Acne creams may contain high levels of carcinogen: study

Another blemish on their record?

A new analysis has once again found that dozens of popular acne creams and cleansers contain “unacceptably high levels” of a cancer-causing chemical.

Professors from Yale and Long Island universities and a team from Valisure, a Connecticut-based laboratory, tested 111 benzoyl peroxide (BPO) acne products, including Proactiv and Clearasil.

They determined that roughly a third contain benzene, a known carcinogen that has been linked to leukemia and blood disorders.

BPO is a topical antiseptic found in creams and face washes designed to combat pimples.

The findings, published last week in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, reported that a CVS brand face wash contained 13 times the amount of benzene deemed safe by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), while Proactiv contained 18 times the acceptable limit.

CVS Health Corp. told Time it is committed to ensuring its products are safe. A Proactiv spokesperson did not immediately return a Post request for comment.

“The discovery of benzene formation in benzoyl peroxide acne treatments presents a potentially serious public health risk,” Valisure co-founder and president David Light said. “Our research demonstrates that these products, widely used by consumers of all ages, can potentially contain or generate concerningly high levels of benzene, particularly under common environmental conditions.”

Earlier this year, Valisure filed a petition for recall with the FDA after testing 66 products with BPO as the main ingredient and finding up to 12 times the allowed amount.

Valisure said that over-the-counter and prescription products containing BPO can create levels of benzene that are more than 800 times the FDA’s concentration limit.

Light said at the time, “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.”

Valisure fielded criticism for the initial study, with detractors noting that the samples were kept at high temperatures and the analysis was not subject to peer review. In the latest analysis, which was peer-reviewed, researchers kept the products at room temp.

Researchers said that many of the same products tested in the original analysis, when kept at room temperature, contain levels of benzene within the acceptable limit of 2 parts per million.

However, some still registered well above that mark and researchers note that benzene levels can rise when exposed to UV light, indicating consumers could face increased risk while in the sun.

Dr. Christopher Bunick, a Yale associate dermatology professor and a co-author on the study, hopes his team’s findings will lead to change.

“Our research demonstrates that BPO products can generate benzene at typical room and store shelf temperatures, while cold storage significantly reduces this formation,” he said. “These findings suggest a need to recommend refrigeration of BPO products throughout the supply chain — from manufacturing to patient use — to limit benzene exposure.” 

As of late, concerning levels of benzene have been detected in an array of products.

In 2021, CVS pulled two store brand products after Johnson & Johnson said it voluntarily recalled five sunscreen products due to trace amounts of benzene.

Consumers filed a class action lawsuit against J&J over its recall of the affected products, including Aveeno and Neutrogena aerosol sunscreens.

In the summer of 2022, Banana Boat recalled three batches of its “hair and scalp” sunscreen spray after tests found it contained benzene traces.

Weeks later, more than two dozen popular dry shampoo aerosol products sold by multinational giant Unilever were recalled due to “potentially elevated levels of benzene.”