Current:Home > ScamsCancer-causing chemical found in skincare brands including Target, Proactive, Clearasil-LoTradeCoin
Cancer-causing chemical found in skincare brands including Target, Proactive, Clearasil
View Date:2024-12-23 21:21:05
High levels of a chemical known to cause cancer have been found at "unacceptably high levels" in popular acne products from brands like Proactive, Target's Up & Up, Clinique, and Clearasil, according to a recent report by independent laboratory Valisure.
Benzene, a known human carcinogen, was found to develop in products with benzoyl peroxide, a chemical used to treat acne, at a level of over 800 times the concentration limit of 2 parts per million set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the March 6 report said. The drug product was found to be "fundamentally unstable" especially when stored at high temperatures.
The report found a Proactiv product left in 158 degrees Fahrenheit of a hot compact car resulted in the detection of benzene at around 1,270 times the Environmental Protection Agency’s calculated threshold for increased cancer risk.
"There is not a safe level of benzene that can exist in any skin care product, over the counter or prescription," Christopher Bunick, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Dermatology at Yale University, said in a statement for Valisure. "The current data on BPO degrading into high levels of benzene is extremely concerning given its prominent use in skin care, and this study should serve as another wake-up call for improved manufacturing and quality control of consumer healthcare products."
The report also found that benzene can leak out of packaging and "pose a potential inhalation risk" to consumers, according to the report.
The company sent a citizen petition to the FDA on Tuesday describing its report and requesting "recalls and a suspension of sales for products containing the active pharmaceutical ingredient benzoyl peroxide."
An FDA spokesperson told USA TODAY the agency is reviewing the petition and the 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."
Benzene exposure
A colorless, flammable liquid, benzene is a widely used chemical to make rubbers, dyes, detergents, plastics and pesticides. The chemical is also naturally occurring, like forest fires. A major source of benzene exposure is tobacco smoke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A major health effect of long-term benzene exposure is on the blood, specifically bone marrow and a decrease in red blood cells, according to the CDC. The Department of Health and Human Services has linked long-term benzene exposure in the air to causing leukemia.
Valisure tested 175 prescription and over-the-counter acne treatments for the report and discovered 99 products containing benzoyl peroxide. Ninety-four of the products were found to have benzene "without any elevated temperature incubation."
Benzene was not detected in acne products that use salicylic acid or adapalene.
Is my sunscreen safe?Dozens of popular sunscreens have been contaminated with chemical that can cause cancer, report finds
'Necessitates urgent action'
In 2022, benzene was also discovered in certain dry shampoo products and, in 2021, contaminated sunscreens. Last December, the FDA issued a warning to drug manufacturers regarding the potential risk of benzene contamination in products such as hand sanitizers following another Valisure report.
"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," David Light, Valisure's co-founder and president, said in a statement. "This means the problem broadly affects benzoyl peroxide products, both prescription and over-the-counter, and necessitates urgent action."
The FDA has also raised concerns about Valisure's testing methods, asserting that the laboratory should adhere to the same processes as drug manufacturers, according to Bloomberg.
In a statement on Wednesday, Reckitt, a company that manufactures the popular skincare brand Clearasil, said its products "when used and stored as directed on their labels as intended, are safe."
"The products and their ingredients are stable over the storage conditions described on their packaging which represent all reasonable and foreseeable conditions. The findings presented by an independent lab today reflect unrealistic scenarios rather than real-world conditions."
Target and Alchemee, the parent company of Proactiv, did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.
The American Academy of Dermatology told USA TODAY it is reviewing the petition and is awaiting on the FDA for information and "next steps."
In the meantime, experts say to hold off on using acne products with benzoyl peroxide.
"If you are concerned about using acne products containing benzoyl peroxide, opt for other options such as topical retinoids, salicylic acid, or azelaic acid, or speak with a board-certified dermatologist," Terrence A. Cronin, Jr., MD, FAAD, President of the American Academy of Dermatology, told USA TODAY in a statement.
Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank, a board-certified dermatologist in New York, agreed and told USA TODAY that "generally benzoyl peroxide is considered a safe product, unless you are storing these agents in hot places, using them for long periods of time after storage, in general, should not be a problem."
The chemical is "one of the oldest and most common agents used in over-the-counter products," he added.
"Certainly, until further information is found, stay away from the products on the list. We should also always realize that we have to take care of our products (and) follow the instructions for storage. Generally, you want to keep products in a cool place, and in general, we want to keep as many chemicals, as a whole, off of our skin and out of our body."
Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at [email protected].
veryGood! (39842)
Related
- Supreme Court seems likely to allow class action to proceed against tech company Nvidia
- Lawmaker resumes push to end odd-year elections for governor and other statewide offices in Kentucky
- Tina Fey's 'Mean Girls' musical brings the tunes, but lacks spunk of Lindsay Lohan movie
- Jemele Hill criticizes Aaron Rodgers, ESPN for saying media is trying to cancel him
- Kelly Rowland and Nelly Reunite for Iconic Performance of Dilemma 2 Decades Later
- A suburban Chicago man has been sentenced in the hit-and-run death of a retired police officer
- Ancient letter written by Roman emperor leads archaeologists to monumental discovery in Italy
- 18-year-old accused of shooting man 15 times, hiding body in air mattress: Court docs
- Democrat Ruben Gallego wins Arizona US Senate race against Republican Kari Lake
- Lloyd Austin didn’t want to share his prostate cancer struggle. Many men feel similarly.
Ranking
- Trump is likely to name a loyalist as Pentagon chief after tumultuous first term
- ‘3 Body Problem’ to open SXSW, ‘The Fall Guy’ also to premiere at Austin festival
- Hangout Music Festival 2024 lineup: Lana Del Rey, Odesza, Zach Bryan to headline
- Amalija Knavs, mother of former first lady Melania Trump, dies at 78
- Where you retire could affect your tax bill. Here's how.
- Tickets to see Iowa's Caitlin Clark are going for more than $1,000. What would you pay?
- Wink Martindale's status with Giants in limbo: What we know after reports of blow-up
- Welcome to 'Baichella,' a mind-blowing, Beyoncé-themed 13th birthday party
Recommendation
-
Lane Kiffin puts heat on CFP bracket after Ole Miss pounds Georgia. So, who's left out?
-
Alabama can carry out nation's first execution using nitrogen gas, federal judge says
-
Natalia Grace's Adoptive Mom Cynthia Mans Speaks Out After Docuseries Revelation
-
SEC hasn't approved bitcoin ETFs as agency chief says its X account was hacked
-
Here's what 3 toys were inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame this year
-
U.S. says yes to new bitcoin funds, paving the way for more Americans to buy crypto
-
Natalia Grace's Adoptive Mom Cynthia Mans Speaks Out After Docuseries Revelation
-
Florida welcomes students fleeing campus antisemitism, with little evidence that there’s demand