Johnson and Johnson, Costco settle lawsuits over recalled sunscreen

They said they expected to submit the settlement for court approval by Nov. 19.

J&J said in an emailed statement: "This agreement, which is subject to court approval, is not an admission of liability or wrongdoing ... We strongly dispute the merits of these lawsuits and stand behind our position that we marketed our sunscreen products appropriately and responsibly."

J&J voluntarily recalled four Neutrogena aerosol sunscreen products and one from Aveeno on July 14, after finding small amounts of benzene, a carcinogen. It said the levels it detected were too low to pose a health risk, but "out of an abundance of caution" pulled all lots of the products and offered refunds.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said following the recall it was investigating how benzene had ended up in the sunscreens.

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