Benzene Detected in Clinique: US Lab Raises Alarm Brands With Benzene in Acne Treatments

On Wednesday, a U.S. laboratory named Valisure took some samples from the acne treatment and found out about the chemical benzene, which causes cancer in humans and is quite harmful to human skin as well. Let’s know more about Benzene Detected in Clinique and what is its impact.

Later, Valisure also filed a report with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for further investment and asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to tell companies to recall their products as soon as possible, as these products can be quite harmful to people. 

The companies from which samples were taken and chemicals were found are as follows: 

• Estee Lauder’s Clinique
• Target’s Up & Up
• Reckitt Benckiser’s Clearasil
• Proactiv
• PanOxyl
• Walgreens’ acne soap bar
• Walmart’s Equate Beauty acne cream

After the news came out, the stocks of many companies saw a sharp fall. Estee Lauder Companies Inc. fell more than 2% in a single trading day. On the other hand, Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., which owns Proactiv, PanOxyl, and Walgreens Acne soap bars, also saw a fall of more than 1.5% in a single trading day.

Valisure said the level of benzene is quite high, which is unavoidable and cannot be used at any cost. The long-term use of these chemical-based treatments can increase the risk of certain cancers, like leukaemia and lymphoma, and eventually bone marrow damage. 

Reckitt Benckiser said their products are safe to use when used as directed. The FDA has not responded yet, and people are waiting for their response as of now.