Benzoyl Peroxide

What it is

Benzoyl peroxide is an organic peroxide applied to the skin, sold in washes, gels, creams and foams at strengths up to 10% over the counter and in prescription combination products with adapalene or clindamycin. It is an oxidising agent: it releases reactive oxygen that kills bacteria on and in the follicle and loosens the plug of dead skin cells. Very little of it enters the bloodstream; what is absorbed is converted in the skin to benzoic acid and passed out in the urine. It bleaches hair and fabrics it touches.

What the research says

The evidence that it helps acne is real but weaker than its ubiquity suggests. The 2020 Cochrane review of 120 trials and 29,592 participants found benzoyl peroxide may be more effective than placebo on participants' own assessment, risk ratio 1.27, but rated that evidence low certainty, and found little to no difference against adapalene or clindamycin. Its main drawback is tolerability: people stopped treatment about twice as often as on placebo, mostly because of redness, itching and stinging. Since 2024 a separate controversy has run about benzene, a carcinogen that forms when benzoyl peroxide degrades; the measurements are disputed and the FDA's own testing found far less than the original third-party report.

Evidence grade: Limited evidence.

How it works

Drug class: Topical antibacterial and keratolytic oxidising agent for acne

Benzoyl peroxide is an oxidising agent. Applied to the skin it releases reactive oxygen, which kills the bacteria that live in blocked follicles and breaks down the keratin plug, so pores clear. Almost none of it gets into the bloodstream intact: the skin converts it to benzoic acid, which the kidneys excrete. (Source 1)

What it is used for

• The 2020 Cochrane review of 120 trials found that on participants' own global assessment, benzoyl peroxide may be more effective than placebo or no treatment, risk ratio 1.27 (95% CI 1.12 to 1.45) from 3 RCTs and 2234 participants, but graded that low-certainty evidence. There may be little to no difference between benzoyl peroxide and adapalene or clindamycin. Fifty of the 120 trials were industry funded and 63 did not report funding at all. Evidence: limited. (Source 2)
• Benzoyl peroxide products are marketed for rosacea as well as acne, including an encapsulated prescription formulation. We did not retrieve any rosacea trial or systematic review in this run, so we cannot say what the evidence shows; the Cochrane review's scope was acne only. Evidence: unknown. (Source 3)
• Benzoyl peroxide products are widely sold for other skin complaints. We found no controlled trial evidence for any non-acne use in the literature we searched; the Cochrane review restricted itself to clinically diagnosed acne on the face or trunk. Evidence: unknown. (Source 4)

Interactions

• Products with a high alcohol content, astringents and other irritating topicals (label): Alcohol-heavy toners, astringents and abrasive cleansers applied to the same skin add to benzoyl peroxide's drying and stinging. The prescription label tells people to avoid using them together. This is a topical interaction; we found no documented interaction with alcoholic drinks. (Source 5)
• Another topical acne medicine used at the same time (label): Using a second topical acne product alongside benzoyl peroxide makes irritation and dryness more likely; the over-the-counter label says to use only one at a time if irritation occurs. (Source 6)
• Foods and dietary supplements taken by mouth (label): No systemic interaction with food or supplements has been documented, and the reason is pharmacological: benzoyl peroxide is converted in the skin to benzoic acid and excreted in the urine, so very little circulates. The prescription label also states that no formal drug interaction studies were done, so absence of a documented interaction is not the same as a study showing none. (Source 7)
• Sunlight and sunlamps (label): Benzoyl peroxide makes skin more sensitive to ultraviolet light, and separately, laboratory work found that ultraviolet exposure at levels below peak sunlight substantially increased benzene formation from applied product. Labels tell users to avoid sun and sunlamps and to use broad spectrum sunscreen. (Source 8)

Stopping it

• There is no dependence or withdrawal syndrome described for benzoyl peroxide in the labels or literature we read. Stopping guidance is entirely about irritation: reduce the frequency first, and stop and seek advice if irritation becomes severe. (Source 9)
• The prescription label frames stopping as graded: use a moisturiser, reduce the frequency, or discontinue, depending on how bad the reaction is. Irritation is usually worst in the first four weeks and often settles if treatment continues, so stopping immediately is not always necessary. (Source 5)
• One kind of reaction is a reason to stop at once rather than taper: a serious hypersensitivity reaction. The label instructs immediate discontinuation and appropriate therapy. (Source 8)

