Ingredient glossary / UV filter
Avobenzone
On the label: Avobenzone · UV filter
What it is
The main chemical UVA filter allowed in US sunscreens; unstable in light on its own, so it is paired with stabilisers like octocrylene.
UV filters: UV filters absorb or scatter ultraviolet light; the working part of a sunscreen. In the US they are regulated as over-the-counter drugs.
Wikidata: Chemical compound. Q2775914 →
In the research
145 PubMed papers mention it with skin, cosmetics or hair; the three most recent:
- Adhesive-Yet-Removable Silica-Polydopamine Janus Particles for High-Performance Skin Photoprotection · ACS applied materials & interfaces, 2026
- Licuri Oil (Syagrus coronata) as a Natural Oily Core for Cationic Polymeric Nanocapsules for Topical Formulation: Development, Characterization, and Incorporation into Hydrogels · Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 2026
- Human Insulin Enhances Avobenzone Photostability while Retaining Its Biological Activity · ACS omega, 2026
A paper is a paper, not a verdict: titles are listed so you can read them, and a study on cells or mice says little about a cream on a face.
Other uv filters
Dew & Balm describes ingredients from the public record and makes no claim about what a product will do for you. Statements about dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA. If a product causes a reaction, stop using it; a reaction that spreads or affects breathing is a call to a doctor or 911.