L’Oréal, the French cosmetics company behind the skincare brand CeraVe, is reportedly facing six class-action lawsuits.
The company, based in Clichy, France, is being sued over claims that some of its products contain benzene, a chemical linked to cancer.
The lawsuits followed findings by Valisure, a laboratory founded by former Yale students, which reported high levels of benzene in some of the company’s cosmetic products.
CeraVe’s overview of its over-the-counter skincare products confirmed the presence of benzoyl peroxide in concentrations ranging from 2.5 per cent to 10 per cent.
The company also stated that products including Acne Foaming Cream Wash contain 10 per cent benzoyl peroxide, while Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser contains 4 per cent. It said the ingredient is used to treat acne.
Fact-checking platform Snopes identified the plaintiffs who first filed separate lawsuits as Jennifer Snow in Hawaii, Holly Grossenbacher in Louisiana, Ellen Painter and Robert Hightower in Missouri, Lucinda O’Dea in Illinois, and Latifah Abednego in New York.
According to the report, a panel of judges handling multidistrict litigation on February 7, 2025, denied a request by the plaintiffs to move the cases to the federal district in Hawaii.
The case has not been decided as of press time. It was reportedly transferred to the Southern District of New York in May 2025 for a hearing.