What goes wrong

People were about twice as likely to stop treatment because of side effects on benzoyl peroxide as on placebo. (Source 10)

• Systematic review, Low certainty.
• Size: 13,744 participants across 24 randomised trials.
• Who: people with clinically diagnosed acne.
• How long: 10 to 12 weeks.
• Result: withdrawal due to adverse effects risk ratio 2.13 (95% CI 1.55 to 2.93); commonest causes erythema, pruritus and skin burning.
• Funding: industry funded 50 of the 120 included trials; 63 trials did not report funding.

risk of treatment discontinuation may be higher with BPO compared with placebo or no treatment (RR 2.13, 95% CI 1.55 to 2.93; 24 RCTs; 13,744 participants; treatment for 10 to 12 weeks; low-certainty evidence); the most common causes of withdrawal were erythema, pruritus, and skin burning.

More people reported at least one adverse event on benzoyl peroxide than on placebo, though the Cochrane authors were uncertain about this because the evidence was very low certainty. (Source 11)

• Systematic review, Very low certainty.
• Size: 11,028 participants across 21 randomised trials.
• Who: people with clinically diagnosed acne.
• How long: 10 to 12 weeks.
• Result: any adverse event risk ratio 1.40 (95% CI 1.15 to 1.70) versus placebo or no treatment; versus clindamycin 1.24 (95% CI 0.97 to 1.58) on moderate-certainty evidence; most events mild to moderate, commonest local dryness, irritation, dermatitis, erythema, application site pain and pruritus.
• Funding: industry funded 50 of the 120 included trials; 63 trials did not report funding.

very low-certainty evidence leaves us uncertain about whether BPO increased adverse events when compared with placebo or no treatment (RR 1.40, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.70; 21 RCTs; 11,028 participants; treatment for 10 to 12 weeks)

In a prescription combination trial, skin irritation occurred in a small minority on the active gel and in none of the vehicle group, and local irritation peaked in the first week. (Source 12)

• Randomized trial, Certainty not rated.
• Size: 217 subjects exposed to the active gel and 69 to vehicle; 197 treated once daily for 12 weeks.
• Who: people with acne vulgaris aged 12 years and older.
• How long: 12 weeks.
• Result: adverse reactions in at least 1% of subjects on the active gel and exceeding vehicle were reported in Table 1 of the label, with skin irritation 4%, eczema 1%, atopic dermatitis 1% and skin burning sensation 1% against 0% on vehicle; erythema, scaling, dryness and stinging/burning peaked at Week 1 and decreased thereafter.
• Funding: not stated (data reported in the manufacturer's prescribing information)

Adverse reactions reported within 12 weeks of treatment in at least 1% of subjects treated with adapalene and benzoyl peroxide gel and for which the rate with adapalene and benzoyl peroxide gel exceeded the rate for the vehicle are presented in Table 1:

Serious hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis, have been reported with benzoyl peroxide products. (Source 8)

• Official position, Certainty not rated.
• Size: not stated in the label passage.
• Who: users of benzoyl peroxide products.
• How long: not stated.
• Result: anaphylaxis, angioedema and urticaria reported; the label instructs immediate discontinuation and appropriate therapy if a serious reaction occurs.
• Funding: not applicable (regulatory label)

Hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis, angioedema, and urticaria, have been reported with the use of benzoyl peroxide products.

This paper is a single case report of patch-test-confirmed allergic contact dermatitis to benzoyl peroxide severe enough to need hospital admission; the figure of up to 6.5% that it opens with is background the authors cite from earlier literature, not a prevalence this paper measured. (Source 13)

• Case report, Very low certainty.
• Size: one paediatric patient, with a background prevalence figure cited by the authors.
• Who: people with a history of exposure to benzoyl peroxide.
• How long: five months of recurring dermatitis in the reported case.
• Result: one paediatric case, patch-test confirmed, requiring hospitalisation and systemic treatment; separately, the paper's opening background statement is that allergic contact dermatitis to benzoyl peroxide "can occur in up to 6.5% of those with a history of exposure", which is not a result of this case report.
• Funding: not stated.

Limit of this finding: The 6.5% figure is framing in the introduction of a case report, carried over from other literature that this paper does not analyse. A single case cannot establish how common anything is, so treat 6.5% as a number to go and check at its own source rather than as a finding.

We present a case of a paediatric patient with patch test-confirmed severe allergic contact dermatitis to benzoyl peroxide requiring hospitalisation and systemic treatment.

