The EU Just Banned 4-MBC: What It Means for Your Old Sunscreen
A once-common UV filter quietly vanished from European shelves on 1 May 2025 — here's why, and how to spot it on a bottle you already own.
Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/996 struck 4-MBC from Annex VI; as of 1 May 2025 no new cosmetic products containing it can be placed on the EU market, with a full sell-through deadline of 1 May 2026, on the basis of suspected endocrine-disrupting activity.
EU regulators note that the withdrawal follows the precautionary approach embedded in the Cosmetics Regulation, where a UV filter can be removed from the approved Annex VI list once safety concerns such as endocrine disruption are raised and not resolved.
Questions we get a lot
What is 4-methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC)?
4-MBC, also marketed as enzacamene, is an organic UV filter that primarily absorbs UVB rays. It appeared in many European and imported sunscreens for years. EU scientific review raised concerns about possible endocrine-disrupting effects, which ultimately led to its removal from the approved filter list.
When exactly does the EU ban take effect?
Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/996 set 1 May 2025 as the date after which new cosmetic products containing 4-MBC may no longer be placed on the EU market. Products already on shelves must be fully withdrawn by 1 May 2026. The phased timeline gives retailers a window to sell through compliant existing stock.
Is a bottle I already own dangerous to use?
A ban on placing new products on the market is a precautionary regulatory step, not a recall declaring existing bottles acutely hazardous. The concern centers on long-term endocrine effects rather than immediate harm. If you prefer to avoid it, check the INCI list and switch to a sunscreen with a currently approved filter set.
r/SkincareAddiction: 'I bought a French sunscreen last year that lists 4-MBC — is it now unsafe or just no longer sold?'