beauty
cleaning
food
industrial

2-Hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone

CAS 131-57-7 · 20/100 · High conf.

Also registered as 9 other CAS numbers

14375-37-2 · 58392-15-7 · 58392-22-6 · 138464-23-0 · 153859-73-5 · 897050-18-9 · 2216794-47-5 · 2412123-04-5 · 2761040-67-7

2-Hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone chemical structure

Concern score

20/100Minor concern based on regulatory listings.

High confidence

2-Hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone in plain language

What it is: On cosmetic ingredient lists it appears as “BENZOPHENONE-3”.
Also known as BENZOPHENONE-3 · Oxybenzone · 2-Hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone / Oxybenzone · (2-Hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)methanone · (2-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)-phenylmethanone · Advastab 45
Show all 35 names
Ongrostab hmb · Tinosorb b 3 · Viosorb 110 · (2-Hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)phenyl methanone · (2-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)phenylmethanone · 2-Benzoyl-5-methoxyphenol · 2-HYDROXY-4-METHOXY-BENZOPHENON · 2hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone · 4-Methoxy-2-hydroxybenzophenone · Anuvex · Chimassorb 90 · Cyasorb UV 9 · Escalol 567 · Methanone, (2-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)phenyl- · Oxibenzona · Oxybenzon · Oxybenzonum · Spectra-sorb UV 9 · Sunscreen UV-15 · Syntase 62 · Uvinul 40 · Usaf cy-9 · Uvinul 9 · Uvistat 24 · benzophenone-3 (sunscreen) · oxybenzone 4% · oxybenzone 4000% · oxybenzone 5.4% · Shade uvaguard component oxybenzone
What it does: Used in cosmetics as a UV filter and a light stabiliser.
UV filter
UV absorber
Light stabilizer
Fragrance
Is it a concern?: Minor concern: no hazard classifications on record. It is listed for cosmetic use in the EU.

What the listings say

Permitted, with conditions — 2-Hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone appears on published "allowed" regulatory lists rather than on a restriction list.

2-Hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone / Oxybenzone is listed in Annex VI of the EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009 (UV filters allowed in cosmetic products).

The score describes this ingredient's chemical identity — its hazard profile from published classifications and regulatory status — not the safety of any product it appears in.

Regulation

No restrictions found. 2-Hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone appears in these published regulatory listings.

In marketed US drugs
EU Annex VI — permitted UV filter
EU permitted UV filter

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Beauty
Cleaning
Pharma
Food
Industrial

EUCosIngActive2 entries
- Cosmetics Regulation annex VI / ref 4.Source →
- Benzophenone-3 is a benzophenone derivative that conforms to the formula: Restriction: VI/4Source →
EUECallowed_listedAnnex VI of EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009: UV filters allowed in cosmetic products. Product types: a) Face products, hand products, and lip products, excluding propellant and pump spray products b) Body products, including propellant and pump spray products c) Other products Maximum concentration: a) 6% b) 2,2% c) 0,5% Footnote 1: However, cosmetic products containing '2-Hydroxy-4-methoxy-benzophenone/Oxybenzone' and complying with the restrictions set out in Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 as applicable on 27 July 2022 may be placed on the Union market until 28 January 2023 and be made available on the Union market until 28 July 2023. Other conditions: a) If used at 0,5 % to protect product formulation, the levels used as UV filter must not exceed 5,5 %. b) If used at 0,5 % to protect product formulation, the levels used as UV filter must not exceed 1,7 %. Conditions of use and warnings: For a) and b): Contains Benzophenone-3 (*) Footnote (*): Not required if concentration is 0,5 % or less and when it is used only for product protection purposes.
- Annex VI of EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009: UV filters allowed in cosmetic products. Product types: a) Face products, hand products, and lip products, excluding propellant and pump spray products b) Body products, including propellant and pump spray products c) Other products Maximum concentration: a) 6% b) 2,2% c) 0,5% Footnote 1: However, cosmetic products containing '2-Hydroxy-4-methoxy-benzophenone/Oxybenzone' and complying with the restrictions set out in Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 as applicable on 27 July 2022 may be placed on the Union market until 28 January 2023 and be made available on the Union market until 28 July 2023. Other conditions: a) If used at 0,5 % to protect product formulation, the levels used as UV filter must not exceed 5,5 %. b) If used at 0,5 % to protect product formulation, the levels used as UV filter must not exceed 1,7 %. Conditions of use and warnings: For a) and b): Contains Benzophenone-3 (*) Footnote (*): Not required if concentration is 0,5 % or less and when it is used only for product protection purposes.Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 3629 composition records across product categories including Construction and building materials, Personal care, Construction. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including UV stabilizer, Fragrance.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 3629 composition records across product categories including Construction and building materials, Personal care, Construction. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including UV stabilizer, Fragrance.Source →
USFDAmarketed drug occurrenceFDA NDC lists this ingredient in 487 active drug products and 496 total products.
- FDA NDC lists this ingredient in 487 active drug products and 496 total products.Source →
USFDAlisted in openFDA substanceopenFDA substance registry classifies this ingredient as chemical.
- openFDA substance registry classifies this ingredient as chemical.Source →

Expert safety opinions

No expert opinion on file for 2-Hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone. These are the independent scientific bodies that assess ingredients like this one; we show an opinion only when a record we hold cites it.

SCCS
EU Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety
No SCCS opinion on file.
CIR
Cosmetic Ingredient Review (US expert panel)
No CIR safety assessment on file.

Evidence & sources

No graded research studies for 2-Hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone yet. This record is compiled from the published data sources below — registries and regulatory listings, not study findings.

8 data sources

Where this comes from

CosIng
regulatory · updated 2026-09-23
Open →
EU CosIng Cosmetics Regulation Annexes
regulatory · updated 2024-07-29
Open →
EPA Chemical and Products Database
exposure · updated september 25, 2019
Open →
EPA DSSTox Identifiers
chemistry · updated 2025-12-29
Open →
FDA National Drug Code Directory
regulatory · updated 2029-07-31
Open →
FDA GSRS UNII
registry · updated 2026-02-26
Open →
openFDA Substance
registry · updated 2026-05-24
Open →
PubChem Live Enrichment
chemistry · updated 2026-05-17
Open →

Suitability

Context-specific fit derived from published classifications and the current ingredient evidence profile.

Food use

Food-use source coverage is present in the current record.

Good fit

The ingredient appears in food-oriented source coverage or allowed-use references, which makes food use easier to support than a context with no domain signal at all.

Fragrance avoidance

Not a strong fit for fragrance avoidance because it carries Fragrance.

Avoid

The ingredient itself is a fragrance-linked signal, so it is better treated as an avoid case when fragrance exposure is the main concern.

Where it has been recorded

How often EPA CPDat has listed 2-Hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone in a product composition. These are source records, not Greenveil catalog products.

Source records

3,629

Named organisations

Construction and building materialsPersonal careConstructionFood and drugBatteriesRaw materials

Typical roles

UV filterUV absorberLight stabilizerFragrance

See products using 2-Hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone →

Catalog

Found in these products

Their ingredient lists include 2-Hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone; each product's own rating depends on its whole formula, so it is shown on the product page, not here.

See all 100 →Find products without it →