Benzene, a known carcinogen, was measured across a wide range in over-the-counter benzoyl peroxide products and formed in larger amounts when products were heated or exposed to ultraviolet light. (Source 3)

• Lab study in cells, Low certainty.
• Size: 111 over-the-counter benzoyl peroxide drug products, plus one prescription encapsulated product in stability testing.
• Who: not applicable: laboratory analysis of marketed products and face-model experiments on test plates.
• How long: products tested at room temperature; stability testing at 2 degrees C and 50 degrees C.
• Result: benzene concentrations of 0.16 to 35.30 ppm by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry; no apparent benzene formation at 2 degrees C and high formation at 50 degrees C; detectable benzene in surrounding air during face-model use, rising substantially under ultraviolet light below peak sunlight levels.
• Funding: not stated in the abstract we read.

This study provides evidence for a wide range of benzene concentrations (0.16-35.30 ppm) detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in 111 over-the-counter BPO drug products tested and maintained at room temperature.

Benzoyl peroxide increases skin sensitivity to sunlight and bleaches hair and dyed fabric it touches. (Source 6)

• Official position, Certainty not rated.
• Size: not stated in the label passage.
• Who: people applying benzoyl peroxide to the skin.
• How long: during use.
• Result: labels instruct avoiding sunlight and sunlamps, using broad spectrum sunscreen and protective clothing, and avoiding contact with hair and dyed fabrics which may be bleached.
• Funding: not applicable (regulatory labels)

avoid contact with hair and dyed fabrics, which may be bleached by this product

Irritation from benzoyl peroxide is common, worst in the first four weeks, and usually settles with continued use. (Source 5)

• Official position, Certainty not rated.
• Size: not stated in the label passage.
• Who: people using a benzoyl peroxide combination gel.
• How long: first four weeks of treatment.
• Result: erythema, scaling, dryness and stinging or burning, mostly mild to moderate, usually lessening with continued use; irritant and allergic contact dermatitis may occur.
• Funding: not applicable (regulatory label)

Erythema, scaling, dryness, and stinging/burning may be experienced with use of adapalene and benzoyl peroxide gel. These are most likely to occur during the first four weeks of treatment, are mostly mild to moderate in intensity, and usually lessen with continued use of the medication. Irritant and allergic contact dermatitis may occur.

The over-the-counter label carries the mandated poisoning warning: the product is to be kept out of reach of children, and if it is swallowed the instruction is to get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away. (Source 14)

• Official position, Certainty not rated.
• Size: not applicable (label text)
• Who: anyone with the product in the house, children in particular.
• How long: not applicable.
• Result: no frequency or severity figure is given on the label; the section is a required warning rather than trial data.
• Funding: not applicable (regulatory label)

Keep out of reach of children. If swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away.

What the evidence supports

On participants' own assessment of improvement, benzoyl peroxide beat placebo or no treatment, but the Cochrane authors rated the evidence low certainty. (Source 2)

• Systematic review, Low certainty.
• Size: 2234 participants across 3 RCTs.
• Who: people with clinically diagnosed acne on the face or trunk.
• How long: 10 to 12 weeks.
• Result: risk ratio 1.27 (95% CI 1.12 to 1.45) for participant-reported acne improvement.
• Funding: industry funded 50 of the 120 included trials; 63 trials did not report funding.

For 'participant-reported acne improvement', BPO may be more effective than placebo or no treatment (risk ratio (RR) 1.27, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.12 to 1.45; 3 RCTs; 2234 participants; treatment for 10 to 12 weeks; low-certainty evidence).

What the evidence does not support

Benzoyl peroxide was no better than adapalene or clindamycin on the same participant-reported outcome. (Source 2)

• Systematic review, Low certainty.
• Size: 1472 participants across 5 RCTs versus adapalene; 240 participants in 1 RCT versus clindamycin.
• Who: people with clinically diagnosed acne.
• How long: 10 to 12 weeks.
• Result: versus adapalene risk ratio 0.99 (95% CI 0.90 to 1.10); versus clindamycin risk ratio 0.95 (95% CI 0.68 to 1.34)
• Funding: industry funded 50 of the 120 included trials; 63 trials did not report funding.

there may be little to no difference between BPO and adapalene (RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.90 to 1.10; 5 RCTs; 1472 participants; treatment for 11 to 12 weeks) or between BPO and clindamycin (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.68 to 1.34; 1 RCT; 240 participants; treatment for 10 weeks)

