Procter & Gamble recalled over 8.2 million bags of Tide, Gain, Ace, and Ariel laundry detergent packets due to defective child-resistant packaging that can split open near the zipper, posing ingestion and injury risks to children.
- Recall scope: More than 8.2 million bags sold in the U.S. and over 56,700 in Canada between September 2023 and February 2024
- Affected brands: Tide, Gain, Ace, and Ariel laundry detergent packets sold at Walmart, Target, CVS, and Amazon
- Safety risk: Outer packaging can split near zipper track, allowing children to access liquid detergent pods and risk ingestion, skin, or eye injuries
- No confirmed injuries: Four reports of children accessing packets during recall period, but connection to recalled bags unconfirmed
- Consumer action: Keep products away from children and contact P&G for full refund and replacement child-resistant bag; detergent itself is safe for laundry use
Procter & Gamble is recalling more than 8 million bags of Tide, Gain, Ace, and Ariel laundry detergent packets sold in the U.S. and Canada due to a defect in the products' child-resistant packaging.
According to Friday notices from both P&G and product-safety regulators in the U.S. and Canada, the outer packaging meant to prevent easy access to the liquid laundry detergent pods can split open near the zipper track, posing serious risks to children and others who may ingest them, in addition to possible skin or eye injuries.
So far, no confirmed injuries are directly tied to the defect. During the time period that the recalled lots were sold, there were four reports of children accessing the laundry packets in the U.S., including three ingestion cases — but whether these pods actually came from the recalled bags is still unknown, P&G and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said.
The recall impacts select batches of Tide, Gain, Ace, and Ariel laundry detergents that were manufactured between September 2023 and February 2024 and sold at major retailers, including Walmart, Target, CVS, and Amazon.
The recalled products, which can be identified by lot code, vary in scent and size. About 8.2 million were sold in the U.S., and more than 56,700 were sold in Canada.
Consumers in possession of the now-recalled bags are instructed to keep the products out of the reach and sight of children and contact Cincinnati-based P&G for a full refund and replacement child-resistant bag to store the detergent, which itself remains safe to use for laundry purposes.
Health risks tied to ingesting liquid laundry detergent have been well-documented — notably in light of the social media-fueled "Tide Pod challenge" that skyrocketed several years ago. Eating the detergents' chemicals can cause vomiting, diarrhea, liver and kidney damage, and even death.
Beyond online trends, experts warn that children are especially vulnerable to accidentally ingesting liquid laundry packets, as they may confuse the products with candy — urging consumers to always store them safely.
