It's formulated to treat a handful of common symptoms—here's how to identify whether your trusted cleanser was affected.
If you have oily, acne-prone skin or a flaky scalp, you might be familiar with prescription-strength or over-the-counter products that meet your nose with a hint of sulfur. For decades, forms of this natural element have shown efficacy for calming inflammation and providing antibacterial protection for conditions like acne, rosacea and seborrheic dermatitis, while sulfur itself can provide natural exfoliation to clear away dulled skin cells and turn over brighter, newer skin.
One cleanser containing this powerful, if pungent, ingredient has been recalled from prescription use. That’s according to a Wednesday report sent out by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Georgia-based Acella Pharmaceuticals is named as the recalling firm on what’s reported as 7,104 six-ounce bottles of prescription Sodium Sulfacetamide Cleanser with 5% sulfur content that was distributed “nationwide in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.” The reason, as the FDA reports, is that the sulfur content or potency didn’t live up to the promised strength with the recall alert noting a “subpotent drug.”
If you’ve relied on this product as prescribed by your PCP, dermatologist, or another clinician, there’s some optimism this recall doesn’t affect you—expiration on the affected product dates back to 2024, when it appears the recall was first initiated based on the FDA report. If there’s a chance it’s still hiding in your medicine cabinet, details to identify substandard bottles include lot number 22085 and 08/02/2024 as the expiration date. An online search for Acella Pharmaceuticals’ sodium sulfacetamide product features a plain white clinical bottle with black writing on the label, Acella in blue, and a screw top or pump for dispensing.
Whether you used the affected product prior to expiration or maybe even still have been using it without realizing it was past its prime, the good news is that FDA experts aren’t highly alarmed about safety: they classified the recall with a class III designation, meaning they consider it “a situation in which use of, or exposure to, a violative product is not likely to cause adverse health consequences.”
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