An independent analytical study argues the high benzene figures are largely an artefact of the test method itself, which degrades benzoyl peroxide in the sample. (Source 15)

• Lab study in cells, Low certainty.
• Size: three benzoyl peroxide batches made in 2019, 2021 and 2024, analysed by two methods.
• Who: not applicable: analytical chemistry on benzoyl peroxide active ingredient.
• How long: batches stored in controlled conditions over several years.
• Result: the USP headspace gas chromatography method gave benzene around 20 ppm, about 100 times higher than the authors' potassium hydroxide method, which gave around 0.20 ppm; a comparable 0.20 ppm was found in all three batches regardless of age.
• Funding: not stated in the abstract we read.

Using the USP methodology (based on headspace gas chromatography (HS-GC)) the levels of benzene are around 20 ppm, 100 times higher than results obtained using our proposed methodology (around 0.20 ppm).

Where the evidence is mixed

The Cochrane review's own quality assessment was unflattering: half the trials were industry funded, a majority did not report funding at all, and risk of bias was commonly high or unclear. (Source 4)

• Systematic review, Low certainty.
• Size: 120 trials, 29,592 participants randomised in 116 of them.
• Who: people with clinically diagnosed acne; 72 trials mild to moderate acne, 26 severe.
• How long: longer than eight weeks in 80 trials; up to 12 weeks in 108 trials.
• Result: industry funded 50 trials; 63 trials did not report funding; high or unclear risk of performance, detection or attrition bias commonly found.
• Funding: industry funded 50 trials; 63 trials did not report funding.

Industry funded 50 trials; 63 trials did not report funding. We commonly found high or unclear risk of performance, detection, or attrition bias.

The FDA's own testing found far fewer contaminated products than the third-party report and judged the cancer risk very low, while still prompting six retail-level recalls. (Source 16)

• Official position, Certainty not rated.
• Size: number of products FDA tested is not given in the statement; six named products were recalled.
• Who: marketed acne products containing benzoyl peroxide in the United States.
• How long: a single agency testing programme and statement.
• Result: more than 90% of tested products had undetectable or extremely low levels of benzene; recalls were at retail rather than consumer level; FDA states that even with daily use for decades the cancer risk from the benzene found is very low.
• Funding: not applicable (agency position)

FDA has concluded that a limited number of products should be recalled at the retail level; more than 90% of tested products had undetectable or extremely low levels of benzene.

Where the research disagrees

How much benzene is really in benzoyl peroxide products, and whether it matters

• Kucera and colleagues, Journal of Investigative Dermatology (2025), laboratory analysis of 111 over-the-counter products plus stability and face-model experiments: Results suggest that potential benzene exposure from formation during BPO drug product use poses significant risks independent of the starting benzene concentration. (Source 3)
• Analytical chemists writing in the Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis (2025), method-comparison analytical chemistry on three production batches: Most analytical methods for the analysis of solvents in active pharmaceutical ingredients (API's) do not account for the radical degradation of BPO when in solution, thus resulting in artefactually high amounts of benzene. (Source 15)
• US Food and Drug Administration, statement of 11 March 2025, agency testing programme and position, with six retail-level recalls: Even with daily use of these products for decades, the risk of a person developing cancer because of exposure to benzene found in these products is very low. (Source 16)

Whether benzoyl peroxide is a well-evidenced first-line acne treatment

• Cochrane review of topical benzoyl peroxide (2020), systematic review of 120 randomised trials, 29,592 participants, key efficacy evidence graded low certainty: Current evidence suggests that BPO as monotherapy or add-on treatment may be more effective than placebo or no treatment for improving acne, and there may be little to no difference between BPO and either adapalene or clindamycin. (Source 17)
• The same review on harms and attrition, systematic review, 24 randomised trials, 13,744 participants: risk of treatment discontinuation may be higher with BPO compared with placebo or no treatment (RR 2.13, 95% CI 1.55 to 2.93; 24 RCTs; 13,744 participants; treatment for 10 to 12 weeks; low-certainty evidence) (Source 10)

