Chemical (organic) UV filterReef research: Limited data

Ethylhexyl Triazone (Uvinul T 150)

A strong UVB filter used outside the US.

Banned in

  • Palau

Also excluded where only mineral sunscreen is allowed

  • Maui County
  • Hawaiʻi County

Not approved in the US, so US sunscreens do not contain it.

Where it’s restricted

Named in the law or guidance

LocationStatusSince
Palau law text ↗In forceJanuary 1, 2020

Also not allowed under mineral-only rules

Ethylhexyl Triazone (Uvinul T 150) isn’t named in these laws, but they allow only mineral (zinc oxide or titanium dioxide) sunscreens, so a product containing it is excluded anyway.

What the reef research says

Stien et al. (2020) exposed the hexacoral Pocillopora damicornis to ethylhexyl triazone, starting at 1000 µg/L and testing lower doses only when an effect appeared. Metabolomic profiling found no effect on coral metabolism at any tested dose. Apel et al. (2018) quantified it in surface sediments of the North and Baltic Seas at up to 2.0 ng/g dry weight and estimated a negligible hazard to sediment-dwelling organisms. In freshwater tests, Lavorgna et al. (2024) recorded a lethal median concentration in rotifers in the tens of mg/L and sub-chronic effects in ostracods at an EC50 of 210 µg/L. Chlorination produced byproducts that were more toxic: DBP1 had an EC50 of 9 µg/L in ostracods.

Related ingredients: Bemotrizinol (Tinosorb S), Octocrylene, Avobenzone

Last reviewed October 14, 2026.