Clearasil Lawsuit Claims Acne Treatment Products Contain Carcinogen Benzene

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The maker of the Clearasil Acne Spot Treatment line and other acne treatments faces a proposed class action lawsuit that alleges the skincare products contain undisclosed benzene and are thus adulterated, misbranded, illegal to sell and ultimately worthless.

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The 33-page lawsuit against manufacturer RB Health (US) says that the active ingredient in the company’s acne treatments, benzoyl peroxide (BPO), degrades over time into benzene, an impurity linked to leukemia and other cancers. The filing contests that the use of benzene in the products at issue, including the Clearasil Acne Spot Treatment line, is avoidable, and that the items are unsafe for their intended use.

“Defendant failed to detect or prevent the benzene in its Products, and Plaintiff and consumers were harmed as a result of Defendant’s failure,” the case alleges, noting that the presence of benzene is not disclosed in the Clearasil ingredients list or on product packaging.

Benzene is a component of crude oil, gasoline and cigarette smoke and has been determined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to cause cancer, the complaint shares. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies benzene as a Class 1 solvent that should not be used in the manufacture of drugs products due to its unacceptable toxicity, the filing relays.

Moreover, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cautions against direct exposure to benzene, the case says.

Scientifically speaking, the benzene in the Clearasil and other acne products at issue is created from the decomposition of benzoyl peroxide into “benzene radicals” via a process that is often accelerated by exposure to elevated temperatures, such as those potentially found in bathrooms or a hot car, truck or shipping container, the complaint relays.

Accredited analytical lab and online pharmacy Valisure tested 175 acne products that contain BPO and found “unacceptable levels” of benzene in RB Health’s Clearasil 10% BPO Cream, the case shares.

The suit calls the creation of benzene in Clearasil “a natural and foreseeable result of the Product’s distribution and handling, and is be [sic] common to all consumers.”

“Nonetheless, Defendant did nothing to mitigate both the possibility of and the harms associated with the degradation of benzoyl peroxide into benzene,” the proposed class action alleges. “Additionally, Defendant did not warn consumers regarding the risk of benzene or provide handling instructions to limit benzoyl peroxide degradation.”

As the suit tells it, direct benzene exposure from acne creams and gels is especially concerning given that such products are applied directly to the skin, meaning even a relatively low concentration of the chemical can result in very high total benzene exposure.

The Clearasil benzene lawsuit looks to cover anyone in the United States who bought RB Health’s acne treatment products containing BPO for personal or household use within the applicable statute of limitations period.

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