What do the Clean, Low, Watch and Swap levels mean?

They are cut from a continuous concern level the app computes from the sourced claims that the chosen evidence lens shows: each claim counts its concern class, tier weight, confidence and dose relevance, combined worst-first with a decay so one serious finding outweighs many small ones, then scaled by how much of the substance reaches you in this use. Clean is below 0.35, Low below 1.1, Watch below 2.0 and Swap above that, on a 0 to 3 scale.

Is Oxybenzone safe on skin (left on)?

Q: Is oxybenzone safe on skin (left on)?

Under the app's default Cautious lens, oxybenzone on skin (left on) rates Swap: the app would put this near the top of your swap plan. 3 sourced concerns count (endocrine, consensus tier; environmental, consensus tier; endocrine, emerging tier). 1 finding count in its favour. This is research with sources, not medical advice.

Personal care1 use researched4 sourced claims

Where it turns up: chemical uva/uvb filter in sunscreens. Detox My Life researched oxybenzone under one use, because the same substance means something different in each use. Every claim below carries its evidence tier, how sure the research is that it applies here, and the sources it cites. The level is computed by the app's own deterministic engine, so the page says exactly what the app would.

Level by use and lens

Use	Mainstream	Cautious (default)	Based	Concerns · favour · fringe
On skin, left on	Watch	Swap	Swap	3 · 1

Mainstream shows consensus claims only; Cautious adds emerging research; Based adds fringe claims, labelled as such. The last column counts, under Cautious, the sourced concerns, the findings in its favour and the fringe claims Based would add.

Safer swaps: the app's swap catalog has no entry tied to this ingredient yet. When you scan a product that contains it, the app suggests cleaner alternative types for that product; the swap categories list what the catalog covers today.

On skin, left on Swap

Under the default Cautious lens oxybenzone on skin (left on) rates Swap: the app would put this near the top of your swap plan. Mainstream (consensus only) rates it Watch; Based (adds the fringe) rates it Swap. Researched 2026-09-03.

Sourced concerns (3)

ConsensusEndocrineconfidence 90%

Oxybenzone (benzophenone-3) has been classified by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) as an endocrine disruptor for both human health and the environment, with Denmark expected to propose its official classification under the EU Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) regulation in 2026, which would lead to stricter regulatory controls.

Why here: When applied to the skin in leave-on products such as sunscreens, oxybenzone is absorbed systemically, allowing it to interfere with hormonal systems in the body.
What would have to be true: Dermal application of leave-on products containing oxybenzone, with systemic absorption leading to detectable levels in blood, urine, breast milk, and fetal tissue. The EU has restricted concentrations to a maximum of 6% in face, hand, and lip products, and 2.2% in body products.

Sources the engine cites:

EU Cosmetics Regulation Annexes — taobe.consulting (2025) · regulator or public body
The UK Cosmetic Products Regulations Were Amended - UL Solutions — ul.com (2025) · regulator or public body
Oestrogenic and androgenic activity of oxybenzone and methylparaben in vitro - PMC - NIH — nih.gov (2025) · regulator or public body
4 web articles (hpcmagmea.com, personalcareinsights.com, wapo.ie, …), linked in the app.
1 community or commercial page, not counted here.

ConsensusEnvironmentalconfidence 90%

Oxybenzone, when introduced into aquatic environments from dermal leave-on products, causes significant damage to coral reefs, leading to coral bleaching, DNA damage, and interference with coral larvae, and also harms other marine organisms.

Why here: Leave-on products like sunscreens are applied to the skin and can wash off into oceans and waterways during swimming or through wastewater discharge, directly exposing marine ecosystems to oxybenzone.
What would have to be true: Between 6,000 and 14,000 tons of sunscreen containing 1-10% oxybenzone are estimated to be released into coral reef areas annually, with even minuscule amounts (62 parts per trillion) having toxic effects on baby corals.

Sources the engine cites:

Dangers of Oxybenzone in Sunscreens on Coral Reefs: Proposed Policy Approaches — sciencepolicyjournal.org (2024) · study
Understanding how sunscreens damage coral | Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability — stanford.edu (2022) · study
4 web articles (spinnaker-watches.com, spflist.com, theelement.skin, …), linked in the app.
1 community or commercial page, not counted here.

EmergingEndocrineconfidence 80%

Studies have linked dermal exposure to oxybenzone with potential endocrine-disrupting effects, including interactions with estrogen receptors, influence on androgen pathways, and effects on thyroid hormone activity in laboratory and animal studies, with some human studies suggesting associations with lower testosterone and altered pubertal timing, although human data remains largely observational and inconsistent.

Why here: Oxybenzone is readily absorbed through the skin from leave-on products, leading to systemic exposure where it can interact with the body's hormonal systems.
What would have to be true: Dermal application of leave-on products containing oxybenzone, leading to systemic absorption with plasma levels exceeding the FDA's safety threshold of 0.5 ng/mL after a single full-body application.
The other side: Current human research has not definitively established that typical sunscreen use causes endocrine disorders, and some human studies have not corroborated a link between elevated oxybenzone levels and poor health outcomes when looked at collectively.

Sources the engine cites (no regulator, review or study among them):

4 web articles (patsnap.com, spflist.com, australiansunscreencouncil.org, …), linked in the app.

In its favour (1)

EmergingClearedconfidence 70%

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has requested more safety data on oxybenzone, including its carcinogenicity potential, to determine if it is 'Generally Recognized as Safe and Effective' (GRASE) for use in sunscreens, indicating insufficient data rather than an affirmative finding of unsafety.

Why here: As a leave-on ingredient that is absorbed systemically, the FDA requires more data to assess the long-term safety, including potential for carcinogenicity, with chronic dermal exposure.
What would have to be true: Chronic dermal application of leave-on products containing oxybenzone.
The other side: The FDA and independent health organizations, such as the Skin Cancer Foundation, emphasize that there is no direct evidence linking oxybenzone in sunscreen to cancer in humans, and it has been used in sunscreens for decades without a proven link to cancer.

Sources the engine cites:

Questions and Answers: FDA posts deemed final order and proposed order for over-the-counter sunscreen | FDA — fda.gov (2022) · regulator or public body
2 web articles (spflist.com, theelement.skin), linked in the app.

Not researched here

The engine has no dossier for oxybenzone when cooked with heat, in cold food, as a finishing ingredient, in heated food packaging or other uses. The app researches an ingredient for the use it infers from your product, so a scan fills these in; this page only shows what has already been researched and source-verified.

This is research, not medical advice. Detox My Life shows sourced claims sorted by evidence tier. It does not diagnose, treat, or tell you to start or stop anything. Talk to a qualified professional about your health.

Scan your own. The app reads any product label with your camera, works out how you are about to use it, and researches every ingredient for that use with live sources. Every scan adds to a Detox Score for your home, where 50 is a typical home in your region, and a plan of next swaps.

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