Can your favourite acne cream cause cancer?

An independent testing laboratory in the United States says it has found the cancer-causing chemical benzene in a number of widely used acne products. High levels of the chemical were discovered in some acne treatments from brands including Proactiv, Target Corp’s Up & Up, and Estee Lauder’s Clinique, according to a Reuters report.

The independent laboratory, Valisure, also filed a petition with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), asking the regulator to recall these affected products, all of which contain the ingredient benzoyl peroxide.

What is benzene? What is Valisure saying? Let’s take a closer look.

What’s benzene?

Benzene is a colorless liquid that is highly flammable and has a sweet odor. It is found in volcanoes, crude oil, gasoline, forest fires and cigarette smoke, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Benzene is used in the manufacturing of various industrial products, including chemicals, dyes, detergents, and some plastics.

Long-term exposure to elevated levels of the chemical can cause leukemia, a cancer of the blood cells.

The FDA states that benzene should not be used to produce “drug substances, excipients, or drug products because of their unacceptable toxicity.”

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, inhaling just 0.4ppm of benzene heightens the risk of cancer, leading to one additional cancer case per 100,000 people, Daily Mail noted.

In 2022, Connecticut-based Valisure found benzene in several consumer items such as sunscreens, hand sanitisers, and dry shampoo , prompting companies, including Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson, to recall their products.

The lab reported in 2019 that the active ingredient — ranitidine – in the heartburn drug Zantac could likely form a carcinogen called NDMA, resulting in the FDA pulling the drug from the market.

Do popular acne products have benzene?

Valisure tested 66 acne treatment products that have benzoyl peroxide, including creams, lotions, gels and washes available over the counter or via prescription, as per a Bloomberg report.

The FDA allows up to two parts per million of benzene. However, the testing lab said it found up to nine times that amount in some products.

Proactiv’s 2.5% benzoyl peroxide cream had 1,761 parts per million of benzene, Valisure’s testing revealed, noted Bloomberg.

An acne treatment from Estee Lauder’s Clinique had 401 parts per million of the chemical. Reckitt Benckiser-owned Clearasil showed 308 parts per million of the carcinogen when exposed to high temperatures for over two weeks, the report added.

The harmful chemical was also found in PanOxyl, Walgreens’ acne soap bar, and Walmart’s Equate Beauty acne cream among others, as per Reuters.

Valisure president David Light said this happens as benzoyl peroxide can decompose into benzene over time. The company said this was particularly seen when products were tested at higher temperatures.

Light told CBS News they tested the consumer items at higher temperatures as the acne medication can be exposed to heat for a long spell in many situations like sitting in a car on a sultry day or when taking a hot steam bath.

“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,” he was quoted as saying by Reuters.

In its petition to the FDA, Valisure urged the regulator to recall these products that have “unacceptably high levels” of benzene, launch an investigation and revise industry guidance, Reuters reported.

Reactions to the findings 

Reckitt said in a statement that “all Clearasil products, when used and stored as directed on their labels, are safe”. It also reportedly said that the findings “reflect unrealistic scenarios rather than real-world conditions”.

Estee Lauder said Clinique uses benzoyl peroxide in one product, which “is safe for use as intended”, according to Reuters. 

Estee Lauder and Reckitt’s shares fell 2 per cent respectively after the findings were made public. Taro Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd which produces Proactiv witnessed a tumble of 2.4 per cent at the close in New York on 6 March, reported Bloomberg.

“The discovery made by Valisure regarding benzoyl peroxide acne treatment products is deeply troubling and gives renewed importance to the need to empower the FDA to immediately act once we are made aware of the dangers of prescription or over-the-counter drugs,” US Representative Rosa DeLauro said in a statement.

“Benzoyl peroxide products saturate the current market and millions of consumers are unknowingly using a product that increases their exposure to life-threatening carcinogens,” Bloomberg cited her statement as saying.

An FDA spokesperson told CBS News that “the agency acts on information provided from a variety of sources, such as that provided by Valisure, but such data must be verified as accurate and reproducible before it can be utilised to make regulatory decisions such as recommending product sale suspensions and recalls.”

The FDA further said it would apprise the public about benzene in drug products, “as appropriate.”

With inputs from agencies