Is Oxybenzone safe during pregnancy?
Sources disagree on this chemical filter. Many experts suggest a mineral sunscreen during pregnancy and breastfeeding instead.
What the sources say
FDA says more data are needed before oxybenzone can be called generally recognized as safe, but stresses that is not a finding that it is unsafe. A 2025 review advises avoiding it in pregnancy as a precaution because of possible hormone effects, and a large NIH-funded US study linked higher prenatal levels to lower birth weight (an association, not proof). AAD recommends zinc oxide or titanium dioxide sunscreen in pregnancy. Limit: prefer mineral or oxybenzone-free sunscreen; sun protection still matters.
Common alternatives
Also listed as
2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone, benzophenone 3, benzophenone-3, bp-3, bp3, eusolex 4360, uvinul m40
Sources
- FDA: Questions and Answers: FDA's regulatory actions on over-the-counter sunscreen
- NIH PubMed (peer-reviewed review): Photoprotection in pregnancy: addressing safety concerns and optimizing skin health (Front Med, 2025)
- NIH PubMed (peer-reviewed study): Prenatal Phenol and Paraben Exposures and Adverse Birth Outcomes: A Prospective Analysis of U.S. Births (Environ Int, 2024; NIH ECHO)
- AAD: Dermatologist-approved pregnancy skin care
Last reviewed . This is general information, not medical advice. Ask your doctor or midwife about your own situation.