Ingredient glossary
Avobenzone
On your shelf ✓What Avobenzone does for your skin, who it suits, and what to watch for.
INCI: Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane · Also: BMBM
In short: Avobenzone delivers uva1 protection, suits most skin types, and the evidence behind it is strong. One thing to know: clear it with your doctor if pregnant; introduce it gently.
- What it does
- Uva1 protection
- Best for
- Most skin types
- Watch out
- Clear it with your doctor if pregnant; introduce it gently
- Evidence
- Strong
- How long
- Straight away
how it was measured
Measured on UV attenuation by the applied film - UVA1 absorption, contributing to measured UVA-PF; the clinical consensus; no trial pins the point.
The molecule
The Glow take
Only as good as the sunscreen it lives in.
As a single filter, Avobenzone only matters as part of a finished sunscreen you actually reapply. The best SPF is the one that feels good enough to wear every morning.
— Maya
What it does
- uva1 protection
strong evidencePhotostability studies show avobenzone alone degrades significantly under UV but remains stable when combined with filters like Tinosorb S or octocrylene.
On a label: usually effective at 2-3%.
Who it's for, and who should skip it
Tends to suit
- all
Approach with care
- very sensitive
- Clogs poresLow
- Irritation riskModerate
How it fits each skin type
- DrySuits
- CombinationSuits
- OilySuits
- SensitiveTake care
Where it fits in your routine
This one works on contact — there is nothing to wait for.
What that covers, and what it does not
- Measured on: UV attenuation by the applied film — UVA1 absorption, contributing to measured UVA-PF.
- Absorption starts with the film, so onset is not the interesting variable for this filter — duration is.
- Unstabilised avobenzone loses a substantial fraction of its absorbance within the first hour of continuous UV exposure, so the honest reading of this row is that protection is maximal immediately and declines from there unless octocrylene, Tinosorb S or a similar partner is present.
- Approved in the US monograph to 3% and on EU Annex VI, with the usual 15-minutes-before-exposure label direction.
US 21 CFR 201.327; EU Reg 1223/2009 Annex VI; ISO 24444:2019. Photodegradation clause from published photostability studies of avobenzone with and without stabilising filters (no PMID quoted).
Light, and how to keep it
Avobenzone breaks down in light on its own; it holds only in the company of the right partner on the label. The packaging still matters: opaque, and closed between uses.
how it was measured
With spectrophotometrical methods to assess the sun protection factor (SPF) and UVA ratio and chromatographical methods to determine the amount of UV filters recovered after irradiation we showed that Tinosorb S prevented the photodegradation of AVB in a concentration-dependent way, leading to a sustained SPF and UVA ratio even after irradiation with doses of up to 30 MED.PMID 11594052 · abstract
labile alone; measured stable beside bemotrizinol
Where this filter sits on the ladder of what fails first in an ageing sunscreen: does sunscreen expire?
What regulators say
In the EU avobenzone is capped at 5% as a UV filter (Annex VI entry 8).
What the regulator says, in full
- A UV filter has no dose-effect relationship worth stating for one ingredient: the number a reader can use is the product's SPF and UVA rating, measured on the finished film by ISO 24444 and ISO 24443, and it depends on the whole filter system, the film thickness and the vehicle, not on the percentage of avobenzone alone.
- The regulators set ceilings for safety, not efficacy: EU Annex VI entry 8, 5%; 21 CFR 352.10, up to 3%.
- Above those limits nothing is permitted and below them the SPF is whatever the product's own test says.
- The caveat: unstabilised avobenzone loses absorbance within the first hour of UV, so the stabiliser beside it matters more than its percentage.
Plays well with
- tinosorb s
- octocrylene
- mineral filters
Avobenzone, answered
Is Avobenzone safe during pregnancy?
Clear it with your doctor first. Avobenzone is flagged as use-with-caution during pregnancy and breastfeeding, so check with your doctor or midwife before adding it.
Who should avoid Avobenzone?
Approach Avobenzone with care if any of these apply to you: very sensitive. Its irritation risk is moderate, so introduce it slowly and patch test first.
What concentration of Avobenzone actually works?
Avobenzone tends to do its job in the 2 to 3% range. Much lower and it is likely underdosed.
Does Avobenzone go off?
On its own it breaks down in light; beside the right partner on the label it holds, and that is the part that has been measured. With spectrophotometrical methods to assess the sun protection factor (SPF) and UVA ratio and chromatographical methods to determine the amount of UV filters recovered after irradiation we showed that Tinosorb S prevented the photodegradation of AVB in a concentration-dependent way, leading to a sustained SPF and UVA ratio even after irradiation with doses of up to 30 MED. So the packaging is not decoration: opaque, and closed between uses. Heat, air and simple age matter too, and we have not sourced numbers for those, so treat this as one reason a product weakens rather than as a shelf life.
During pregnancy
Treat Avobenzone as a maybe rather than a yes for now. It is flagged as one to use with caution while pregnant or breastfeeding, so it is worth clearing before you carry on.
When in doubt, check with your doctor or midwife. They outrank any website, including this one.When it is worth booking →
Compare Avobenzone with
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Can you mix Avobenzone with
4 pairings built.
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Sources & how we reviewed this
What changed on this page
- : the effective dose from trials, the highest dose tested
- : light stability
- : what the EU regulates