Hundreds of thousands of foaming hand soaps sold at retailers like Walmart and online were pulled from store shelves and are being recalled over concerns they were contaminated with a potentially harmful bacteria.
The Food and Drug Administration lists four kinds of Scent Theory’s foaming hand soaps that are subject to voluntary recall. The FDA says the products may be contaminated with Burkholderia cepacia.
The impacted products are Scent Theory’s 11oz bottles of foaming hand soap in Lemon Citrus, Vanilla Coconut, Eucalyptus Mint and Fresh Lavender.
Burkholderia cepacia poses little medical risk to healthy people, but can cause infection for those with weakened immune systems or lung disease, according to the CDC.
The soaps were distributed nationwide, including Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. The FDA notesthat more than 636,000 bottles are being recalled, however it is not clear if that number reflects the total number of all four scents or for each one individually.
Scent Theory’s website and social media does not mention the recall, and their online shop is not available, reading “Collection All Products is empty.” The company has not responded to a request for more information at this time.
Exact lot numbers for the recalled items can be found on the FDA’s website. The agency does not provide information on what to do with the recalled products, nor does Scent Theory. Customers can contact the FDA between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at 1-(888) 723-3366 or visit https://www.fda.gov/fcic.
