If you've experienced chronic acne, you know there's nothing worse than a flare-up. Whether you're 13 or 30, acne can plummet your self-confidence and lead you to feel like you want to hide away. If acne creams are a mainstay in your grooming routine, listen up. Dozens of acne creams—including popular brands like Proactiv and Clearasil—were recently found to contain high levels of benzene, a cancer-causing chemical. And this isn't the first time .
The US National Toxicology Program (NTP) which includes the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have classified benzene as “known to be a human carcinogen."
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The analysis recently published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology tested more than 100 prescription and over-the-counter benzoyl peroxide acne products that can be found at major retailers nationwide. The acne products ranged from wash-away cleansers and topical creams to gels, lotions, and more. The products were first incubated at body temperature, then elevated similar to how they would be kept during storage and transportation.
Researchers found that nearly one-third of the products were contaminated with high levels of benzene.
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Out of all of the products, Proactiv had some of the highest amounts—around 18 times the amount allowed in U.S. drugs, to be exact. Similarly, a product owned and crafted by CVS contained 13 times the FDA’s recommended safe levels.
“The results presented here suggest that a substantial portion of the BPO [benzoyl peroxide] acne treatment market currently contains unacceptably high levels of benzene in products sitting on the shelf,” the study’s researchers stated.
This isn't the first time the FDA has been scorned for its lack of attention to cancer-causing chemicals in acne products either. Another report that was published in March of this year also reported high levels of benzene in other acne treatment products containing benzoyl peroxide. The researchers found that some of the products formed more than 800 times the “conditionally restricted” US Food and Drug Administration concentration limit for benzene. With their findings, the lab sent a petition to the FDA urging to recall and suspend the sale of said products.
The FDA responded in a statement saying “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 utilized to make regulatory decisions such as recommending product sale suspensions and recalls."
Unfortunately, you won't be able to see if a product contains benzene just by looking at its label. If you're concerned about the safety of your products consult lists from independent labs like Valisure or The Environmental Working Group (EWG) to check for products tested for benzene.
Find the list of products studied, here .
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