Is Benzoyl Peroxide Safe?

The FDA’s own testing found a benzene problem in only a few products. In March 2025 it said it tested 95 acne products containing benzoyl peroxide for benzene, that more than 90 percent had undetectable or extremely low levels, and that a limited number should be recalled at the retail level. It said its results indicate fewer contaminated products than the third-party findings that prompted the testing, and that even with daily use for decades, the risk of developing cancer from the benzene found in these products is very low.

The testing company Valisure had said in March 2024 that its tests, detailed in a petition to the FDA, showed benzene can form at high levels in benzoyl peroxide acne products, over 800 times the FDA’s conditionally restricted limit of 2 parts per million. The products the FDA listed for voluntary retail-level recalls, by specific lots, were La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo Dual Action Acne Treatment, Walgreens Acne Control Cleanser, Proactiv Emergency Blemish Relief Cream, Proactiv Skin Smoothing Exfoliator, SLMD Benzoyl Peroxide Acne Lotion and Walgreens Tinted Acne Treatment Cream, and the maker of Zapzyt Acne Treatment Gel agreed to recall it after its own testing. The FDA says retail-level recalls do not specifically instruct consumers to take action on products they already have.

Benzoyl peroxide itself remains an FDA-recognized acne ingredient at 2.5 to 10 percent. Its label must warn against use with very sensitive skin or sensitivity to benzoyl peroxide, advise avoiding unnecessary sun exposure and using a sunscreen, avoiding the eyes, lips and mouth and contact with hair and dyed fabrics it may bleach, and say that skin irritation may occur.