A recent report links benzoyl peroxide skin care products, often used for acne, to an increased risk of cancer. One local dermatologist says more context is needed, and her message is: don’t panic.
“A small, independent research organization called Valisure recently did a study where they took, essentially, cleansers containing this benzoyl peroxide, and tested them for the presence of benzene,” said Dr. Randa Khoury, a dermatologist with Kaiser Permanente in Virginia.
“Benzene is a known carcinogen,” Khoury explained.
She said it’s also one of the compounds that makes up benzoyl peroxide. When combined with other compounds to make benzoyl peroxide, benzene is not harmful. But on its own is when it becomes toxic.
The Valisure study found that certain over-the-counter benzoyl peroxide products, from well-known brands like ProActiv, CeraVe, La-Roche Posay, and CVS & Walgreens brands, among others, could generate up to 800 times the FDA-recommended amount of benzene.
“But only under certain conditions,” Khoury emphasized. “Context matters.”
Khoury said in the Valisure study, benzoyl peroxide products were exposed to high temperatures over long periods of time; think of spending over 12 hours inside a locked car on a hot summer’s day.
“Everything in that study was under pretty abnormal circumstances,” she told WTOP. “It’s just science, right? If you heat something up, it’s going to break down into its component parts.”
She said that’s exactly what happened with benzoyl peroxide breaking down into benzene.
“The way that we’re storing the product, the temperature at which we’re storing the product, plays a large role in the stability of the chemical compounds in these products,” Khoury reflected.
She said the moral of the story here is to be mindful of how you store your own skin care products, especially if you use benzoyl peroxide.
“Benzoyl peroxide is a workhorse of the skin care industry, and can be highly effective and useful in treating conditions like acne,” Khoury said. “I do not plan to discontinue use of this product for myself and my children. I don’t plan to discontinue recommending it. But I will include a disclaimer for patients, reminding them on their label to avoid storing the products in high-heat areas.”
Khoury said companies that ship these products around the country, and the world, also need to be responsible in handling these products.
“With most products, there are storing and shipping guidelines, and tools like temperature-controlled packaging. However, we need more safe handling guidelines implemented for these products in particular,” Khoury said.
“I am confident that many in our industry are already doing what they need to do to ensure these products are stored and arrive on shelves safely, but it wouldn’t hurt to mandate these guidelines and make them uniform across the skin care industry — for benzoyl peroxide products in particular,” she said.
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