Benzoyl peroxide, otherwise known as BPO, has long been a standard treatment for acne patients, with prescription formulas and over-the-counter products widely available. However on Wednesday, March 6, Valisure, an independent quality assurance lab, released research that the incredibly popular ingredient can release “unacceptably high levels” of benzene, a known carcinogen. They have since issued a petition for the Food and Drug Administration to weigh in and recall products containing benzoyl peroxide, however the FDA has not commented at this time—and none of the brands cited in the study have commented on the study.
That begs the question: How concerned should you be about the products currently sitting on your bathroom shelf? “We are all constantly exposed to small amounts of benzene through our environment. Even with the exposure to the amounts in the report, the damage would take years, not days or weeks, to cause any noticeable harm,” board-certified dermatologist Dr. Munheeb Shah shares via Instagram. “Benzoyl peroxide products have never been shown to cause cancer in humans, but that doesn't mean it’s not possible.”
