Avobenzone
- Products with the EWG VERIFIED mark have met the program’s impurity and use restrictions based on EWG's review of the company's data.
Other Concerns
Use restrictions (moderate) and Contamination concerns (high)SYNONYMS
1,3-PROPANEDIONE, 1-(4-(1,1-DIMETHYLETHYL)PHENYL)-3-(4-METHOXYPHENYL)-, 1,3-PROPANEDIONE, 1-[4-(1,1-DIMETHYLETHYL)PHENYL]-3-(4-METHOXYPHENYL)-, 1,3-PROPANEDIONE, 2-BUTYL-2-METHOXY-1,3-DIPHENYL-, 1,3PROPANEDIONE, 1[4(1,1DIMETHYLETHYL)PHENYL]3(4METHOXYPHENYL), 1-(4-(1,1-DIMETHYLETHYL)PHENYL)-3-(4-METHOXYPHENYL)-1,3-PROPANEDI- ONE, 1-(4-(1,1-DIMETHYLETHYL)PHENYL)-3-(4-METHOXYPHENYL)-1,3-PROPANEDIONE, 1-(4-(1,1-DIMETHYLETHYL)PHENYL)-3-(4-METHOXYPHENYL)PROPANE-1,3-DIONE, 1-(4-TERT-BUTYLPHENYL)-3-(4-METHOXYPHENYL)PROPANE-1,3-DIONE, 1-(P-TERT-BUTYLPHENYL)-3-(P-METHOXYPHENYL)-1,3-PROPANEDIONE, 1-[4-(1,1-DIMETHYLETHYL)PHENYL]-3-(4-METHOXYPHENYL)- 1,3-PROPANEDIONE, 1-[4-(1,1-DIMETHYLETHYL)PHENYL]-3-(4-METHOXYPHENYL)-1,3-PROPANEDIONE, 1-[4-(1,1-DIMETHYLETHYL)PHENYL]-3-(4-METHOXYPHENYL)PROPANE-1,3-DIONE, 2-BUTYL-2-METHOXY-1,3-DIPHENYL- 1,3-PROPANEDIONE, 4-TERT-BUTYL-4'-METHOXYDIBENZOYLMETHANE, AVEBENZONE, AVO, AVOBENZONA, AVOBENZONE, AVOBENZONE (PARSOL 1789 | BUTYL METHOXYDIBENZOYLMETHANE), AVOBENZONUM, BMDBM, BUTYL METHOXYBENZOYLMETHANE, BUTYL METHOXYDIBENZOYLMETHANE, EINECS 274-581-6, METHOXYDIBENZOYLMETHANE, and PARSOL 1789Restricted
Restricted: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient without adequate substantiation
This common sunscreen ingredient offers protection from UVA rays. Sunlight can cause this ingredient to break down and lose its effectiveness for skin protection. Photodegredation is delayed by mixing avobenzone with stabilizing chemicals.
Common concerns
See how this product scores for common concerns.
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LOWCancer
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LOWAllergies & Immunotoxicity
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LOWDevelopmental and Reproductive Toxicity
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MODERATEUse Restrictions
Ingredient concerns
- CONCERNS
- DATA SOURCES
Products with this Ingredient
recreational sunscreen | 478 products |
daily use with SPF | 273 products |
fragrance for women | 223 products |
lip balm with SPF | 86 products |
fragrance for men | 79 products |
baby sunscreen | 57 products |
body spray | 50 products |
hair treatment/serum | 22 products |
moisturizer | 20 products |
body wash/cleanser | 16 products |
body oil | 15 products |
shampoo | 15 products |
blush | 14 products |
conditioner | 14 products |
facial moisturizer/treatment | 14 products |
tanning oil | 11 products |
lip balm | 10 products |
foundation | 10 products |
lip liner | 9 products |
hair styling aide | 7 products |
makeup primer | 7 products |
bronzer/highlighter | 7 products |
liquid hand soap | 6 products |
facial cleanser | 5 products |
eye shadow | 5 products |
after shave | 4 products |
hand sanitizer | 4 products |
hair spray | 4 products |
serums & essences | 4 products |
detangler | 3 products |
lipstick | 3 products |
around-eye cream | 3 products |
setting powder/spray | 3 products |
exfoliant/scrub | 2 products |
CC cream | 2 products |
damaged skin treatment | 1 products |
styling gel/lotion | 1 products |
lip gloss | 1 products |
sunless tanning | 1 products |
mask | 1 products |
BB cream | 1 products |
after sun product | 1 products |
1 products | |
styling mousse/foam | 1 products |
Contamination concerns
Enhanced skin absorption
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Absorbs into the skin | Open scientific literature |
Decreased skin absorption
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Limited potential to absorb into the skin. | Open scientific literature |
Use restrictions
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Restricted in cosmetics (recommendations or requirements) - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Japan - restricted for use in cosmetics (concentration limit) | Japan's Standards for Cosmetics |
Cancer
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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One or more in vitro tests on mammalian cells show positive mutation results | Open scientific literature |
Allergies/immunotoxicity
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Associated with immunotoxicity or allergies | Open scientific literature |
Data gaps
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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312 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical | NLM PubMed |
Ecotoxicology
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Not suspected to be an environmental toxin | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Not suspected to be bioaccumulative | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
- Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
- Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. 2006. Standards for Cosmetics. Evaluation and Licensing Division. Pharmaceutical and Food Safety Bureau.
- NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.
- EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
Understanding scores
Cosmetics and personal care products are not required to be tested for safety before being allowed on the market. The Skin Deep® scoring system was designed to help the public understand whether a product is safe to use or whether it contains ingredients of concern.
Every product and ingredient in Skin Deep gets a two-part score – one for hazard and one for data availability. The safest products score well by both measures, with a low hazard rating and a fair or better data availability rating.
HOW WE DETERMINE SCORESHazard score
The Skin Deep ingredient hazard score, from 1 to 10, reflects known and suspected hazards linked to the ingredients. The EWG VERIFIED™ mark means a product meets EWG’s strictest criteria for transparency and health.
Data availability
The Skin Deep data availability rating reflects the number of scientific studies about the product or ingredient in the published scientific literature.