Benzene in sunscreens: The story behind the findings

Valisure, an independent analytical testing laboratory headquartered in New Haven, Connecticut, made headlines this May with its most recent discovery of benzene, a known human carcinogen, in several brands and batches of sunscreen and aftersun products.

In the US, sunscreens are considered drug products that are regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and aftersun products are generally regulated by FDA as cosmetics.

This discovery marked Valisure’s fifth FDA Citizen Petition to grab international headlines and subsequently resulted in product recalls and action by manufacturers and regulators around the globe.