©Reuters. FILE PHOTO: An Estee Lauder cosmetics counter in Los Angeles, California, U.S., August 19, 2019. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
(Reuters) -High levels of benzene, a carcinogenic chemical, have been detected in some acne treatments from brands such as Estee Lauder (NYSE:)’s Clinique, Target’s Up & Up and Reckitt Benckiser-owned Clearasil, independent U.S. laboratory Valisure said.
Valisure has also filed a petition with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, asking the regulator to recall the products, conduct an investigation and review industry guidelines, the New Haven, Connecticut-based lab said Wednesday.
Estee Lauder shares fell 3% following the report.
Benzene may form at “unacceptably high levels” in both prescription and over-the-counter benzoyl peroxide acne treatment products, Valisure said.
Other products in which benzene has been detected include Proactiv, PanOxyl, Walgreens acne soap bar, and Walmart (NYSE:) Equate Beauty acne cream.
Target, Estee Lauder, Walmart and Reckitt did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters. The FDA has not yet responded to Valisure’s petition.
The carcinogen has already been found in several consumer products, including sunscreen, hand sanitizer and dry shampoo, leading to recalls of products made by companies including Procter & Gamble (NYSE:) and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: :).
But the detection of benzene in acne treatment products was “substantially different” from other cases, Valisure said.
“The benzene we found in sunscreen and other consumer products were impurities from contaminated ingredients; however, the benzene in benzoyl peroxide products comes from the benzoyl peroxide itself,” said David Light, co-founder and president of Valisure.
Valisure’s testing has shown that some products could form more than 800 times the FDA’s conditionally restricted concentration limit for benzene.
High levels of benzene have been found not only in acne products, but also in the air around the incubated products, indicating that the carcinogen may be leaking from some packaging, posing a potential inhalation risk, Valisure said.
Bloomberg News had reported the development earlier in the day.