Oxybenzone in sunscreen: absorption, EU limits, pregnancy

How much oxybenzone gets into the body

Of the filters tested, oxybenzone is the one that gets in most. In a trial of four sunscreens on 24 volunteers, peak oxybenzone blood levels were about 170 to 210 ng/mL for the two sprays and the lotion.¹ For comparison, avobenzone peaked at a few ng/mL in the same study.

A 25-person study had volunteers apply a sunscreen with 4% oxybenzone morning and night for five days. They excreted 1.2% to 8.7% of what they had applied (3.7% on average), and were still excreting it five days after the last application. The authors concluded that a large amount is absorbed and accumulates in the body.²

An earlier study of 32 volunteers used a cream with 10% each of three filters (oxybenzone, octinoxate and a camphor filter) on the whole body daily for a week. Oxybenzone blood levels reached 200 ng/mL in women and 300 ng/mL in men. Reproductive hormones were measured, and FSH and LH were unchanged. Small differences in testosterone, and in estradiol and inhibin B in men, were not related to sunscreen exposure.³

The hormone question

A 2023 review pulled together 254 references on oxybenzone. Its integrative analysis found that peak levels after a single whole-body application of a 4% sunscreen may overlap with concentrations that cause endocrine effects in vitro, and with levels that caused female reproductive effects in rodents. Human data, which the authors call still limited, pointed to menstrual cycle hormone changes and a higher risk of uterine fibroids and endometriosis.⁴

The EU's safety committee read the same area differently. It regarded the available evidence for endocrine-disrupting properties of oxybenzone as inconclusive, and at best equivocal, across modelling, in vitro and in vivo studies.⁵ You can hold both views: the exposure is real, and whether it matters at those levels is unsettled.

What the EU safety committee concluded

In 2021, the committee said that using oxybenzone as a UV filter at up to 6% in body creams, propellant sprays or pump sprays is not safe for the consumer. It said 6% in face cream, hand cream and lipstick is safe, and 0.5% to protect a formula is safe.⁵

The limit that applies to a body sunscreen is 2.2%, or 1.7% if the same product also uses oxybenzone at 0.5% as a preservative.⁵ That is the figure behind Snifff's summary above, which also says India permits it without an equivalent cap. In the Cosmetics Regulation, Annex VI, entry 4 sets 6% for face, hand and lip products (excluding sprays), 2.2% for body products including sprays, and 0.5% for other products.⁶ The India half is Snifff's statement.

Oxybenzone in pregnancy and breastfeeding

Snifff's note is a caution, not a prohibition, and it names the reason: oxybenzone is endocrine-active, and it has been found in maternal blood and milk. That fits the absorption studies above, which show it gets into the body.^1,2

What is missing is evidence of harm in pregnancy itself. The 2023 review calls the human data on reproductive effects still limited,⁴ and the EU committee considered the endocrine evidence at best equivocal.⁵ So this is a precaution based on exposure and plausibility.

Evidence on cosmetic products in pregnancy is limited overall, so ask your doctor or midwife about the specific product you use.⁷

What you will see on the label

On a label, look for Benzophenone-3 and Oxybenzone. Snifff shows it as Moderate risk. For the rest of the formula, see what the score means and how to read the list.

As Snifff shows it

Benzophenone-3

Moderate risk

Pregnancy and nursing

Use with caution during pregnancy and lactation: oxybenzone is endocrine-active and has been detected in maternal blood and milk.

Regulatory gap

The EU caps oxybenzone at 2.2% in body sunscreens. India permits it as a UV filter without an equivalent cap.

Wording as it appears in the extension, which can change between releases.