Benzoyl peroxide, a powerhouse acne-fighting ingredient, has been all over the headlines recently. On March 6, the independent lab Valisure sent the FDA a citizen petition requesting a recall and suspension of sales of products with benzoyl peroxide after its test showed that benzoyl-peroxide acne treatments can break down and generate high levels of the carcinogen benzene when stored at high temperatures. (One Proactiv product resulted in the detection of benzene at around 1,270 times the EPA threshold for increased cancer risk, according to the report.)
While the study sounds pretty straight forward, there has been some backlash online since it was released. Some argue that the high temperature environment isn’t typically how most people would store their acne treatments, so there’s no imminent danger. When I reached out to Dr. Cula Svidzinski of Sadick Dermatology, she said it’s still best to avoid using products with benzoyl peroxide in case the product has been exposed to high temperatures (in a bathroom with a steam shower or near a radiator or heater, for instance), especially since we’re waiting for the FDA to reproduce and verify the data. “The study raised a lot of questions,” she says. “I understand the concern that the conditions are not realistic, but the FDA should clarify if the temperature needs to be sustained for benzoyl peroxide degradation or if one incident of elevated temperature of that product triggers it.”
Another complicating factor to the findings is that the study author, Valisure, has a patent pending on a method to prevent benzoyl peroxide from breaking down into benzene in drug products, meaning there’s potential financial incentive for the company to raise this issue. That doesn’t mean the findings are illegitimate, but again, more research is needed. “It is huge and definitely something to consider,” Dr. Svidzinski says. “However, the experiments appeared to be scientifically sound. So as of now, their conflict of interest does not negate the data.”
Conflict aside, there’s no doubt that benzene is a carcinogen. It’s also impossible to avoid. The World Health Organization estimates a range of benzene in outdoor air from 0.31 ppb in rural areas to 1.5–2.3 ppb in suburbs and cities, and exposure goes up while fueling your car at gas stations or cooking over a gas stove. So, it is best to try and reduce exposure to it when you can. “Major sources continue to be from active or passive smoking, auto exhaust or driving and riding vehicles,” Dr. Svidzinski says. “These are situations we have little control over, unfortunately. Given the cumulative risk, it is prudent to avoid or limit benzene exposure from all other sources if possible.”
Until there’s further research done by the FDA, Dr. Svidzinski is telling her patients to put a pause on benzoyl peroxide. Instead, she’s recommending that they use products with salicylic acid. And as for anyone who chooses to continue using benzoyl peroxide products, she says the best thing to do is keep the products refrigerated and avoid storing them near or in a heated area.
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