Studies Detected Oxybenzone in Breast Milk and Amniotic Fluid. A Brazilian Bill Would Ban Sunscreens Containing It
Oxybenzone has been detected in breast milk, blood and amniotic fluid in studies. A Brazilian bill would ban it, and the Australian Sunscreen Council is pushing for Australia to follow.
Oxybenzone soaks into the body. That's what the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in 2019. Studies indicated it is absorbed through the skin "to a greater extent than previously understood" (U.S. Food and Drug Administration [FDA], 2019, p. 6206). It had been detected in human breast milk, amniotic fluid, urine and blood plasma (FDA, 2019, p. 6206).
Now a Brazilian lawmaker wants it out of sunscreen altogether, to protect coral reefs. Deputy Jéssica Sales filed an environmental bill (PL 719/2020) to ban oxybenzone in sunscreen. Its stated aim is "to give greater protection to the environment" (the Council's translation; Sales, 2020, art. 1). Its justification says studies "have been demonstrating the harmful consequences" of oxybenzone on marine ecosystems, "notably in the disruption of the health of coral reefs", and calls such ingredients "polluting substances harmful to the environment" (the Council's translation; Sales, 2020, Justificativa).
Australian sunscreens can still contain up to 10% oxybenzone (Therapeutic Goods (Permissible Ingredients) Determination (No. 3) 2026, item 3645). In mid-2025, 39 medicines on Australia's register contained oxybenzone (Therapeutic Goods Administration [TGA], 2025b, p. 13).
The bill in Brazil
She filed it in March 2020. It would ban "the import, export, production and sale of sunscreens or sun filters that contain oxybenzone (benzophenone-3) and octinoxate in their formulation" (the Council's translation) (Sales, 2020, art. 2). The ban would start 12 months after the law passes (Sales, 2020, art. 2).
It's the second try. A 2019 Senate bill targeting oxybenzone lapsed when the legislature ended in 2022 (Martins, 2019).
PL 719/2020 is attached to a 2007 bill, PL 612/2007, and is still before the Chamber of Deputies' Environment and Sustainable Development Committee, which has yet to report on it (Câmara dos Deputados, n.d.-a, n.d.-b). In March 2026, Deputy Coronel Chrisóstomo was named rapporteur for PL 612/2007 again (Câmara dos Deputados, n.d.-a). The bills have priority status, and in April a request to fast-track them was filed (Câmara dos Deputados, n.d.-a, n.d.-b).
The rulebook in Brazil's way
There's a catch. Brazil's list of sunscreen UV filters comes from Mercosur, the South American trade bloc. Mercosur's list still includes oxybenzone (Grupo Mercado Común [GMC], 2015; GMC, 2021; Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária [ANVISA], 2022).
It also still includes 4-MBC, which the European Union decided "should be prohibited for all use in cosmetic products" (GMC, 2021; European Commission, 2024, recital 12). The Member State Committee of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) found that "the consistently seen adverse effects on thyroid gland weight and histopathology clearly show that 4-MBC is a thyroid hormone system disrupting chemical" (ECHA, 2021, p. 3).
Europe's answer to 4-MBC was a full ban. Since 1 May 2026, sunscreens containing it can't be sold anywhere in the European Union (European Commission, 2024). Mercosur last updated its list in 2021. It left both oxybenzone and 4-MBC untouched (GMC, 2021).
Sound familiar? Australia's list looks a lot like Mercosur's. Australian sunscreens can still contain both chemicals (TGA, 2025b, p. 13; TGA, 2026, pp. 9-10).
What the regulators found
The warnings about oxybenzone have been building for years.
Denmark's Environmental Protection Agency evaluated oxybenzone under REACH, the European Union's chemicals law. It concluded that "the Substance is an endocrine disruptor for the human health and for the environment" (Danish Environmental Protection Agency, 2025, p. 9).
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wrote in 2021: "Given the available data showing significant transdermal absorption and systemic availability of oxybenzone, as well as the potential for endocrine activity, we propose that sunscreens containing oxybenzone are not GRASE", GRASE meaning generally recognised as safe and effective (FDA, 2021, p. 44). Transdermal means through the skin.
The European Commission's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) looked at oxybenzone at up to 6% in body sunscreens and sprays. Its verdict: it "is not safe for the consumer" (SCCS, 2021, p. 3). The European Union then banned oxybenzone above 2.2% in body products, including propellant and pump sprays (European Commission, 2022a, p. 53).
Australia's own regulator, the TGA, concluded in its 2025 safety review that "oxybenzone is not deemed to present a low risk to human health and safety when used at the highest maximum permitted concentration of 10% in therapeutic sunscreens" (TGA, 2025a, p. 61 of 74). For toddlers using it every day, the safety margin fell to 25 for the face and hands, against the minimum of 100 (TGA, 2025a, p. 60 of 74). The review also recorded that "The systemic exposure of oxybenzone remained above 0.5 ng/mL in more than 50% of participants for up to 21 days" (TGA, 2025a, p. 57 of 74). That is the blood level above which the FDA expects a sunscreen ingredient to need further safety testing, including cancer studies (FDA, 2019, p. 6215).
