The FDA issued a recall after lab testing found a half-dozen acne face washes and creams formulated with benzoyl peroxide contained unsafe levels of benzene.
Class action attorneys with Wisner Baum applaud the Food and Drug Administration’s recent action warning the public of possible benzene contamination in six acne medications.
On March 11, the FDA called for retailers to stop selling the products, which all contain benzoyl peroxide, and advised consumers to stop using them, after laboratory tests detected high levels of benzene in the products.
“Benzene is a human carcinogen and certainly not something anyone should be putting on the skin, the largest organ,” said Wisner Baum trial lawyer Stephanie Sherman. “The FDA’s recall is a win for consumer safety and a call to action. These product manufacturers must be honest about the amount of benzene in their acne products and immediately recall them if they are above 2 ppm, the maximum allowed. Consumers trust product manufacturers to test their products for safety before selling them to the public, which they did not.”
The recalled acne medications are:
- La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo Dual Action Acne Treatment, with an expiration date of April 2025
- Proactiv Emergency Blemish Relief Cream Benzoyl Peroxide 5% (October 2025)
- Proactiv Skin Smoothing Exfoliator (July 2025)
- SLMD Benzoyl Peroxide Acne Lotion (March 2025)
- Walgreens Acne Control Cleanser (September 2025)
- Walgreens Tinted Acne Treatment Cream (March 2026)
Wisner Baum has filed multiple consumer fraud class actions alleging the makers of Proactiv, Clearasil, and others engaged in deceptive and misleading advertising, and failed to test their benzoyl peroxide (BPO) acne treatments for benzene, a known carcinogen linked to leukemia and other blood disorders. Class actions are pending in California, Hawaii, Wisconsin and New Jersey.
The acne product lawsuits allege the named companies marketed and sold BPO creams, washes, and scrubs to teens and adults, knowing or having reason to know that the products degrade to benzene under normal use, handling, and storage, exposing consumers to harm without their knowledge or consent.
Degradation of benzoyl peroxide to benzene is a process that is well known in the industry having first been reported in scientific literature as early as 1936. Companies were required to ensure the products were safe for consumers before ever being sold.
Meanwhile, the defendants have not released any internal testing data, hoping that all the cases will be dismissed, Sherman said.
“Consumers have a right to know the ingredients in the products they apply to their skin and the potential health risks, allowing them to make informed choices,” Sherman said.
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The award-winning law firm of Wisner Baum has successfully litigated cases against many of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Since 1985, the firm has earned a reputation for breaking new legal ground, holding corporations accountable, influencing public policy, and raising public awareness on important safety issues. Using its longstanding tradition of success in the courtroom, the firm always strives to shine a spotlight on unsafe products or harmful practices to protect consumers from dangerous products. Across all areas of practice, the firm has won more than $4 billion in settlements and verdicts.
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