Cited skincare — every flag names its source, no upsell.
Oc

Octinoxate

Ethylhexyl MethoxycinnamateSPF filter

A UVB sunscreen filter, long one of the most used worldwide. Some places, like Hawaii and Palau, restrict it over reef concerns.

What it does

It’s steadier than avobenzone but still breaks down in sunlight; in testing, both lost a lot after UV exposure, which is why partner filters matter. Hawaii, Palau and some other places restrict it over reef concerns.

The EU’s ingredient database lists it as a UV filter (filters UV rays) and a light stabilizer (protects the product from light).European Commission, CosIng (© European Union, CC BY 4.0) · uses put in plain words by Drop ↗

The evidence, graded

expert consensusThe two-hour rule is written for time outdoors — that is how the AAD phrases it and how the label's wording is scoped. A desk by a sunlit window is the case people miss: ordinary window glass blocks UVB completely but lets through as much as 74.3% of UVA, so a mid-day reapplication there is a reasonable precaution. No study Drop has read measured filter loss on an indoor day, so the indoor half of this is caution rather than measurement.Duarte 2009 · Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine ↗
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.

Also known as

octyl methoxycinnamate, OMC

Read more

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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