Benzoyl Peroxide

I just read something interesting on Facebook from a natural skin line Facebook page about this.  I put the link to the page below. If need be, I can paste the text.  The part that caught my attention was the line saying BP is banned in Europe.  I hadn't heard that before, but when I hear that about an ingredient, I take notice.  I won't use hydroquinone because of that (and other) reasons.  But Europe is further advanced than us in skin care, so I trust when they decide an ingredient is harmful enough to be banned.  Thoughts on this? 

 

https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/facenaturals

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Permalink Reply by Jodi on January 24, 2013 at 1:23pm

I'm just bumping this back up, I'd love to get feedback on this.  I presribe BP to all my acne clients, now I'm second guessing myself.  I have to wonder, is this line I quoted from using scare tactics to sell the 'all natural' line?  But like I said, it's the 'banned in Europe' that got my attention.   Thanks!

Permalink Reply by Nicole on January 24, 2013 at 2:17pm

I copied and pasted the following from the Green Beauty Guide website.  This is new to me but I googled it and quickly found several websites talking about the ban and the possibility that BP causes cancer.

The most alarming side effect of benzoyl peroxide is its ability to generate free radicals on the skin surface. Free radical generating compounds have been shown to speed up the malignant conversion of papilloma to carcinoma in skin. In animal studies, benzoyl peroxide has been shown to promote skin cancer when used at concentrations up to 20 percent. While people with acne do not always use concentrated benzoyl peroxide, they tend to stick to their favorite acne treatments for years, and no one has ever studied the cumulative effect which may result from a prolonged exposure to benzoyl peroxide even in smaller doses. Benzoyl peroxide has also never been tested on pregnant women and is not recommended to use during pregnancy.

For some unlucky people, benzoyl peroxide treatment is not an option but a necessity, since this substance causes improvement in some of the most severe cases of acne. But there is ray of hope. Indian scientists found that if acne was pre-treated with the oil of Chinese hibiscus (Hibiscus-rosa sinensis), the free radical damage to the skin by benzoyl peroxide was greatly diminished because the oil reactivated protective enzymes in the skin (Sharma, Sultana 2004).

Despite the well-documented history of adverse side effects of benzoyl peroxide, this chemical was considered safe to use until 1995, but then U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has revised its decision and classified benzoyl peroxide as “safety uncertain.” Today, FDA insists that all products containing benzoyl peroxide should carry safety warnings. In Europe, benzoyl peroxide, along with hydroquinone, has been banned for use in cosmetics. Benzoyl peroxide preparations may be bought at the pharmacy or the chemist by prescription only.

Permalink Reply by Jodi on January 24, 2013 at 2:25pm

So will reading that cause you to think differently about how you treat acne?  I know it will for me.  When something is banned in Europe, where they are far more advanced than here in the US, I listen. 

Permalink Reply by Nicole on January 24, 2013 at 2:37pm

I will definitely be doing more research and I'm interested to hear what others have to say.  I notice that it says that BP is still available by prescription - so maybe it just needs to be used more cautiously and monitored?

Thank you Jodi for calling our attention to this!

Permalink Reply by Jodi on January 24, 2013 at 3:05pm

I may post this in the acne forum as well.  I'm not an acne specialist, and I think they would have great feedback. 

Permalink Reply by Brittnee on January 26, 2013 at 7:21pm
Interesting post. I was reading today, on a article that Rebecca Gadberry ( owner of YG lab) do not believe in bpo. Which i found intersting. She believe treating inflamation first when treating acne.
Permalink Reply by Claire Barnes on January 26, 2013 at 8:34pm

I am from Europe Jodi and i still go back home as much as poss every year and keep in contact with everybody in the industry back home as much as I can.  FDA rules in the U.S are crazy.  They allow bad things to be put into food and are not that stringent when it comes to products for the skin etc also.  It is a $$$ for the country and it's pharmaceutical companies.       The big difference in skin care between here (the U.S) and Europe is that they treat the skin in a more natural safe manner.  When i first moved here i was shocked that some Spa's offered a microdermabrasion facial with a peel at the same time.  The U.S is more into instant gratification.  Europe recognises that using harsh products only causes aging (as it stresses the skin...and we should know that stress actually causes aging.  stress the skin out with harsh products and the inevitable will happen)  They are more cautious back home.   It doesn't necessarily mean it is bad....but it means ..... slow down on prescribing and getting excited about using harsh products that only over time cause more damage than is necessary.   Anything in moderation is my motto....no matter what country  you live in.

Permalink Reply by Jodi on January 26, 2013 at 8:40pm

Thanks for the reply.  That makes sense.  My favorite anti-aging product is retinol, so far using with no ill affects.  I'm not sure I would offer microderm with a peel, that's simply over exfoliation and too much for the skin.  I agree with the instant gratification thing here, it's insane! 

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