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

Oxybenzone

Benzophenone-3SPF filter

Older UVB+UVA chemical filter. Effective; falling out of favor due to coral-reef regulations and contact-allergy reports.

What it does

Oxybenzone is one of the older chemical sunscreen filters with broad UVB and partial UVA coverage. It's effective at preventing sunburn and has a strong real-world track record. The challenges: hawaii and several other regions have banned it from sunscreen sales due to coral-reef concerns, and contact-allergy reports are higher than for newer filters. Brands are gradually phasing it out in favor of bemotrizinol, octocrylene, and mineral filters.

The evidence, graded

expert consensusSunscreen must be the final AM step. Applying products on top of sunscreen disrupts the protective film and can compromise the labeled SPF.Petersen 2014 · Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine ↗
expert consensusSPF protection degrades under UV exposure. Reapply sunscreen every 2 hours during continuous sun exposure to maintain rated protection — and immediately after swimming, sweating, or towel-drying.Petersen 2014 · Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine ↗

Graded per the methodology: strong · moderate · emerging · expert consensus. A weak source on a strong claim gets the weaker label.

Also known as

benzophenone-3

Pairs worth knowing

Avobenzone · works together ↗Octocrylene · works together ↗Iron Oxides · works together ↗

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