Cancer-Causing Chemical Can Form in Popular Acne Treatment Products

Benzene, a cancer-causing chemical, can form at high levels in acne treatment products containing benzoyl peroxide (BPO), according to a new report from Valisure, an independent laboratory. The lab conducts independent quality control for pharmaceuticals.

The Food and Drug Administration regulates over-the-counter benzoyl peroxide products.

Valisure’s lab results show that over-the-counter benzoyl peroxide products can form “over 800 times the conditionally restricted FDA concentration limit of 2 parts per million (ppm) for benzene, and the current evidence suggests that this problem applies broadly to BPO products currently on the market.” High levels of benzene were detected inside the products and in the air around incubated benzoyl peroxide products.

The lab tested Proactiv acne treatment at the temperature of a hot car, 158 degrees Fahrenheit, for nearly 17 hours. The lab detected benzene inside the product and found benzene gas in the airspace around it. Detection of benzene in the car’s air volume at 1,270 times the EPA’s calculated threshold for increased cancer risk.

Acne products sold in the US have been found to contain the cancer-causing chemical benzene https://t.co/ZwEZZ6F8wE

— Bloomberg (@business) March 6, 2024

Valisure’s tests on dozens of prescription and over-the-counter benzoyl peroxide products suggest that the medications currently on the market are “fundamentally unstable and can generate unacceptably high levels of benzene when handled or stored at higher temperatures that the products may be exposed to during handling by consumers.”

David Light, Valisure’s co-founder and president, stated, “This discovery of benzoyl peroxide’s fundamental instability and formation of benzene is substantially different than Valisure’s previous findings of benzene in sunscreens, hand sanitizers and other consumer products.”

He said the benzene in sunscreens and other consumer products were impurities from contaminated ingredients. However, the benzene in benzoyl peroxide products comes from the benzoyl peroxide itself, “sometimes at hundreds of times the conditional FDA limit.”

Light says this problem broadly affects benzoyl peroxide products, both prescription and over-the-counter, and necessitates urgent action.

Valisure is requesting an investigation and market withdrawal of BPO-containing products. Acne treatment products containing salicylic acid or adapalene don’t appear to have the same problem.

Benzene, a colorless or light-yellow liquid at room temperature, is a known human carcinogen. It is commonly used as a solvent in chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Trace amounts can be found in cigarette smoke, gasoline, glues, adhesives, cleaning products, and paint strippers.