How much

• Reference intake: There is no reference intake for a topical drug. As a position, an over-the-counter 10% benzoyl peroxide cleanser label directs starting with one application daily and increasing gradually to two or three times daily if needed or as directed by a doctor. (Source 9)
• Upper limit: As a position, the over-the-counter strength on the label read here is benzoyl peroxide 10%, and the label's own ceiling on use is practical rather than numeric: if bothersome dryness or peeling occurs, reduce application to once a day or every other day, and stop and ask a doctor if irritation becomes severe. (Source 18)
• Studied: Across the 120 trials in the Cochrane review, treatment lasted longer than eight weeks in 80 trials and up to 12 weeks in 108 trials, using different concentrations and vehicles. (Source 4)
• Studied: In a pharmacokinetic trial of a prescription adapalene and benzoyl peroxide gel, 26 subjects aged 12 to 33 applied on average 2.3 grams/day (range 1.6 to 3.1 grams/day) once daily for four weeks to face, shoulders, upper chest and upper back. (Source 7)

A common belief, and what the research shows

The belief: Benzoyl peroxide products have been found to contain benzene, so they cause cancer and should be thrown away.

What the research shows: The picture is genuinely contested. One laboratory study did measure benzene at 0.16 to 35.30 ppm across 111 over-the-counter products and found more forming at 50 degrees C and under ultraviolet light. A separate analytical paper argues the standard test method itself degrades benzoyl peroxide and inflates the result roughly 100-fold, reporting around 0.20 ppm with its own method against around 20 ppm by the usual one. The FDA tested products itself, recalled six at retail level, and stated that more than 90% of tested products had undetectable or extremely low levels of benzene and that "Even with daily use of these products for decades, the risk of a person developing cancer because of exposure to benzene found in these products is very low." None of these is a study of cancer in people who used benzoyl peroxide.

Questions and answers

What is it?

Benzoyl peroxide is a chemical applied to the skin to treat acne. It comes as washes, gels, creams and foams in over-the-counter strengths, and in prescription gels combined with adapalene or clindamycin. It is an oxidising agent, the same broad class of chemistry as hydrogen peroxide, which is why it also bleaches hair and fabric. (Source 1)

What does it do in the body?

It oxidises: the reactive oxygen it releases kills the bacteria living in blocked follicles and breaks down the keratin that plugs them, which is what the words bactericidal and keratolytic mean. It acts almost entirely in the skin. What is absorbed is turned into benzoic acid in the skin and passed out in the urine, so it has essentially no action elsewhere in the body. (Source 7)

Is it good or bad for you?

Mostly helpful in the right amount, irritating in too much. Pooled trials show more people say their acne improved than on placebo, though Cochrane rated that evidence low certainty. The commonest problem is tolerability rather than danger: people stopped treatment about twice as often as on placebo, mostly from redness, itching and stinging, and the review calls this tolerability rather than safety. Rarely it causes true allergy, including anaphylaxis. (Source 17)

How do you get more of it?

It is a manufactured medicine, not a nutrient, so it is only obtained by buying or being prescribed a product that contains it. Over-the-counter strengths go up to 10%, and prescription products combine it with adapalene or clindamycin. The labelled approach is to build up slowly rather than start at the maximum: one application a day, increasing to two or three if needed. (Source 9)

If it is harmful, what reduces it?

If it is irritating the skin, the first step on the label is to use it less often or at a lower strength, then stop if irritation becomes severe. For a serious allergic reaction the instruction is to stop immediately and get treatment. Because almost none of it is absorbed, there is nothing to clear from the body; washing the product off and leaving the skin alone is what reverses the effect. (Source 6)

Why might someone be low in it or missing it?

Does not apply in the usual sense: the body does not make benzoyl peroxide and no one is deficient in it. The practical reason someone has stopped using it is almost always irritation. In the Cochrane trials, withdrawal because of side effects was about twice as common on benzoyl peroxide as on placebo, with redness, itching and stinging the usual reasons. (Source 17)

Which whole foods contain it or feed it?

No whole food contains benzoyl peroxide and no food feeds it. It is a synthetic topical drug. Its breakdown product, benzoic acid, does occur naturally in some foods, but that is the inactive end-product rather than the drug. We searched the prescribing information and the trial literature and found no dietary source. (Source 7)

We searched: the 2026 DailyMed prescribing information for adapalene and benzoyl peroxide gel (clinical pharmacology and drug interactions), the 2026 over-the-counter benzoyl peroxide Drug Facts label, and the 2020 Cochrane review of topical benzoyl peroxide

What happens if you do not have it?