The TGA saw this coming. A June 2021 draft review already found the safety margin for oxybenzone fell short (TGA, 2021, pp. 4–5). It even named the fix. The TGA "can remove homosalate and oxybenzone from the permitted list of active ingredients in the sunscreens following further review of the latest use pattern of the sunscreens containing these ingredients" (TGA, 2021, p. 4). Its May 2025 review then found that "homosalate is not deemed to present a low risk to human health and safety when used at the highest maximum permitted concentration of 15% in therapeutic sunscreens", and recommended "that homosalate is listed in the Poisons Standard" (TGA, 2025a, p. 52 of 74). The European Union has banned homosalate in body products (European Commission, 2022b, p. 37).
What the Australian Sunscreen Council is calling for
Europe has banned 4-MBC, and banned oxybenzone above 2.2% in body products. A Brazilian bill would ban oxybenzone in sunscreen outright.
This is a failure of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Its own May 2025 safety review concluded that "oxybenzone is not deemed to present a low risk to human health and safety when used at the highest maximum permitted concentration of 10% in therapeutic sunscreens", and recommended "that oxybenzone is listed in the Poisons Standard" (TGA, 2025a, p. 61 of 74). Yet Australian sunscreen can contain up to 10% oxybenzone (Therapeutic Goods (Permissible Ingredients) Determination (No. 3) 2026, item 3645), while a Brazilian bill would ban it in sunscreen (Sales, 2020, art. 2) and the European Union has banned it above 2.2% in body products (European Commission, 2022a, p. 53). The TGA assesses sunscreen ingredients under therapeutic goods law, and the same review left the environment out entirely: "all articles dealing with environmental matters relating to the ingredients were excluded as they do not fall under Australian therapeutic goods legislation" (TGA, 2025a, p. 18 of 74). Draft TGA media lines released under FOI 26-2156 went further: "Environmental matters do not fall under therapeutic goods legislation. It is beyond our legal powers to promote marine-friendly products" (TGA, n.d., p. 10). In the Council's view, oxybenzone is not needed in sunscreen at all.
The Australian Sunscreen Council points to TGA FOI 26-2156, which revealed the regulator's own May 2025 safety review said "Oxybenzone was carcinogenic in mice (bone marrow, spleen, kidney and liver)" (TGA, 2025a, p. 32 of 74), and to TGA FOI 26-3100, which revealed the regulator itself said animal studies of oxybenzone "showed reproductive, developmental, and endocrine effects, with some evidence of carcinogenicity and genotoxicity" (TGA, 2025c, p. 4 of 9). A 2021 TGA draft said "several studies published in 2020 support previous findings that oxybenzone can act as an endocrine disruptor and may increase the risk of breast cancer and endometriosis" (TGA, 2021, p. 17). The Council is calling for oxybenzone to be banned in Australian sunscreen.
Non-nano zinc oxide is the only broad-spectrum UV filter that is reef safe and Generally Recognized As Safe and Effective (GRASE) by the US FDA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA], n.d.; National Park Service [NPS], n.d.; FDA, 2019, p. 6206; Beasley & Meyer, 2010; Hanrahan, 2012). On its own it protects across the full UVA and UVB range, including long UVA (Beasley & Meyer, 2010; Hanrahan, 2012).
About the Australian Sunscreen Council
The Australian Sunscreen Council is a registered Australian charity dedicated to improving the health of everyday Australians through UV education, research and evidence-based sun safety initiatives.
As Australia’s peak industry body for sunscreen safety, the Council works with scientists, medical professionals, industry experts and policymakers to advance sunscreen safety, support independent research, improve public understanding of UV exposure and promote stronger public-health standards.
ABN 64 692 134 982
Australian Sunscreen Council Editorial Team
The Council is supported by an Expert Group and may draw on advice from one or more members depending on the subject matter of a particular article, submission or publication. Members listed by the Council include (Australian Sunscreen Council, n.d.):
Dr Craig Downs, Executive Director, Haereticus Environmental Laboratory
Dr Russell Hills, cosmetic and laser dermatologist and Mohs specialist
Dr Denis Dudley, obstetrician-gynaecologist and endocrinologist
Dr Abhinandan “Rocky” Chowdhury, toxicologist
Dr Leslie Laquieze, sunscreen testing and photoprotection
Mgr. Mehrdad Mirzaei, pharmacist and photoprotection researcher
Joseph DiNardo, cosmetic toxicologist
Dr Alan Jones, skin cancer physician
Camila Biato Stopa, MSc, cosmetic scientist and pharmacist
Acknowledgment
Grok was used in the creation of this article. Always read the sunscreen label and use only as directed. Sunscreen is only one part of sun protection. Avoid prolonged sun exposure and wear protective clothing, hats, and eyewear.
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