Clinique class action claims benzoyl peroxide products degrade into benzene

Clinique benzoyl peroxide class action lawsuit overview: 

• Who: Plaintiff Lucinda O’Dea filed a class action lawsuit against Clinique Laboratories LLC. 
• Why: O’Dea claims Clinique manufactures and sells acne treatment products containing benzoyl peroxide that degrades over time into benzene, a cancer-causing chemical. 
• Where: The Clinique benzene class action lawsuit was filed in Illinois federal court. 

Clinique Laboratories manufactures, markets and sells acne treatment products containing benzoyl peroxide that degrades over time into the cancer-causing chemical benzene, a new Clinique class action lawsuit alleges. 

Plaintiff Lucina O’Dea claims the presence of benzene in the Clinique acne treatment products renders them “adulterated and misbranded” and therefore unlawful to sell under both federal and state law. 

O’Dea argues in the Clinique class action that benzene found in the company’s acne treatment products comes from benzoyl peroxide that degrades over time “directly into the human carcinogen benzene.” 

“BPO degrades over time into benzene, a carcinogenic impurity that has been linked to leukemia and other cancers,” the Clinique benzene class action states. 

O’Dea wants to represent a nationwide class along with both an Illinois and multistate subclass of consumers who have purchased Clinique benzoyl peroxide acne treatment products for personal or household use. 

Clinique class action: Company misrepresents that acne treatment products don’t contain benzene

O’Dea argues Clinique misrepresents that its benzoyl peroxide acne treatment products don’t contain benzene by failing to list the chemical as either an active or inactive ingredient on their  labeling. 

“Defendant failed to detect or prevent the benzene in its Products, and Plaintiff and consumers were harmed as a result of Defendant’s failure,” the Clinique class action says. 

O’Dea claims Clinique is guilty of unjust enrichment and violates state consumer fraud acts, including the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Trade Practices Act. 

The plaintiff demands a jury trial and requests declaratory and injunctive relief and an award of compensatory, statutory and punitive damages for herself and all class members. 

Consumers have recently filed multiple similar class action lawsuits against L’Oreal, Target, Johnson & Johnson and Walgreens Boot Alliance over claims they sold benzoyl peroxide acne treatment products containing benzene. 

Have you purchased a Clinique benzoyl peroxide acne treatment product? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiff is represented by Gary M. Klinger, Nick Suciu III, J. Hunter Bryson and Luis Cardona of Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman PLLC and Philip L. Fraietta of Bursor & Fisher PA. 

The Clinique benzoyl peroxide class action lawsuit is O’Dea v. Clinique Laboratories LLC, Case No. 1:24-cv-02750, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

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