Oxybenzone (Benzophenone-3)
Also: benzophenone-3 · BP-3 · 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone · oxybenzone
Avoid — absorbed into bloodstream above FDA toxicology thresholds and shows estrogenic activity; banned in Hawaii sunscreens.
Testosterone & hormonal load
FDA's 2019 and 2020 absorption studies showed oxybenzone reaches systemic blood concentrations far exceeding the 0.5 ng/mL threshold requiring further toxicology testing. It shows both estrogenic and anti-androgenic activity in vitro. Population studies associate higher urinary oxybenzone with lower total testosterone in adolescent boys. Hawaii banned it from reef-safe sunscreens in 2021 due to ecological and human health concerns.
Found in.
Two jurisdictions, two different verdicts.
Permitted at up to 6% in sunscreens, but under active review for endocrine disruption classification.
One of two sunscreen filters FDA proposed reclassifying to 'not GRASE' in 2019/2021 pending safety data. Still technically permitted pending final rule.
The receipts.
- [01]Matta et al. 2019 — Sunscreen absorption into bloodstream, JAMA (PubMed)pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31058986/
- [02]Krause et al. 2012 — Sunscreens and endocrine disrupting properties of UV-filters (PubMed)pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22612478/
- [03]FDA — OTC sunscreen proposed order Q&Awww.fda.gov/drugs/understanding-over-counter-medicines/questions-and-answers-fda-posts-deemed-final-order-and-proposed-order-over-counter-sunscreen
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