NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - L'Oreal faces a class action lawsuit that alleges an ingredient in its acne medication turns into benzene.
L'Oreal USA, Inc. was sued April 11 in New York federal court by Ciara Noakes on behalf of herself and others similarly situated. The suit alleges that L'Oreal's CeraVe® Cream branded benzoyl peroxide (BPO) acne treatment products contain dangerously high levels of benzene, a known human carcinogen.
The BPO Products are used to treat acne vulgaris and come in various forms such as creams, scrubs, washes, and bars. The complaint cites a petition by the laboratory Valisure to the FDA detailing its findings of high levels of benzene in BPO products, including L'Oreal's.
Valisure has called for the FDA to recall and suspend the sale of all products containing BPO, though the FDA hasn't always been receptive to Valisure's findings.
The lawsuit alleges that these products decompose into benzene under normal use and storage conditions, making them materially different than advertised. Valisure's testing found that some BPO products contained benzene levels many times higher than allowed in any regulated drug.
Mark Reich of Levi & Korinsky represents the plaintiff.