The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has asked retailers to remove several acne products from store shelves. With skin care being a very hot and trendy topic among tweens and teens, these products could be in your home.
The acne products coming from brands like Walgreens, La Roche-Posay, and Proactiv are being recalled due to elevated benzene levels. The levels were found after the FDA tested 95 acne products that contain benzoyl peroxide.
Benzoyl peroxide is a common ingredient in over-the-counter products used to treat acne. However, Benzene can be found in these types of products when benzoyl peroxide breaks down at elevated temperatures, sometimes during storage and transportation. Benzene is a carcinogen.
The FDA conducted the testing after receiving results from a third party that raised concerns about elevated benzene levels. However, the FDA’s testing found fewer products with benzene contamination than the third party’s.
The FDA says more than 90% of the products it tested had either undetectable or extremely low levels of benzene and therefore are safe. But it did find a limited number of products to recall.
What Acne Products Are Affected?
There are six products from various brands that are voluntarily being recalled. The FDA notes in its alert that the recalls are being conducted at the retail level and not at the consumer level. That means stores have to remove these products from their shelves and online. But consumers generally do not need to take any action if they have these products at home.
According to the FDA’s notice, “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.”
Here are the products affected:
| Product | Lot | Expiration |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
The maker of another acne product, Zapzyt Acne Treatment Gel, has also agreed to voluntarily recall its product due to an elevated level of benzene it found during its own testing.
What is Benzene and Why Is It Dangerous?
Benzene is a chemical used to make a variety of products. But it can also be found in nature. For example, it is a natural chemical found in crude oil, gasoline, and cigarette smoke. You may have heard about previous recalls over benzene concerns in products such as aerosol antiperspirants and sunscreens, and hand sanitizers.
According to the FDA, the health risks of benzene depend on the amount, route, and length of time exposed. A person’s overall health and age can also be a factor. In general though, the risk of someone developing cancer because of exposure to benzene found in things like acne treatment products is low.
But there are health risks. Benzene can decrease blood cell formation if exposed in small amounts over a long period of time. The FDA says longer-term exposure to benzene by inhaling it, ingesting it, or absorbing it through the skin could result in a person developing cancer.
