CeraVe class action claims benzoyl peroxide cleanser contains benzene

CeraVe benzene class action overview: 

• Who: Plaintiff Holly Grossenbacher filed a class action lawsuit against CeraVe parent company L’Oreal. 
• Why: The lawsuit claims CeraVe benzoyl peroxide products contain the human carcinogen benzene at dangerous levels.
• Where: The CeraVe class action was filed in federal court in Louisiana.

L’Oreal is facing a class action lawsuit claiming that its CeraVe benzoyl peroxide cleanser contains a dangerous level of the carcinogenic chemical benzene.

The L’Oreal BPO cleansers include CeraVe Acne Foam Cream Cleanser, which has 4% benzoyl peroxide, and CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Wash, which has 10% benzoyl peroxide.

In 2023, independent laboratory Valisure took a representative sample that showed the benzoyl peroxide products contained benzene levels many times higher than allowed in any regulated drug, the CeraVe benzene class action claims.

Valisure’s representative sample indicated CeraVe cleansers have benzene levels ranging from 5 parts per million (ppm) to more than 12 ppm. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows benzene levels of only up to 2 ppm — and even then, only if its use is unavoidable in the manufacturing process, the CeraVe benzoyl peroxide cleansers class action says.

“The rates of degradation and benzene impurities in the BPO Products occur at a systematic rate,” the CeraVe benzene class action says.

The Environmental Protection Agency has also set a 0.0005 ppm maximum permissible level of benzene in drinking water, with a goal of zero.

Benzene can cause leukemia, nervous system issues, CeraVe benzene class action says

Benzene is a solvent in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries that is primarily sourced from petroleum.

Benzene can impact the central nervous system and may affect reproductive organs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The World Health Organization considers benzene to be a genotoxic carcinogen.

The National Cancer Institute also says that benzene has been linked to leukemia and other blood disorders.

The companies behind CeraVe lotions faced a 2020 class action lawsuit over what the plaintiff called false claims about their supposedly oil-free skincare products.

Have you purchased CeraVe benzoyl peroxide cleanser? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiff is represented by Jennifer Hoekstra of Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis and Overholtz PLLC.

The CeraVe benzene class action lawsuit is Grossenbacher v. L’Oreal USA Inc., Case No. 2:24-cv-00663, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

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