L’Oreal SA is recalling all lots of its acne treatment Effaclar Duo in the US because of concern that the creams are contaminated with benzene, a known carcinogen.
L’Oreal’s Effaclar Duo, sold under the French company’s La Roche-Posay brand, is made with benzoyl peroxide, which kills bacteria to help treat acne. Valisure, an independent lab in Connecticut, flagged benzene contamination a year ago in many popular benzoyl peroxide products and asked the US Food and Drug Administration at the time to recall the contaminated treatments. The FDA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment asking whether more acne treatments would be recalled.
Benzoyl peroxide is known to break down and form benzene under certain circumstances. A natural component of gasoline and tobacco smoke, it can cause leukemia in high amounts, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. L’Oreal said testing found trace levels of the contaminant in one lot of the product.
“Therefore, in close coordination with the FDA, we have proactively decided to remove the limited remaining units of the current formula of Effaclar Duo from retailers,” L’Oreal said in a statement to Bloomberg. An improved formulation of Effaclar Duo that’s been in development since 2024 will soon be available, the company said.
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L’Oreal’s American depositary receipts fell 0.2% at 1:46 p.m. in New York.
Valisure had found high benzene levels in acne products from Proactiv and store brands from Target Corp. and CVS Health Corp., among others. The lab also has detected benzene in sunscreens, antiperspirants, dry shampoos and hand sanitizers over the last four years. Many of those personal-care products faced recalls after further FDA evaluation.