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Question: Is sunscreen still stable if it has avobenzone and octinoxate in it?

Answer:

If your sunscreen only has avobenzone and octinoxate, then no, it is not stable. Avobenzone on its own is already very unstable and when combined with octinoxate, it is further destabilized. When both of these UV filters are degraded, your sunscreen will not provide adequate sun protection.

However, if your sunscreen has avobenzone and octocrylene, then the presence of octinoxate does not have as much of a destabilizing effect. Once octocrylene stabilizes avobenzone, avobenzone can coexist with octinoxate. However, the extent of any destabilization is unknown, especially since there may be other UV filters in the product.

Therefore, I wouldn’t say a sunscreen with both avobenzone and octinoxate is useless, but it probably won’t be as effective as other sunscreens without this UV filter combination.

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