Av
Avobenzone
Butyl MethoxydibenzoylmethaneSPF filter
The main UVA filter in US sunscreens, covering the long UVA that titanium-only formulas miss. It needs a partner to stay stable.
What it does
On its own it breaks down in sunlight, so products pair it with octocrylene or other stabilizers. It covers the long UVA that titanium-only mineral sunscreens miss.
The EU’s ingredient database lists it as a UV filter (filters UV rays).European Commission, CosIng (© European Union, CC BY 4.0) · uses put in plain words by Drop ↗
The evidence, graded
emergingA retinoid at night and sunscreen in the morning is not a conflict — the retinoid is long gone by then. The question only arises if both are on the skin at once, in one product or in a daytime routine. There, a mineral sunscreen is the cautious pick, because avobenzone's own photo-instability is measured and nobody has measured the pair together.Wang 2011 · Seminars in Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery ↗
emergingIn a laboratory study, adding bemotrizinol (Tinosorb S) to sunscreen formulas stopped avobenzone from breaking down under an artificial UV source, more so at higher amounts. The formulas kept their SPF and UVA ratio through doses of up to 30 MED, a measure of UV dose. It protected octinoxate too. The test measured formulas with instruments, not skin in sunlight, and the lead author worked for a drug company.Chatelain 2001 · Photochemistry and photobiology ↗
emergingA laboratory study exposed sunscreen formulas with five UV filters to UVA light. Avobenzone and octinoxate were significantly degraded, with around 16% less recovered. By one method, HPLC, all the formulas held up similarly; combining three methods, the authors suggest formulas containing bemotrizinol were the most photostable. Adding the antioxidants resveratrol and beta-carotene made avobenzone more stable. Nothing was tested on skin.Freitas 2015 · European journal of pharmaceutical sciences ↗
emergingIn laboratory work by researchers at BASF, avobenzone and octinoxate, two filters that break down under UV light, were steadied by octocrylene or bemotrizinol in the same sunscreen. Two mechanisms can do it: the added filter absorbing more light, or a transfer of energy that quenches the fragile filter. Both may apply; for octinoxate with bemotrizinol, quenching appeared to be the main one.Herzog 2020 · Photochemical & photobiological sciences ↗
Graded per the methodology: strong · moderate · emerging · expert consensus. A weak source on a strong claim gets the weaker label.
Pairs worth knowing
Read more
Reading the evidence · 6 minSunscreen for Aging Concerns: What a 4.5-Year Trial ShowedDaily sunscreen slowed visible skin aging in a 4.5-year randomized trial, rare evidence in skincare. What that trial shows, and what it doesn't.How Drop works · 6 minSunscreen Reapplication: Why Every 2 Hours Actually MattersSunscreen wears off faster than most people realize. What happens in those 2 hours, when reapplication matters most, and how to do it over makeup.
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