Holding Skincare Manufacturers Accountable for Benzene Contamination in Popular Acne Products

If you used certain acne skin care products in recent years, you may have been exposed to benzene, a chemical known to cause cancer. Benzene may have been in the products as a result of an ingredient breaking down over time. If you’ve been exposed to benzene and injured as a result, you may be entitled to compensation.

Satterley & Kelley, PLLC lawyers in Louisville represent those in Kentucky and across the nation with cancer and other diseases caused by chemical exposure. If you have a benzene-related condition, we should discuss your potential legal claims. Call us at 855-385-9532 to learn more.

What Is Benzene?

Benzene is a colorless or yellow liquid at room temperature. It is flammable, has a sweet smell, and quickly turns from a liquid to a gas. It’s naturally occurring and is artificially created. It’s part of crude oil, gasoline, and cigarette smoke. It’s also released during volcanic eruptions and forest fires. 

You may not notice it at low levels and be exposed without your knowledge. Benzene is one of the most widely produced chemicals in the US. It’s used to make plastics, rubber, dyes, and medicines. Most of us are exposed to it by inhaling air that contains it. Sources include car exhaust, cigarette smoke, and gasoline fumes.

How Does Benzene Harm the Human Body?

Benzene harms the body by attacking the bone marrow, which is soft tissue inside bones where blood cells are made. Benzene can slow or stop the bone marrow from producing enough cells that carry oxygen, fight infections, and help stop bleeding. If it lowers the number of white blood cells, your immune system will weaken so that you may be more prone to infections and diseases, and there may be more harmful cells in your body.

Benzene also damages DNA, the set of instructions telling cells how to grow and function. When this happens inside bone marrow cells, they can eventually become cancer cells. Some effects of benzene can appear quickly after exposure to high levels. Other effects, like cancer, can take many years to appear.

What Cancers Might Benzene Cause?

Benzene can cause cancer in humans. The cancer most closely associated with benzene is leukemia, a cancer of the blood. It’s been linked to:

• Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a quickly growing cancer that starts in the bone marrow
• Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are conditions where blood cells do not grow into healthy cells
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph system, and  
• Lung cancer

Other long-term impacts of benzene include aplastic anemia, excessive bleeding, and changes to the immune system. Short-term exposure effects include drowsiness, dizziness, headaches, and loss of consciousness.

Has Benzene Been Found in Anti-Acne Skin Creams?

Bloomberg News reports that some popular acne brands, including SLMD, Proactiv, and Clinique, were found to have high levels of benzene before being recalled last year. The story is based on government test results that had not been previously made public. According to Bloomberg:

• Acne skin care products from SLMD (the brand of Dr. Pimple Popper), Proactiv, and Clinique had some of the highest benzene levels ever found in personal care products when they were recalled in the US in 2025
• Some of them had levels up to 15 times higher than the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limit of two parts per million. Parts per million, or ppm, measures very small amounts of a chemical in a product
• The FDA tested 105 products containing benzoyl peroxide. Thirteen had benzene above the legal limit, while another 14 had levels just below it. About 85% of the products tested contained benzene
• A Clinique product had benzene five times the FDA limit. Its product lot had expired before the recall, so it wasn’t taken from store shelves, and the public wasn’t informed about the contamination
• A retired toxicologist interviewed by Bloomberg, Joe DiNardo, stated that the benzene levels were significant because benzene from these products adds to the exposure users may get from other sources, like gasoline

SLMD had the highest benzene levels of all the tested products. Proactiv and Clinique, made by Estée Lauder, ranked second and third, respectively. SLMD no longer sells benzoyl peroxide products.

SLMD used Owen Biosciences as a contract manufacturer. The FDA warned the company in 2024 for failing to test some of its benzoyl peroxide products for benzene. The Clinique product was made by Voyant Beauty, which also received an FDA warning in 2023 for benzene in some of its products.

Why Was Benzene in These Products?

These products use an antiseptic, benzoyl peroxide, to kill the bacteria that cause acne. Over time, it can break down and become benzene. This process happens faster if products are stored in hot places.

Call Our Benzene Injury Lawyers Today For a Free Consultation

If you or a family member is diagnosed with cancer or another severe illness that may be linked to benzene exposure, you may be entitled to financial compensation for your hardship. Call us at 855-385-9532, locally 502-589-5600, or contact us online to arrange a free initial consultation with a Satterley & Kelley PLLC lawyer so we can discuss the situation and your options.