New Zealand Has Banned Oxybenzone Above 2.2% in Body Sunscreens. Denmark Concluded It Is "an Endocrine Disruptor"
New Zealand has banned oxybenzone above 2.2% in body sunscreens and sprays, matching the European Union. Old stock can be sold only until 31 December 2026.
New Zealand has banned oxybenzone above 2.2% in body products and sprays (6% in face, hand and lip products, 0.5% in other products) in cosmetics, including sunscreens, made in or imported into the country since 1 January 2026. The old limit was 10%. Products made to the old rules can be supplied only until 31 December 2026 (Environmental Protection Authority [EPA], 2024a, p. 1, cl. 2; p. 2, Sch. 2 cl. 2–3; p. 162, Sch. 8 Table 1 entry 4; EPA, 2021, p. 132).
Europe's scientists had already found the chemical unsafe at Europe's old limit. The European Commission recorded that its scientific committee, the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS), "concluded in its opinion of 30-31 March 2021 that Benzophenone-3 is not safe for the consumer when used as a UV filter up to the current maximum concentration of 6 % in sunscreen products, either in the form of body cream, sunscreen propellant spray or pump spray" (European Commission, 2022, p. 51, recital 3). Benzophenone-3 is another name for oxybenzone.
Denmark's Environmental Protection Agency concluded that "the Substance is an endocrine disruptor for the human health and for the environment" (Danish Environmental Protection Agency, 2025, p. 9). An endocrine disruptor is a chemical that interferes with the body's hormones.
A September 2025 brief from Australia's own medicines regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), said: "Oxybenzone is rapidly absorbed and detected in plasma and breast milk" (Therapeutic Goods Administration [TGA], 2025c, p. 4 of 9).
Australian sunscreen can contain up to 10% oxybenzone (Therapeutic Goods (Permissible Ingredients) Determination (No. 3) 2026, item 3645).
What New Zealand did
New Zealand's cosmetics rules, the Cosmetic Products Group Standard, set which ingredients cosmetics sold there may contain, and its list of permitted UV filters sets the most of each a product may hold. In New Zealand, most sunscreens are cosmetics.
The new limits came into force on 1 January 2026 (EPA, 2024a, p. 1, cl. 2). They set oxybenzone at 2.2% for "Body products, including propellant and pump spray products", 6% for "Face products, hand products, and lip products, excluding propellant and pump spray products", and 0.5% for "Other products" (EPA, 2024a, p. 162, Sch. 8 Table 1 entry 4). The old limit was 10% (EPA, 2021, p. 132).
Products made to the old rules could be imported or made only until 31 December 2025, and can be supplied only until 31 December 2026 (EPA, 2024a, p. 2, Sch. 2 cl. 2–3). Under the current rules, products that do not comply "must be disposed of by 30 June 2027" (EPA, 2026, p. 8, Sch. 2 cl. 5(1)).
New Zealand matched the European Union's limits (EPA, n.d.).
What Europe and Great Britain did
The European Union banned oxybenzone above 2.2% in body products, including propellant and pump sprays, and above 6% in face, hand and lip products (European Commission, 2022, p. 53). Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/1176 is a European Union law that changed the list of UV filters cosmetics sold in the Union may contain.
Great Britain has banned oxybenzone above the same 2.2%, 6% and 0.5% levels from 21 January 2026 (Cosmetic Products (Restriction of Chemical Substances) (No. 2) Regulations 2025, regs. 1(2), 2). Older stock could stay on sale only until the end of 21 July 2026 (Cosmetic Products (Restriction of Chemical Substances) (No. 2) Regulations 2025, reg. 3). These regulations are the law that sets cosmetic ingredient limits in England, Wales and Scotland.
What the regulators found
Australia's TGA reviewed oxybenzone in May 2025. In rat studies, its review noted, "decreased normalised anogenital distance was observed in male pups of treated dams" and "Impairment of spermatocyte development in testes of male offspring and delayed follicular development in females was also observed indicating a potential endocrine disrupting effect" (TGA, 2025a, p. 57 of 74). Anogenital distance is a marker of how male hormones shaped a baby's development.
The same review noted that "oxybenzone was shown to cause photoallergenic reactions - being the second most frequent photo contact allergen among the UV filters" (TGA, 2025a, p. 57 of 74). A photoallergic reaction is an allergic skin reaction triggered by sunlight.
The TGA counted that "As of 26 June 2025, there were 857 reports of adverse events for products containing oxybenzone as an active ingredient" on its adverse event database (TGA, 2025b, p. 13).
Australia
Australian sunscreen can contain up to 10% oxybenzone (Therapeutic Goods (Permissible Ingredients) Determination (No. 3) 2026, item 3645). As of 26 June 2025, 39 medicines on Australia's register contained oxybenzone as an active ingredient (TGA, 2025b, p. 13). The TGA says its interim decision "will be published and subject to public consultation by the end of 2026" (TGA, 2026).
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" (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 New Zealand has banned it above 2.2% in body products (EPA, 2024a, p. 162). 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.
What the Australian Sunscreen Council is calling for
New Zealand, the European Union and Great Britain have banned oxybenzone above 2.2% in body products.
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 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). 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.
References
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