Ingredient · uv filter

Avobenzone

Avobenzone is a UV filter: it absorbs or scatters ultraviolet light, which is what makes a product a sunscreen. UVA filter.

Avobenzone at a glance

FunctionUv filter
Active classUv filter
Comedogenic rating0/5
Irritation potentialMild
Also listed asButyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
How commonOn 656 of 21,918 product labels in Pori's copy of Open Beauty Facts

What does Avobenzone help with?

In Pori's database it's linked to sun damage. How much it helps depends on how high it sits on the label: ingredients are listed from most to least, and anything past roughly the tenth spot is usually present at 1% or less.

Is Avobenzone good for my skin type?

These ratings come from the same fixed rules Pori's ingredient scanner uses, applied to a typical profile for each skin type. Your own result in the app also weighs your scan results and concerns.

Skin typeRatingWhy
NormalNeutralUVA filter.
DryNeutralUVA filter.
OilyNeutralUVA filter.
CombinationNeutralUVA filter.
SensitiveNeutralUVA filter.

Is Avobenzone comedogenic?

It has a comedogenic rating of 0 out of 5 in Pori's ingredient database, so it's unlikely to clog pores. Ratings like this come from older tests on single ingredients, and a finished product with it isn't necessarily pore-clogging. A 2006 study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that finished products made with comedogenic ingredients were not necessarily comedogenic, so treat the number as a hint, not a verdict.

Which products contain Avobenzone?

Products in Pori's curated catalogue that list it as a key ingredient:

  • Neutrogena Invisible Daily Defense Sunscreen Lotion SPF 60+ (sunscreen)
  • Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40 (sunscreen)
  • Cetaphil PRO Oil Control Moisturizer with SPF 30 (sunscreen)
  • Jack Black Double-Duty Face Moisturizer SPF 20 (sunscreen)
  • La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer UV SPF 30 (sunscreen)
  • Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen (sunscreen)
  • Nivea Daily Essentials Sensitive Day Cream SPF 15 (sunscreen)
  • Sun Bum Premium Sunscreen Face Stick (sunscreen)

How do I check a product with Avobenzone?

Scan the barcode or photograph the ingredient list with Pori's ingredient scanner (a Pro feature). It rates every ingredient for your skin type, flags fragrance, pore-clogging and irritating ingredients, and gives the product an overall match score. It's a guide to ingredients, not a diagnosis, so see a dermatologist about any reaction.

Keep reading

Ingredient data from Pori's ingredient database; product counts from Open Beauty Facts (ODbL). General information, not medical advice.