Octocrylene

UV filters in sunscreens work in two different ways – either by reflecting or absorbing UV rays. ‘Mineral’ filters act like little mirrors to reflect UV rays away from the skin’s surface and ‘absorbing’ filters soak up UV rays and remove their harmful energy, converting them into other forms of light. Octocrylene is an ‘absorbing’ filter. Each UV filter is best suited to dealing with UVA or UVB rays, which is why companies use a selection of different UV filters, both reflecting and absorbing, to ensure we are protected from as many UVA and B rays as possible.

Only UV filters which have gone through an extensive safety review by independent scientific experts, which takes several years, are allowed to be used in sunscreens and any other cosmetic product in the UK and the EU.  Octocrylene had its safety reconfirmed through this review process in the EU in January 2021 and by the UK in December 2023.

Coral deterioration by climate change and other factors is rightly an urgent focus for scientists. As sunscreens play such an important role in protecting our skin from the damaging effects of the sun, action on UV filters or claims about their environmental impact must be based on sound science. UV filters are some of the most studied of all cosmetic ingredients and there is no proven link between the use of UV filters in cosmetics and damage to coral in our seas. Read more about sunscreens and coral here.