Bisoctrizole (Tinosorb M)
A particulate organic 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
| Location | Status | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Palau law text ↗ | In force | January 1, 2020 |
Also not allowed under mineral-only rules
Bisoctrizole (Tinosorb M) 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.
- Maui County (Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi) (in force since October 1, 2022)
- Hawaiʻi County (Big Island) (in force since December 1, 2022)
Why it’s regulated
The EU caps bisoctrizole at 10% under entry 23 of Annex VI, and Regulation (EU) 2018/885 added nano-form entry 23a with a bar on inhalation uses after the SCCS reported severe inflammatory effects of microfine MBBT in the respiratory tract.
What the reef research says
No coral or coral-symbiont study of bisoctrizole was found, and the EU SCCS opinion states that it does not address environmental effects of MBBT. A 2020 study in Toxics found bisoctrizole (MBBT) had no effect on the microalga Tetraselmis sp. or the brine shrimp Artemia salina, even at 2 mg/L. A 2022 Environmental Pollution study tested six whole sunscreen formulations on sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus) embryos, not bisoctrizole alone, and found that products whose only filters were MBBT, DHHB, BEMT or EHT were more eco-compatible than those with other filters or additives. A 2024 study in the same journal found that a sunscreen with only new-generation organic filters, bisoctrizole among them, did not affect sea urchins. In a 2021 zebrafish test, embryos exposed to sediment spiked at 10 µg/g for 96 hours included bisoctrizole as one of four filters tested, with benzophenone-3 the more toxic of the four. Bisoctrizole (UV-360) was detected in North and Baltic Sea sediments in a 2018 study, where the authors estimated a negligible impact on benthic organisms, and it did not degrade in wastewater sludge over 120 days in a 2022 study, which the authors attribute to limited bioavailability.
Sources (8)
- SCCS opinion SCCS/1546/15 (revision of 25 June 2015) on methylene-bis-(benzotriazolyl tetramethylbutylphenol), nano form
- Commission Regulation (EU) 2018/885 of 20 June 2018 amending Annex VI to Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 (EUR-Lex, Official Journal L 158/1)
- Toxics 2020: Effect of 10 UV Filters on the Brine Shrimp Artemia salina and the Marine Microalga Tetraselmis sp.
- Environmental Pollution 2022: Assessing the eco-compatibility of new generation sunscreen products (sea urchin)
- Environmental Pollution 2024: Inorganic UV filter-based sunscreens labelled as eco-friendly threaten sea urchin populations
- Chemosphere 2018: Environmental occurrence and hazard of organic UV stabilizers and UV filters in North and Baltic Sea sediment
- Environmental Science and Pollution Research 2021: Exposure to four chemical UV filters through contaminated sediment (zebrafish)
- Science of the Total Environment 2022: Degradation capacity of WWTP sludge enrichment cultures towards organic UV filters
Related ingredients: Bemotrizinol (Tinosorb S), Ethylhexyl Triazone (Uvinul T 150), DHHB (Uvinul A Plus)
Last reviewed October 14, 2026.