Source: https://reeflabel.com/ingredients/padimate-o/ Chemical (organic) UV filter · Reef research: Limited data # Padimate O A PABA derivative that is now rarely used. Banned in - Palau Also excluded where only mineral sunscreen is allowed - Maui County - Hawaiʻi County ## Where it’s restricted Named in the law or guidance | Location | Status | Since | | --- | --- | --- | | [Palau](https://reeflabel.com/locations/palau/) [law text ↗](https://www.palaugov.pw/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/RPPL-No.-10-30-re.-The-Responsible-Tourism-Education-Act-of-2018.pdf) | In force | January 1, 2020 | ### Also not allowed under mineral-only rules Padimate O 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)](https://reeflabel.com/locations/maui-county/) (in force since October 1, 2022) - [Hawaiʻi County (Big Island)](https://reeflabel.com/locations/hawaii-county/) (in force since December 1, 2022) ## Why it’s regulated In the US, FDA's 2021 proposed order said padimate O is not GRASE because more data are needed, and FDA states that this is not a finding that it is unsafe. ## What the reef research says Giraldo et al. (2017) tested OD-PABA (octyl dimethyl PABA), another name for padimate O, on three marine organisms: the microalga Isochrysis galbana, the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis and the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. The authors reported EC10 values of 26.5 to 127 µg/L for OD-PABA and called the toxicity remarkable. They judged the risk from OD-PABA low (risk quotient 0.007), and the risk from octocrylene, which they tested alongside it, remarkable (0.27). A 2017 field survey in Hong Kong measured padimate O in coral tissue. Sources (4) - [Giraldo et al. 2017, Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology: Ecotoxicological evaluation of OD-PABA and octocrylene (PubMed 28391487)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28391487/) - [FDA: Questions and answers on FDA's regulatory actions on over-the-counter sunscreen](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/understanding-over-counter-medicines/questions-and-answers-fdas-regulatory-actions-over-counter-sunscreen) - [National Academies (2022), Review of Fate, Exposure, and Effects of Sunscreens in Aquatic Environments, Appendix D Table D.3 (padimate O in coral tissue)](https://www.nationalacademies.org/read/26381/chapter/14) - [21 CFR 352.10, Sunscreen active ingredients (eCFR; ensulizole, meradimate, octinoxate and octisalate appear under their revised names in the stayed 2002 amendment)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-352.10) ## What to look for instead - [Zinc Oxide](https://reeflabel.com/ingredients/zinc-oxide/) - [Titanium Dioxide](https://reeflabel.com/ingredients/titanium-dioxide/) **Related ingredients:** [Octocrylene](https://reeflabel.com/ingredients/octocrylene/), [PABA (Aminobenzoic Acid)](https://reeflabel.com/ingredients/aminobenzoic-acid/) Last reviewed October 14, 2026. ### Label names we match - padimate o - padimate-o - ethylhexyl dimethyl paba - octyl dimethyl paba ### Regulatory status **Wikidata:** [Q6628390](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6628390) **US FDA:** Insufficient data: not GRASE under FDA's 2019 proposal, restated in its 2021 proposed order (OTC000008), until more safety data are submitted. Still a proposal as of September 2026. Max 8% in the US. **EU:** Approved, max 8%. **Protects against:** UVB.