Caredermis

Benzophenone-3

Severity 8/10Editorial

uv filter · also known as oxybenzone

Is Benzophenone-3 safe?

Benzophenone-3 carries significant published concerns (allergy risk, environmental impact).

In plain language

The most controversial chemical UV filter: a top cause of sunscreen allergy, a suspected endocrine disruptor found in blood and breast milk, and banned in several reef jurisdictions for coral toxicity.

A Caredermis plain-language explanation to help you read the label — not a regulator statement. The sourced facts are the classifications and status shown on this page.

Documented concerns

Concerns marked Editorialare Caredermis' own dermatological review; the rest are drawn from official data — see the cited sources ↓

Allergy risk

Editorial6/10

The most common cause of sunscreen photoallergy.

Environmental impact

Editorial8/10

Linked to coral bleaching; banned in Hawaii and other reef regions.

Official regulatory status

Pulled directly from official regulatory datasets and expert reviews — not our own judgement.

EU-permitted UV filter (max a) 6% b) 2,2% c) 0,5% Footnote 1: However, cosmetic products)CIR: reviewed safe

EU SCCS safety opinions

  • · Opinion on Benzophenone-3
Read SCCS opinions ↗

Guidance by skin profile

Caredermis editorial guidance based on the concerns above — checked against the official records on every build, but not itself a regulator statement.

  • Sensitive skinHigh caution
  • Oily & acne-proneNo specific concern
  • Dry skinNo specific concern
  • PregnancyBest avoided
  • Babies & kidsBest avoided
  • Eczema-proneHigh caution

Sources

Each authority below is shown only because our ingested copy of its data lists Benzophenone-3 — not because we asserted it. Follow a link to verify the classification or regulation directly.

CIR conclusion from the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Quick Reference Table — cir-safety.org (snapshot in data/sources/)(point-in-time snapshot; CIR's live record may have been updated since).

See our methodology for how these map to concern levels. Informational only — not medical advice.

Products in our library containing Benzophenone-3

Related ingredients

Ingredients with a similar role or shared type of concern — useful for comparing what's on your label.

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