Nothing happens to the body from not having it; what happens is that acne goes untreated by this particular drug. The trial data put the size of that loss in perspective: on participants' own assessment the risk ratio for improvement was 1.27 against placebo on low-certainty evidence, and benzoyl peroxide performed about the same as adapalene or clindamycin, so an alternative topical is a reasonable substitute rather than a downgrade. (Source 2)

How can you test for it?

There is no blood or skin test for how much benzoyl peroxide someone has, and none is used. There is a validated test for the one thing worth testing: allergy. Patch testing distinguishes true allergic contact dermatitis from the ordinary irritation most users get, and the published case literature relies on it. One case report opens by citing earlier literature for a figure of up to 6.5% among people with a history of exposure, but that is background in a single case report and not a prevalence measured by any study we read. (Source 13)

References

1. DailyMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine (labeller: Aurobindo Pharma Limited). ADAPALENE AND BENZOYL PEROXIDE gel, 0.3%/2.5% - FDA prescribing information. 2026. Read the source
2. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Topical benzoyl peroxide for acne. 2020. PMID 32175593, DOI 10.1002/14651858.cd011154.pub2. Read the source
3. Journal of Investigative Dermatology. Evaluation of Benzene Presence and Formation in Benzoyl Peroxide Drug Products. 2025. PMID 39384016, DOI 10.1016/j.jid.2024.09.009. Read the source
4. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Topical benzoyl peroxide for acne. 2020. PMID 32175593, DOI 10.1002/14651858.cd011154.pub2. Read the source
5. DailyMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine (labeller: Aurobindo Pharma Limited). ADAPALENE AND BENZOYL PEROXIDE gel, 0.3%/2.5% - FDA prescribing information. 2026. Read the source
6. DailyMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine (labeller: Galderma Laboratories, L.P.). DIFFERIN MAX STRENGTH ACNE FOAMING BPO CLEANSER (benzoyl peroxide 10%) - OTC Drug Facts label — Warnings (LOINC 34071-1). 2026. Read the source
7. DailyMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine (labeller: Aurobindo Pharma Limited). ADAPALENE AND BENZOYL PEROXIDE gel, 0.3%/2.5% - FDA prescribing information. 2026. Read the source
8. DailyMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine (labeller: Aurobindo Pharma Limited). ADAPALENE AND BENZOYL PEROXIDE gel, 0.3%/2.5% - FDA prescribing information. 2026. Read the source
9. DailyMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine (labeller: Galderma Laboratories, L.P.). DIFFERIN MAX STRENGTH ACNE FOAMING BPO CLEANSER (benzoyl peroxide 10%) - OTC Drug Facts label — Directions (LOINC 34068-7). 2026. Read the source
10. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Topical benzoyl peroxide for acne. 2020. PMID 32175593, DOI 10.1002/14651858.cd011154.pub2. Read the source
11. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Topical benzoyl peroxide for acne. 2020. PMID 32175593, DOI 10.1002/14651858.cd011154.pub2. Read the source
12. DailyMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine (labeller: Aurobindo Pharma Limited). ADAPALENE AND BENZOYL PEROXIDE gel, 0.3%/2.5% - FDA prescribing information. 2026. Read the source
13. Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery. A Case of a Paediatric Patient With Allergic Contact Dermatitis to Benzoyl Peroxide. 2018. PMID 28922933, DOI 10.1177/1203475417733462. Read the source
14. DailyMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine (labeller: Galderma Laboratories, L.P.). DIFFERIN MAX STRENGTH ACNE FOAMING BPO CLEANSER (benzoyl peroxide 10%) - OTC Drug Facts label — OTC - Keep Out of Reach of Children, untitled section (LOINC 50565-1). 2026. Read the source
15. Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis. High levels of benzene in benzoyl peroxide - A sample preparation artefact?. 2025. PMID 40367577, DOI 10.1016/j.jpba.2025.116946. Read the source
16. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Limited number of voluntary recalls initiated after FDA testing of acne products for benzene; findings show a small number of products with elevated levels of benzene contamination. 2025. Read the source
17. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Topical benzoyl peroxide for acne. 2020. PMID 32175593, DOI 10.1002/14651858.cd011154.pub2. Read the source
18. DailyMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine (labeller: Galderma Laboratories, L.P.). DIFFERIN MAX STRENGTH ACNE FOAMING BPO CLEANSER (benzoyl peroxide 10%) - OTC Drug Facts label — Active Ingredients (LOINC 55106-9). 2026. Read the source