L’Oréal finds itself embroiled in legal battles as more allegations of unsafe benzene levels in its benzoyl peroxide (BPO) acne treatments surface.
The cosmetics giant faces six class action lawsuits that have been filed against CeraVe and L’Oréal.
At the heart of the controversy is the carcinogenic chemical benzene, which has reportedly been found in alarming concentrations in popular acne care products.
Initially in February 2024, Hawaii resident Jennifer Snow filed a class action lawsuit against L’Oréal in Hawaii federal court, alleging the company sold BPO products containing “dangerous levels” of benzene.
Snow, who purchased L’Oréal’s La Roche Effaclar Duo Dual Acne Treatment between May and October 2023, claims she suffered economic damages as a result.
According to Snow’s lawsuit, independent testing conducted by Valisure, a Connecticut-based lab, revealed that benzene levels in BPO products, including those from L’Oréal, were significantly higher than federal regulations allow.
Snow’s legal team argues L’Oréal failed to disclose the presence of benzene in its products, either on labeling, packaging, or marketing materials.
The lawsuit also claims L’Oréal did not warn consumers of the risk that common acne treatment ingredient benzoyl peroxide could degrade into benzene under normal storage and use conditions.
Snow is seeking declaratory and injunctive relief, compensatory damages, and a jury trial for herself and other class members across multiple states.
Since Valisure’s March 2024 report on benzene in acne products, at least six class action lawsuits have been filed against L’Oréal in various jurisdictions.
The lawsuits claim BPO products, including CeraVe and La Roche-Posay, contain benzene at levels “hundreds of times” the FDA’s conditional limit of 2 parts per million.
Valisure has petitioned the FDA to recall the affected products and revise industry guidance, but the regulator has yet to respond.
In August 2024, the US Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) rejected a motion to consolidate lawsuits over benzoyl peroxide products into a single multidistrict litigation (MDL), citing the diversity of products and manufacturers involved.
However, in November 2024, a renewed motion requested that lawsuits against L’Oréal be consolidated in the district of Hawaii.
L’Oréal opposed the MDL request, arguing that the lawsuits could be efficiently managed without centralisation.
The JPML is set to hear arguments on 30 January, in Miami, Florida.
Benzene is a known carcinogen linked to leukemia, blood cancers and other serious health conditions.
While benzene contamination has been a recurring issue in consumer products, including sunscreens and dry shampoos, experts suggest that the BPO findings are particularly concerning.
Unlike previous cases, where contamination was linked to manufacturing errors, the instability of benzoyl peroxide itself appears to be a primary factor.
Valisure’s president, David Light, described the findings as unprecedented, stating: “The benzene in benzoyl peroxide products is coming from the ingredient itself, sometimes at hundreds of times the FDA’s conditional limit.”
This wave of benzene-related litigation follows a trend of product recalls and lawsuits in the beauty industry.
Last year, multiple brands recalled aerosol products, including sunscreens and dry shampoos, due to benzene contamination.
Benzene was also detected by Valisure in products from Estee Lauder-owned Clinique, Target's Up & Up and Reckitt Benckiser’s Clearasil.
The other lawsuits against L’Oréal are not limited to benzoyl peroxide products.
The company is also a defendant in an MDL involving 10,000 hair relaxer cancer lawsuits, which claim that the ingredients in the product are causing uterine cancer and fibroids for thousands of Black women.