How does Benzoyl Peroxide fight acne?

Chemistry For Your Life · Oct 30, 2025 · 29m

#127 Rebroadcast

If you've ever had acne, you've probably tried some creams or washes with "benzoyl peroxide" somewhere on the label. How is it that this specific ingredient is helpful for fighting acne? What is happening at the molecular level when we apply some benzoyl peroxide to our acne? Let's find out!

References from this episode

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3791156/

https://www.jaad.org/article/S0190-9622(81)70004-5/pdf

https://youtu.be/_Mlv2Q_HiM0

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537220/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21076800/…