The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week said that voluntary recalls for acne products have been initiated after the agency tested them and found benzene, a carcinogenic substance.
In a statement Tuesday, the FDA said that 95 acne products that contain benzoyl peroxide were tested and that a “limited number of products should be recalled at the retail level.” However, more than 90 percent of the products were tested to have “undetectable or extremely low levels of benzene,” the agency said.
The FDA listed six products that had elevated levels of benzene, including: La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo Dual Action Acne Treatment, lot number MYX46W and expiration date of April 2025; Walgreens Acne Control Cleanser, lot number 23 09328 and expiration date of September 2025; Proactiv Emergency Blemish Relief Cream Benzoyl Peroxide 5%, lot numbersV3305A and V3304A with an expiration of October 2025; Proactiv Skin Smoothing Exfoliator, lot number V4204A with an expiration of July 2025; SLMD Benzoyl Peroxide Acne Lotion, lot number 2430600 with an expiration of March 2025; and Walgreens Tinted Acne Treatment Cream, lot number 49707430 with an expiration of March 2026….