avobenzone

Also known as Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Parsol 1789

Avobenzone (trade names Parsol 1789, Milestab 1789, Eusolex 9020, Escalol 517, Neo Heliopan 357 and others, INCI Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane) is an organic molecule and an oil-soluble ingredient used in sunscreen products to absorb the full spectrum of UVA rays.

Chemical data

Formula: C20H22O3
Molecular weight: 310.4 g/mol
IUPAC name: 1-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)propane-1,3-dione
SMILES: CC(C)(C)C1=CC=C(C=C1)C(=O)CC(=O)C2=CC=C(C=C2)OC
InChIKey: XNEFYCZVKIDDMS-UHFFFAOYSA-N
XLogP: 4.8
Polar surface area: 43.4 Å²
H-bond donors: 0
H-bond acceptors: 3
Formal charge: 0

via PubChem

Drug data · ChEMBL

Max clinical phase: Approved
Molecule type: Small molecule
First approval: 1992
Admin. routes: topical
Indications: freckles, sunburn, skin cancer

via ChEMBL · EBI

Research

366 papers

Drug Delivery Strategies for Avobenzone: A Case Study of Photostabilization.Pharmaceutics · 2023
Sunscreens part 2: Regulation and safety.Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology · 2025
Comprehensive review of avobenzone (butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane) toxicology data and human exposure assessment for personal care products.Critical reviews in toxicology · 2025
Prospecting toxicity of the avobenzone sunscreen in plants.Environmental science and pollution research international · 2024
Patent review on photostability enhancement of avobenzone and its formulations.Recent patents on drug delivery & formulation · 2015

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Subclass of: chemical compound
Mass: 310.157
Has use: sunscreen

Show 4 more facts

chemical formula: C₂₀H₂₂O₃
canonical SMILES: CC(C)(C)C1=CC=C(C=C1)C(=O)CC(=O)C2=CC=C(C=C2)OC
medical condition treated: photodermatitis
Commons category: Avobenzone

Sources (2)

via Wikidata · CC0

~7 min read

Encyclopedic overview

9 sections

Contents

History
Properties
Safety
Stability
Various
Absorbance spectrum
Preparation
See also
Notes

==History== Avobenzone was patented in 1973 and was approved in the EU in 1978. It was approved by the FDA in 1988. As of 2021, the FDA announced that they do not support avobenzone as being generally recognized as safe and effective (GRASE) citing the need for additional safety data. Avobenzone was banned in 2020 by the Palau government citing reef-toxicity concerns.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “avobenzone” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.