Consumer Alert—Is Your OTC Benzoyl Peroxide Product Safe?
Consumer Alert—Is Your OTC Benzoyl Peroxide Product Safe? By Susan Massick, MD In January 2024, the AAD updated its 2016 clinical guidelines for the treatment of acne with evidence-based treatment recommendations based upon a working group’s comprehensive and systematic review of current data (Reynolds). Benzoyl peroxide (BPO), a longstanding mainstay of acne treatment, remained a strongly recommended therapeutic intervention for both mild and moderate-severe acne. For many dermatologists and clinicians who regularly treat acne, BPO is efficacious, cost-effective, well-tolerated, and readily available for patients to use as an initial intervention as well as for maintenance therapy. Thus, a published report on March 6, 2024, regarding unacceptably high levels of benzene detected in over-the-counter BPO products, came as a surprise to many dermatologists. According to the CDC’s website, benzene is a colorless, flammable carcinogenic liquid that evaporates when exposed to oxyg