Valisure Discovers Human Carcinogen In Some Acne Products
VALISURE DETECTS BENZENE IN POPULAR ACNE PRODUCTS
Valisure is one of the world’s leading independent quality assurance (QA) laboratories for pharmaceutical products. The company is dedicated to testing the purity and safety of pharmaceutical drugs and consumer products. Valisure was established in 2015 in New Haven, Connecticut.
Valisure Makes FDA Citizen Petition On Benzene In BPOs Available
The organization conducted extensive testing detailed in the Petition linked below and released the research findings on March 5. Valisure found that benzene (a well-known human carcinogen) could form at high concentrations in benzoyl peroxide acne treatment products (BPO’s).
BPO’s are considered drug products and are regulated by the FDA. Valisure's tests showed that on-label BPO products could form benzene more than 800 times the FDA’s conditionally restricted concentration limit of 2ppm for benzene. Current evidence indicates that this problem is widespread in BPO products on the market today.
Shockingly, the elevated benzene levels were found not only in BPO products but in the air surrounding BPO products as well. This indicates that benzene may leak out of certain product packages and present a risk of inhalation. Per their statement, when Proactiv® was incubated in a hot car at 70°C, benzene was found in the volume of air in the compact car (1,270x the EPA’s calculated threshold of increased cancer risk from long term inhalation exposure of benzene. (Valisure’s release statement: https://www.valisure.com/valisure-newsroom/valisure-detects-benzene-in-benzoyl-peroxide).
Because the benzene may originate within the product and also potentially be released into the nearby atmosphere, Valisure is urging additional inquiry and removal of BPO-containing products from the market. The information presented in their petition indicates that solely BPO-containing acne treatment products exhibit this problem of generating elevated levels of benzene, while other acne treatment products examined like those containing salicylic acid or adapalene, do not seem to be affected by this issue.
Learn more at the above mentioned link and find the petition here: