Valisure’s benzene testing efforts didn’t start with acne products. It previously detected high levels of the chemical in dry shampoo, body spray, hand sanitizer and sunscreen. In the beauty industry, there’s a fierce debate about the veracity of Valisure’s processes and results, and what to do about its headline-making testing announcements. Amid this debate, the headlines could be impacting consumer behavior. In a post on LinkedIn, Samantha Evans, Amazon director and educator at Amazon growth agency Envision Horizons, points out “benzene-free” search terms are popping up on Amazon.

With a h/t to Andrew Ross, senior advisor and venture partner, XRC Ventures, the investment firm that’s backed beauty brands such as Barb, Feather & Bone, Minu and Naked Sundays, who candidly admits he’s unsure of how to digest and react to Valisure’s tests in a “balanced way that prioritizes the science over fearmongering,” we decided to dive into the debate over them.

So, for the latest edition of our ongoing series posing questions relevant to indie beauty, Beauty Independent asked 18 cosmetic chemists and beauty product testing experts the following questions: What do you make of the benzene findings? How should the beauty industry think about Valisure and its incentives? How should it be educating consumers about them?