Popular skin care and acne products sold in the U.S. have been recalled due to elevated levels of benzene.
In a notice about the impacted product last Tuesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it had initiated independent testing of 95 acne products following third-party testing submitted to the agency raised concerns about elevated levels of benzene in certain acne products containing benzoyl peroxide.
What is benzene?
The FDA explains benzene is a chemical used in the production of many industrial products such as chemicals, dyes, detergents and even some plastics. .
“The health consequences of benzene exposure depend on the amount, route and length of time of exposure, as well as age and pre-existing medical conditions of the product user,” the .
What acne and skin care products have been recalled in the U.S.?
The FDA testing led to the recall of six products in the U.S.from La Roche-Posay, Walgreens, Proactiv and more.
The voluntary recalls are being conducted at the retail level, not the consumer level. That means while retailers are instructed to remove products from store shelves and online marketplaces, the recall doesn’t specifically tell consumers to take action on products they may already have.
The FDA highlights that even with daily use of these products for decades, the risk of a person developing cancer because of exposure to benzene found in these products is very low.
The FDA says its test results found fewer products with benzene contamination than the third-party testing. More than 90 per cent of tested products had undetectable or extremely low levels of benzene, according to the FDA.
The following products have been voluntarily recalled due to elevated levels of benzene:
- La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo Dual Action Acne Treatment MYX46W April 2025
- Walgreens Acne Control Cleanser 23 09328 September 2025
- Proactiv Emergency Blemish Relief Cream Benzoyl Peroxide 5% V3305A; V3304A October 2025
- Proactiv Skin Smoothing Exfoliator V4204A July 2025
- SLMD Benzoyl Peroxide Acne Lotion 2430600 March 2025
- Walgreens Tinted Acne Treatment Cream 49707430 March 2026
Are any products sold in Canada impacted by these recalls?
A Health Canada spokesperson said the six products recalled in the U.S. are not authorized for sale in Canada, so there’s no impact on the Canadian market.
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