Does Sunscreen Raise Your Breast Cancer Risk?
Sunscreen is an important tool for skin cancer prevention, but some people worry that its ingredients can cause cancer. There’s no clear evidence that using sunscreen raises your risk of breast cancer — or any cancer. But not using sunscreen greatly increases your chances of developing skin cancer.
Sunscreen works by blocking or absorbing the UV rays that cause skin cancer. There are two types of sunscreen that protect skin from sun damage in different ways.
Physical sunscreens, also called mineral sunscreens, use sun-blocking ingredients like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. They aren’t absorbed by the skin. Instead, they sit on top of it and reflect the sun’s UV rays so that they don’t damage the skin. There aren’t any concerns around physical sunscreens and cancer risk.
Chemical sunscreens contain ingredients like avobenzene and oxybenzone. These sunscreens sink into your skin where they absorb damaging UV rays so your skin doesn’t have to. Chemical sunscreens have been the focus of concerns on the link between sunscreen and breast cancer.
In June 2026, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first new chemical sunscreen ingredient in almost 30 years. The ingredient, called bemotrizinol, has been used in other countries for decades and has more safety testing than other chemical sunscreens.
What the science says about chemical sunscreens
The main concerns about chemical sunscreens are:
Because they’re absorbed into the skin, they can pass through it into the bloodstream and circulate through the body. However, the health effects of this absorption are still unknown.
Some research suggests oxybenzone may act as an endocrine disruptor (meaning it interferes with the body’s hormones), but the results have been inconclusive.
Some sunscreen sprays have been found to be contaminated with benzene, a chemical that increases the risk of blood disorders and leukemia.
In 2021, the FDA noted that mineral sunscreens with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide met its strict standards for being safe and effective for sunscreen use. The agency called for additional safety data for the 12 common chemical sunscreen ingredients, including avobenzone and oxybenzone. However, this does not mean these ingredients are unsafe. The FDA still allows these products to be manufactured and sold.
Chemical sunscreen and hormone disruption
Several studies have looked at how some ingredients in chemical sunscreen may affect hormones. Much of the research has centered on oxybenzone, which is also found in other personal care products, like body lotions, and in some plastics. Chemical sunscreens, however, seem to be the biggest source of human exposure. Some studies in mice suggest that exposure to oxybenzone may affect estrogen levels, but in general, research is inconclusive.
The FDA has called for more research before it can designate oxybenzone as generally safe and effective. At the same time, it has not found enough evidence in the existing research to revoke authorization and phase-out use of oxybenzone. Oxybenzone is used in the European Union, but at much lower allowable limits than in the US. The EU’s consumer safety committee lowered the allowable limits of oxybenzone and homosalate, another type of chemical sunscreen, after a 2021 review highlighted safety concerns.
Chemical sunscreen absorption
A 2020 study by FDA scientists found that six main ingredients in chemical sunscreens — avobenzone, octocrylene, homosalate, octisalate, octonoxate and ecamsule, and oxybenzone — can be absorbed into the bloodstream at levels above the FDA’s proposed safety threshold. The study highlighted how even a single application of lotion, aerosol spray, non-aerosol spray or pump spray sunscreen products resulted in measurable blood levels of the main chemical ingredients.
The FDA emphasized that more research is needed to determine the health effects of long-term use of these ingredients. “The fact that an ingredient is absorbed through the skin and into the body does not mean that the ingredient is unsafe,” the FDA said in a since archived press release following the release of the study.
Benzene contamination in sunscreen
Benzene is not used as an ingredient in sunscreen, but can be introduced to sunscreens during the manufacturing process. There have been a few occasions — in 2021, 2022, and 2023 — when both mineral and chemical sunscreens were recalled by the FDA because of benzene contamination.
While exposure to benzene has been shown to increase the risk of developing leukemia and other blood disorders, the data on benzene in skincare products is generally inconclusive.
In announcing the sunblock recalls, the FDA said that the amounts detected “would not be expected to cause adverse health consequences based on generally accepted exposure modeling” but that the recalls were done out of an abundance of caution. There’s currently no evidence that small amounts of benzene in skincare products increases cancer risk, but more research is needed.
It’s worth noting that benzene is all around us: We’re likely exposed to it every day from outdoor air, which is polluted with benzene from cigarette smoke, car emissions, forest fires, and the burning of fossil fuels. Benzene is also used to make Styrofoam, nylon, dyes, and detergents, among other things.
Are there any ingredients in sunscreen to avoid?
There has been some indirect and inconclusive evidence that some ingredients in chemical sunscreens may have concerning health effects, like affecting people’s hormones. Although some hormone changes can increase the risk of breast and other cancers, there’s currently no link between chemicals in sunscreen and breast cancer risk.
Still, if you’re cautious about ingredients in chemical sunscreens, like avobenzone or oxybenzone, use physical (mineral) sunscreens instead. You can also try out the new chemical sunscreen, bemotrizinol, sold under the brand name Parsol Shield. It has lower levels of absorption into the skin.
Remember that any sunscreen is safer than nothing.
Why any sunscreen is better than none
Sunscreen is one of the best tools we have to prevent skin cancer, besides limiting sun exposure.
“UV radiation is a known human carcinogen. We know that too much sun can cause skin cancer," says Apple Bodemer, MD, associate professor of dermatology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. “Just one sunburn every two years can triple your risk of developing melanoma (a potentially deadly type of skin cancer). Regular sunscreen use has been shown to decrease rates of skin cancer. In the case of squamous cell skin cancer, by as much as 40%.”
Remember that sunblock is just one way to protect yourself from the sun. Other good practices include:
staying indoors, or in the shade, midday to avoid the strongest sunlight
wearing a hat with a brim to protect your face and neck
wearing protective clothing that’s tightly woven (especially long-sleeved shirts, or rash guards when you’re swimming); some clothing manufacturers, particularly those that make outdoor gear, list the ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) of clothing they sell (the higher the UPF, the better)
