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Are oxybenzone-laced products the best way to block sun?

Oxybenzone

What it is: Oxybenzone, also known as benzophenone-3, is a powder chemical approved for use as a sunscreen ingredient. It comes from the benzophenone group of chemicals, which are also used in cosmetic products to protect them from changing color and degrading in the presence of sunlight.

Where you see it: Sunscreen with SPF 15-30, sunscreen with SPF greater than 30, facial moisturizer, lip balm, lipstick, anti-aging treatment, makeup with sunscreen, moisturizer with sunscreen, lip balm with sunscreen.

What it does: In sunscreen, oxybenzone works as a UV filter by absorbing and dispersing UVA and UVB wave radiation.

Is it safe? The U.S. Federal Drug Administration lists oxybenzone as a safe and effective over-the-counter sunscreen ingredient that may be used in concentrations up to six percent. The Cosmetics Directive of the European Union (the European equivalent of the FDA) allows it in concentrations up to 10 percent, but requires any product containing more than 0.5% oxybenzone to include the phrase “contains oxybenzone” on the label.

A safety review of oxybenzone by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review states that at concentrations used in cosmetics and personal care products, oxybenzone is non-sensitizing and non-phototoxic (which means it won’t cause damage to the skin when exposed to light).

But of course, it’s not that easy. In a study released by the Centers for Disease Control in 2008, oxybenzone was found present in urine samples of 96.8% of subjects. The study was conducted from 2003 to 2004 as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and analyzed 2,517 urine samples.

The Environmental Working Group, a Washington-based activist group, responded to the study’s findings in its 2009 Sunscreen Report, stating “3 out of 5 brand-name sunscreens either don’t protect skin from sun damage or contain hazardous chemicals — or both.” The EWG’s report cited a 19% drop in the use of oxybenzone throughout the sunscreen industry since 2008 and said the “industry’s shift away from the chemical may signal their recognition of the risks inherent in a hormone-disrupting chemical that readily absorbs through human skin.”

In response to the EWG’s report the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC), a trade association representing the cosmetic and sunscreen industries, issued a statement. In it, PCPC Chief Scientist John Bailey says: “EWG’s assertions about the safety of oxybenzone lack the rigor and reliability of formal, expert evaluation, are not peer-reviewed, and could unnecessarily confuse or alarm consumers and even cause them to alter their safe sun habits.”

While the study’s findings caused a stir in the scientific community, the results only conclude that the chemical was absorbed through the skin. Other studies suggest possible associations between the chemical and low birth weight in female infants as well as hormone-disrupting activity in lab tests, but none of the research is considered extensive.

Even after the study’s release, the CDC still lists oxybenzone as one of the ingredients capable of broad-spectrum sun protection and recommends products containing it in the occupational sun guide for outdoor workers.

According to the EWG, oxybenzone is used in nearly 600 sunscreen products –  including those by brands like Olay, Baby Blanket, Hawaiian Tropic, Banana Boat, and Coppertone. For a complete list of products containing oxybenzone, visit the EWG’s analysis.

As an alternative to oxybenzone, the EWG recommends looking for sunscreen containing titanium dioxide or zinc.

Photos: Hand and sun – Stock.Xchng user Henk L.;  Clear Zinc; Baby Blanket; Olay