogen in products widely recommended for the prevention of skin cancer and that are regularly used by adults and children is very troubling,” he added.

This isn’t the first time benzene has been detected in a product. In March, Valisure found high levels of benzene in various hand sanitizers produced in the U.S. when the COVID-19 pandemic began.

While it’s not clear about how much benzene is okay to have in a product like sunscreen and whether the contaminated products are still safe, it’s still better to take precautions.

As a result of the study, Valisure is calling for a recall of the contaminated batches. In addition, they’re requesting that the FDA update their limits for benzene contamination in drug and cosmetic products.

To learn more about benzene and the sunscreens that may contain the chemical, check out the news report below!

Do you use any of these brands of sunscreen that contain benzene? Were you aware that they contained this chemical or how harmful it could potentially be for you?