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Cosmetic ingredient dictionary

Benzophenone-3 in cosmetics: what it is and what it does

Benzophenone-3 is a cosmetic ingredient that filters UV light to protect the skin. The EU lists it as an allowed UV filter, with a maximum amount. Open Beauty Facts finds it in 68 products, most often perfumes.

By Bravoora teamUpdated Sources checked 3 sourcesHow we check

What does Benzophenone-3 do in a product?

In a cosmetic product, Benzophenone-3 filters UV light to protect the skin and protects the product from UV light. The EU’s CosIng database lists these jobs for it: UV filter and UV absorber.

UV filterUV absorber

What other names and numbers does Benzophenone-3 have?

CAS number
131-57-7
EC number
205-031-5
CosIng reference
32142

Is Benzophenone-3 restricted in the EU?

It is allowed, on a list with limits. The EU lists it as an allowed UV filter, with a maximum amount (Annex VI of Regulation 1223/2009, entry 4).

The annex entry sets the exact limits, the products it may be used in and any warning the label must carry.

Which products contain Benzophenone-3?

Open Beauty Facts finds Benzophenone-3 in the ingredient lists of 68 of the 22,021 products it has a list for, most often perfumes, hair care and shampoos.

  • Perfumes4
  • Hair care3
  • Shampoos3

Products with it, by country of sale: France 12 · Germany 12 · Spain 11 · Australia 7.

Counted on 13 October 2026 from Open Beauty Facts, which volunteers fill from real packs: it shows where Benzophenone-3 turns up, not how much of the market it is.

On these listsUV filters

Bravoora reads this ingredient for everyone you shop for: an allergy or intolerance, a vegan or vegetarian diet, a calorie or protein goal, and the labels on supplements and skincare too. Build a profile · For dermatologists, dietitians and doctors

Sources

The job, the description and the EU annex entry are CosIng’s; the fragrance allergens are the EU Annex III names Bravoora’s label checker reads; the product counts are Open Beauty Facts’.

  1. European Commission: CosIng cosmetic ingredient database (functions, description, EU annex entry)
  2. Open Beauty Facts: product database, 77,506 products, read 13 October 2026, ODbL
  3. EU Regulation 1223/2009 on cosmetic products (the annexes)

Contains information from Open Beauty Facts, which is made available here under the Open Database License (ODbL). Read the licence · Download this dictionary’s data · How we check

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