Benadryl recall 2025 — Everything to know amid risk of child poisoning 

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a recall of 100-mL bottles of Benadryl Liquid Elixir with X003VRIGUL on the label.

According to People's report, the agency announced on March 20 that at least 2,300 bottles of allergy medicine don't have child-resistant packaging, which can lead to child poisoning.

As per the media outlet, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission stated that diphenhydramine, the antihistamine in the recalled product, must be in child-resistant packaging, as required by the Poison Prevention Packaging Act (PPPA).

"The Benadryl contains diphenhydramine, which must be in child-resistant packaging as required by the Poison Prevention Packaging Act. The packaging of the products is not child-resistant, posing a risk of poisoning if the contents are swallowed by young children," the announcement stated.

According to MedlinePlus, diphenhydramine can cause serious harm to young children. It is advised to give medications that are right for a child's age. Medications meant for adults shouldn't be given to children as it can cause side effects or even death.

The 2,300 medicine bottles were sold on Amazon between July 2023 and October 2024 for $16 to $19. The media outlet reported that the consumers will be refunded.

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Benadryl was recalled due to the Poison Prevention Packaging Act; more details on the act

The antihistamine medication - Image via Getty

According to the National Library of Medicine's official website, U.S. President Richard Nixon established the Poison Prevention Packaging Act (PPPA) in 1970 in order to prevent children aged five and younger from accidentally consuming harmful chemicals.

The law requires hazardous products, prescription drugs, over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, and household chemicals to have child-restraining packaging. The website states that the PPPA had a positive impact on the elderly, children, and disabled people. The deaths of children aged five and under decreased by 1.4 per million.

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What did Benadryl's parent company's spokesperson say about the product's recall?

Kenvue is the parent company of multiple well-known brands, including Benadryl, Aveeno, Band-Aid, Combantrin, Zyrtec, Johnson's, Listerine, Mylanta, Neutrogena, Trosyd, Calpol, Tylenol, and Visine. A spokesperson of Kenvue told People that they take quality, packaging, and safety seriously and will investigate the issue regarding the recalled products.

"We take the quality, packaging, and safety of our products very seriously, and always recommend medication be kept out of the reach of children. We are investigating this matter as the recalled lot of Benadryl Liquid Elixir is not authorized for sale in the United States," they said.

They told the media outlet that the recalled product is manufactured in Canada and meets the country's regulations. They speculated that a third-party seller on Amazon may have sold it illegally in America.

"Benadryl Liquid Elixir 100 ml bottle is a product manufactured in Canada for Canadian consumers and meets Health Canada’s packaging regulations. It appears this product may have been diverted from Canada and inappropriately sold in the United States by an unauthorized third-party online seller," they said.

The spokesperson insisted that the other Benadryl products sold are fine and safe to consume as long as people follow the instructions on the label.

"This recall does not impact any other Benadryl product sold in the United States or Canada. Benadryl is safe when taken as indicated on the product label," they said.

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According to NBC, consumers can get a full refund after they submit their Amazon order number and a photo showing they discarded the recalled medicine to [email protected].