REPORT: Cancer-Causing Chemicals Can Form in These Acne Products Sold in Louisiana, Texas

LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL News) - An independent investigative group is asking the FDA to issue a recall of certain anti-acne products sold across the country, including in Louisiana and Texas.

Their research indicates that a certain cancer-causing chemical called benzene can form in "unacceptably high levels" in both prescription and over-the-counter benzoyl peroxide products.

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Benzene is harmful because it is a known carcinogen, meaning it can cause cancer in humans. Prolonged exposure to benzene, typically found in industrial processes, tobacco smoke, and vehicle exhaust, has been linked to various cancers, particularly leukemia. Inhaling or coming into contact with benzene can also affect the blood, causing disorders like aplastic anemia.

Additionally, benzene is toxic to the central nervous system and can lead to harmful health effects, making it a significant concern for occupational safety and environmental health regulations.

The problem comes when one of these products is left in a hot car - which is pretty much any car in Louisiana and Texas during the summer. CNN detailed the problems found by the research group.

In one test, a ProActiv acne product was stored at 158 degrees Fahrenheit for nearly 17 hours. The lab not only detected benzene inside the product, benzene gas was found in the airspace around it – which was the equivalent of air typically found in a compact car – at around 1,270 times the threshold that the US Environmental Protection Agency has for long-term inhalation exposure to benzene, according to the lab.

It's worth noting, however, that it isn't all acne creams at risk of forming the potentially-cancerous chemical.

Other types of acne treatment products that were tested, such as those containing salicyclic acid or adapalene, did not appear to have the issue of forming high levels of benzene, according to the lab.

Benzene is one of the 20 most widely used chemicals in the United States, and people are exposed “mainly by breathing in air containing benzene,” according the American Cancer Society, which was not involved in Valisure’s report.

Valisafe, the company behind the research, was has issued its petition to the FDA. Co-Founder and President David Light warned of the dangers of these products in a statement on his firm's website.

“This discovery of benzoyl peroxide’s fundamental instability and formation of benzene is substantially different than Valisure’s previous findings of benzene in sunscreens, hand sanitizers and other consumer products," Light said. "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, 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 concluded.

The FDA has acknowledged that it received Valisure's petition. In a statement to CNN, it said, “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."

“The agency will continue to provide updates to the public regarding benzene in drug products, as appropriate,” the FDA said. “Drug manufacturers are required to ensure the safety and quality of their drugs.”

It's not the first time Valisure has discovered benzene in health products. In 2021, it submitted a petition to the FDA over concerns of the chemical being detected in certain brands of shampoo.