Crisis Point: Benzene Concerns in Acne Care

A March 6, 2024 announcement by Valisure, an autonomous quality assurance organization, revealed that there may be concerningly high levels of the human carcinogen known as benzene in benzoyl peroxide (BPO)-based acne products.1

This announcement was followed by a decision by Valisure to file its 8th US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Citizen Petition. The announcement and subsequent data released by investigators associated with the organization were significant, as their suggestion that products using BPO may be fundamentally unstable.2 Notably, there are conditional limits by the FDA of 2 parts per million for benzene in skincare products.

The report and its related studies cumulatively represented a significant story in the dermatology field in 2024, as they had assessed a wide variety of different prescription and over-the-counter benzoyl peroxide products. The data highlighted several important points, such as the finding that exposure to higher temperatures can result in the generation of unacceptably high levels of benzene.

HCPLive® Crisis Point is an in-depth mini-docuseries which is designed to take a comprehensive look into various public health issues such as these within the United States. Issues such as this may have worldwide implications.

In this new episode of the series, 3 experts were interviewed for their insights regarding these recent findings and the concerns surrounding benzene in skin care products for acne. These experts included:

• David Light, president and co-founder of quality assurance organization Valisure, LLC.
• Christopher Bunick, MD, PhD, associate professor at Yale School of Medicine.
• Neal Bhatia, MD, director of clinical dermatology at Therapeutics Clinical Research and chief medical editor for Practical Dermatology.

These individuals have each provided their own take on the topic, discussing the findings themselves, each of their views on the implications, and their recommendations for healthcare providers and patients in the near future given these data.

Thank you for watching. Stay tuned for more from HCPLive Crisis Point.

References

1. Valisure Detects Benzene in Benzoyl Peroxide. Valisure. March 6, 2024. https://www.valisure.com/valisure-newsroom/valisure-detects-benzene-in-benzoyl-peroxide. Date accessed: December 21, 2024.
2. Kucera K, Zenzola N, Hudspeth A, et al. Evaluation of benzene presence and formation in benzoyl peroxide drug products. J Invest Dermatol. October 7, 2024. https://www.jidonline.org/article/S0022-202X(24)02155-9/fulltext. Date accessed: October 7, 2024.