According to an FDA study* based on random clinical trials and published in a peer-reviewed medical journal, it has been found that Oxybenzone, along with several other active chemical ingredients commonly found in non-mineral sunscreens (avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate, and octinoxate), are quickly absorbed through the skin after application and into a person’s bloodstream.  Once absorbed, these artificial chemicals can remain in a person’s system for up to 7 days. Oxybenzone is a “known endocrine disruptor” in humans and has been shown in numerous studies to cause a variety of hormonal, growth, development, reproduction and allergy issues.

When the FDA began to consider sunscreen safety, it grandfathered in active ingredients from the late 1970s based on studies conducted by sunscreen companies, without reviewing the evidence of their potential hazards. In February 2019, the agency released its final draft sunscreens monograph, which clearly states that currently there is insufficient health and safety data to designate these chemicals under their category of “generally recognized as safe and effective,” or GRASE.  These chemical active ingredients include some of the most commonly used UV filters, including oxybenzone, octinoxate, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate and avobenzone.

According to the FDA, “nearly all of these sunscreen active ingredients … have limited or no data characterizing their absorption.” In 2019 and 2020, the FDA published two studies showing that the ingredients oxybenzone, octinoxate, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate and avobenzone are all systemically absorbed into the body after a single use (Matta 2019, Matta 2020). The FDA also found that the sunscreen ingredients could be detected on the skin and in blood weeks after application ended (Matta 2020).