In order to protect your skin from the sun’s powerful ultraviolet (UV) rays, you know that applying and reapplying sunscreen is the best way to prevent serious health issues like skin cancer. The problem? Recent headlines surrounding sunscreen have suggested that your go-to SPF may be linked to its own set of health problems.
In particular, people have repeatedly freaked out about oxybenzone, a “widely-used” chemical found in two-thirds of the products analyzed for The Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) 2019 sunscreen guide.
The EWG has been wary of oxybenzone for years: Way back in 2008, the organization asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate the safety of oxybenzone use in sunscreen due to growing evidence that it could potentially disrupt the human hormone system. On top of that, oxybenzone has been ending up in our oceans—harming and killing corals in the process. That’s why Hawaii’s governor signed a bill into law last July that banned the sale of sunscreens containing oxybenzone (as well as another chemical called octinoxate).
The FDA recently issued a proposed rule to update regulations for most sunscreen products in the U.S. The goal is to bring over-the-counter sunscreens up to date with the latest scientific standards and to have people in the industry share safety data on 12 active sunscreen ingredients (including oxybenzone) to help understand whether and to what extend each ingredient is absorbed into the body after it’s applied.
Oxybenzone has been enemy No.1 in sunscreens for a while now. Here, experts explain its potential health impacts—and whether you should ditch the ingredient for good.
What is oxybenzone, exactly?
Oxybenzone is an organic compound that is a benzophenone derivative, explains Jamie Alan, PhD, an assistant professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University. “It’s also found in plastics, toys, and some flowing plants,” she adds.
Oxybenzone works as a sunscreen by absorbing UV radiation, Alan says. During this process, a chemical reaction occurs and the sun’s UV rays are converted into heat and released from the skin.
Why is oxybenzone considered potentially dangerous?
Oxybenzone is a “potential hormone disruptor,” Alan says. This means it may interfere with the endocrine system, which regulates biological processes like metabolism, growth and development, sexual function and reproduction, thyroid function, and more. However, “we don’t know yet if it’s clinically significant,” Alan says.
Why? “We have some evidence that it disrupts hormones in animals, but the studies are not directly comparable to humans for a number of reasons,” she says. One example: A rat study analyzed the effects of really high doses of oxybenzone—much higher doses than you would use when you apply sunscreen.
Still, researchers have been concerned about oxybenzone in particular because it is absorbed through the skin in large amounts. The EWG and FDA also flagged test results that show the following:
-- Oxybenzone is allergenic and has relatively high rates of skin reactions.
-- It has been detected in human breast milk, amniotic fluid, urine, and blood.
-- Children may be more vulnerable to harm from oxybenzone than adults because of the potential for higher
absorption.
The FDA is currently requesting studies of oxybenzone that measure skin absorption as well as potential impacts on hormone levels, reproduction, and development.
But beyond its potential side effects in humans, oxybenzone has a negative impact on our ocean life. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says that oxybenzone and other chemicals filters in sunscreen can damage coral, cause reproductive issues in fish, damage sea urchins, and accumulate in the tissues of dolphins. (These reef-safe sunscreens don’t contain chemicals that are known to harm corals.)
How does oxybenzone compare to other chemical ingredients in sunscreen?
Oxybenzone isn’t the only popular chemical sunscreen ingredient that’s considered questionable. The EWG also flagged the following:
-- Avobenzone
-- Homosalate
-- Octinoxate
-- Octisalate
-- Cinoxate
-- Dioxybenzone
-- Ensulizole
-- Meradimate
-- Padimate o
-- Sulisobenzone
All of these ingredients are in a “gray zone” for safety, along with oxybenzone, Alan says.
As of now, there are only two sunscreen ingredients that are considered “safe” by the FDA and EWG: zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Known as physical or mineral filters, these ingredients work by creating a barrier and reflecting UV rays, rather than absorbing them.
“The rest we simply don’t have enough evidence to know how safe they are,” Alan says. “So unless you are using one of those two, it’s a bit of a risk.”
So, should you stop using sunscreens with oxybenzone in them?
The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) maintains that you should use sunscreen (including sunscreen with oxybenzone), and that it’s still considered safe to use when it comes to human health.