Some of the most popular skincare products aimed to treat acne have been found to contain high levels of benzene, an ingredient that is linked to cancer and is usually found in gasoline, tobacco smoke and cleaning products.
An independent testing lab called Valisure made the discovery during a recent study where it found that acne treatment products that contain Benzoyl Peroxide such as Proactiv, Clinique and Clearasil significantly exceeded U.S. Food & Drug Administration guidelines that allow 2 parts per million of benzene in such products.
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When Vasilure tested 66 products that contain benzoyl peroxide at temperatures that replicate different environments where consumers may keep them in their homes, it found that Proactiv’s 2.5% benzoyl peroxide cream, contained 1,761 parts per million of benzene, Clinique’s cream contained 401 parts per million and Clearasil contained 308.
Valisure’s Co-Founder and President David Light claimed in a press release that the findings are “substantially different” from other consumer products it tested such as sunscreens and hand sanitizers.
“The benzene we found in sunscreens and other consumer products were impurities that came from contaminated ingredients; however, the benzene in benzoyl peroxide products is coming from the benzoyl peroxide itself, sometimes at hundreds of times the conditional FDA limit,” said Light. “This means the problem broadly affects benzoyl peroxide products, both prescription and over-the-counter, and necessitates urgent action.”
Benzene is a carcinogen that is “commonly used as a solvent in chemical and pharmaceutical industries,” according to the press release.
When people are exposed to Benzene, it can cause cells to work incorrectly, and it can damage the immune system by destroying white blood cells. Long-term effects of Benzene exposure can cause cancers such as Leukemia, have negative effects on bone marrow and cause excessive bleeding and bruising.
In an emailed statement to TheStreet, Reckitt, the company that owns Clearasil, claims that it is confident that all Clearasil products are safe "when used and stored as directed on their labels." It also claims that Valisure's findings do not reflect "real-world conditions."
“Clearasil products and their ingredients are stable over the storage conditions described on their packaging which represent all reasonable and foreseeable conditions," said Reckitt in the statement. "The findings presented by an independent lab today reflect unrealistic scenarios rather than real-world conditions.”
After Valisure’s recent findings in the new study, the company filed a petition with the FDA on March 5 asking the administration to recall the benzoyl peroxide acne products.
Benzene has prompted several product recalls from major brands in the past. For example, in 2022, Edgewell Personal Care recalled a batch of its Banana Boat Hair & Scalp Sunscreen SPF 30 due to the presence of Benzene. In January last year, it expanded that recall to include three more batches of the product.
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