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An independent lab petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to recall popular prescription and over-the-counter acne treatments after testing showed the products contained “unacceptably high” levels of benzene, a chemical linked to cancer.
High levels of benzene, a chemical linked to cancer, can form in many popular acne treatments containing benzoyl peroxide, according to a new report by independent testing laboratory Valisure.
Valisure tested dozens of prescription and over-the-counter products, including popular brands Proactiv, Clinique, Clearasil and Target Corp.’s Up & Up, and found they can contain “unacceptably high” levels of the carcinogen.
Testing also revealed that benzene levels increase when the products are handled or stored at higher temperatures — such as left in a hot car or stored in a steamy bathroom.
The lab filed a Citizen Petition with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), sharing the results of its analysis and asking the FDA to recall the products and suspend their sales while regulators investigate the issue further.
Acne is one of the most common skin conditions in the U.S., affecting up to 50 million people per year in the U.S. Approximately 85% of adolescents experience the condition at some point.
Bloomberg reported that sales of over-the-counter U.S. acne treatments totaled $1 billion last year.
Acne medications containing benzoyl peroxide, which breaks down into benzene, are commonly recommended by dermatologists and health websites as an easily accessible over-the-counter treatment.
The American Academy of Dermatology guidelines strongly recommend benzoyl peroxide for treating acne topically.
Benzene, long known to be carcinogenic, is a popular chemical solvent commonly used in chemical and pharmaceutical industries and found in trace amounts in substances ranging from cleaning products to cigarette smoke and gasoline. It evaporates quickly, so much human exposure can come from the air.
According to the World Health Organization, “there’s no safe level” of exposure to benzene in the air we breathe.
Breathing or otherwise absorbing benzene over time can lead to leukemia and other blood disorders, according to the FDA.
“Valisure, a New Haven, Conn.-based testing laboratory, filed a petition with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which said that it tested 66 different products whose main ingredient is benzoyl peroxide, a topical antiseptic found in creams and face washes that are… pic.twitter.com/69qBP4NY5P
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) March 7, 2024
Over the last several years Valisure also identified high levels of benzene in sunscreen, hand sanitizers and other consumer products, leading the FDA to alert drug manufacturers and recommend against the use of benzene in pharmaceutical products.
Health Canada recalled some sunscreens. Companies including Johnson & Johnson, Unilever and Procter & Gamble Co. have also recalled aerosol sunscreens, antiperspirants and dry shampoos.
While those products contained high levels of benzene because of impurities from contaminated ingredients, Valisure President David Light said in a statement, “The benzene in benzoyl peroxide products is coming from the benzoyl peroxide itself, sometimes at hundreds of times the conditional FDA limit.”
“This means the problem broadly affects benzoyl peroxide products, both prescription and over the counter, and necessitates urgent action,” he added…
READ FULL ARTICLE HERE… (childrenshealthdefense.org)
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