High levels of benzene, a cancer-causing chemical, can form in acne treatment products that contain benzoyl peroxide. New report from Valisureindependent laboratory.
The report states that “both prescription and over-the-counter benzoyl peroxide products may contain unacceptably high levels,” noting that some products can contain more than 800 times the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s test results. Concentration limit for gasoline.
Dozens of tests involving these products have shown that when benzoyl peroxide acne treatments are stored or treated at high temperatures — such as in a hot car above 150 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 14 days — they can produce large amounts of benzene, the lab announced Wednesday.
In one test, a ProActiv acne product was stored at 158 degrees Fahrenheit for 17 hours. The laboratory found not only gasoline in the product, but gasoline gas in the surrounding air – which is the same as the air in a conventional compact car – about 1,270 times that of the US Environmental Protection Agency. Long-term breathing problems for gasolineAccording to the laboratory.
Other acne treatment products tested, such as salicyclic acid or adapalene, did not appear to cause high levels of benzene, according to the lab.
Gasoline is one of the 20 most widely used chemicals in the United States. And people are exposed “primarily by breathing air containing gasoline.” American Cancer SocietyNot involved in the Valisure report.
Gasoline is a chemical created from natural and man-made processes and is quickly released into the air.
It can be used to make chemicals such as plastics and synthetic fibers US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is also used in a variety of products, including lubricants, dyes, soaps, and medicines.
“Natural sources of gasoline include volcanoes and forest fires. “Also, benzene is a natural component of crude oil, gasoline, and cigarette smoke,” the CDC says.
on tuesday, Valisure sent a citizen petition. A preliminary analysis of 175 acne treatment products for the FDA laboratory revealed that 99 of them contained benzoyl peroxide, and among those products, native benzene was found specifically in 94.
The petition urges the FDA to “request a recall and ban the sale of products containing the active pharmaceutical ingredient benzoyl peroxide.”
An FDA spokeswoman said in a statement Wednesday that it had received the citizen’s complaint and would respond directly to the petitioner and post the response in a prepared public document.
“The agency works with information from various sources, such as that provided by Valisur, but such information must be verified as accurate and reproducible, but before it can be used to make regulatory decisions to recommend product sales bans and recalls,” the statement said.
“The agency will continue to provide updates to the public regarding benzene in medicinal products as needed,” he said. “Drug manufacturers must ensure the safety and quality of their drugs.”
Last year FDA warned drug manufacturers Risk of some gasoline contamination in certain products Hand sanitizers And they pointed out that aerosol pharmaceutical products, benzene is a known human carcinogen that causes leukemia and other blood diseases.
sought comment from some of the brands mentioned in the agency’s citizen complaint letter, but not all of them immediately responded.
Regarding the benzoyl peroxide products that fall under Reckitt Benckiser’s brand Clearasil, “Reckitt is confident that all Clearasil products are safe when used as intended and stored as directed on their labels,” the company said in a statement Wednesday.
“The safety and quality of our products is our top priority and we work closely with regulators around the world to ensure our products are safe and effective for their intended use,” the statement said. “Clearasil products and ingredients are stable under the storage conditions described on their packaging, which represent all reasonable and foreseeable conditions. The findings presented today by an independent laboratory reflect realistic conditions, not unrealistic conditions.”
Valuer and other companies have already filed patent applications on formulas or techniques to help reduce the rate of benzene formation. in products. Valisur spokeswoman Karah Goldberg said in an email Wednesday that “Valisur is aware of no patents issued, only applications submitted.”
This is not the first time Valisure has sent a citizen complaint to the FDA regarding concerns about gasoline. In 2022, the lab was discovered Benzene in dry shampoo products And the FDA was urged to request a recall, and in 2021, Valisure was discovered Benzene in sunscreen.
“This discovery of the fundamental instability of benzoyl peroxide and the formation of benzene is very different from Valisur’s previous discoveries of benzene in sunscreens, hand sanitizers and other consumer products,” Valisur founder and president David Light said in a statement Wednesday.
“The benzene we found in sunscreens and other consumer products was waste from contaminated ingredients; but the benzene in benzoyl peroxide products comes from benzoyl peroxide itself, sometimes hundreds of times the FDA limit,” he said. It affects both prescription and over-the-counter sales on a large scale and requires urgent action.”