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
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. The packaging is doing real work: opaque, and closed between uses.
The textbook photounstable UVA filter: degrades under irradiation unless photostabilized, studied down to ultrafast spectroscopy in formulation models.
PMID:34694312(abstract)
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?
It breaks down in light, and that is the part that has been measured. The textbook photounstable UVA filter: degrades under irradiation unless photostabilized, studied down to ultrafast spectroscopy in formulation models. 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 →
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