Korea and the EU regulate sunscreens as cosmetics (Korea as “functional cosmetics”) and permit a long list of modern UV filters. The U.S. regulates sunscreens as over-the-counter drugs, and the FDA's list of permitted actives is much shorter. That is why many Korean sunscreens are sold in the U.S. only through import sites. In 2026 the FDA added its first new filter in decades, bemotrizinol (Tinosorb S), and ordered PABA and trolamine salicylate removed from 2027.
| Filter | KR Korea max | EU EU max | US U.S. (FDA) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aminobenzoic acid (PABA) PABA |
Restricted Approved UV filter | Prohibited | 15% |
| Avobenzone Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane |
5% | 5% | 3% |
| Cinoxate | 5% | No record | 3% |
| Dioxybenzone Benzophenone-8 |
3% | No record | 3% |
| Ensulizole Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid |
4% | 8%(as acid) | 4% |
| Homosalate | 10% | 7,34 % | 15% |
| Meradimate Menthyl Anthranilate |
5% | No record | 5% |
| Octinoxate Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate |
7.50% | 10% | 7.5% Banned in some U.S. states |
| Octisalate Ethylhexyl Salicylate |
5% | 5% | 5% |
| Octocrylene | 10% | a) 9% · b) 10% | Banned in some U.S. states 10% |
| Oxybenzone Benzophenone-3 |
5% | a) 6% · b) 2,2% · c) 0,5% | Banned in some U.S. states 6% |
| Padimate O Ethylhexyl Dimethyl PABA |
8% | 8% | 8% |
| Sulisobenzone Benzophenone-4 |
5% | 5%(as acid) | 10% |
| Tinosorb S (bemotrizinol) Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine |
10% | 10% | 6% |
| Titanium Dioxide | 25% | (a) 25% · (b) 1,4% · 1.1% 25%* | 25% |
| Trolamine salicylate TEA-Salicylate |
Approved UV filter | (a) 2.5% (a) 3.0% · (b) 2.0% · (c) 0.5% 0,5% · 0,5% | 12% |
| Zinc Oxide | 25% | Approved colorant - 25% - | 25% |
| Amiloxate Isoamyl P-Methoxycinnamate |
10% | 10% | Not FDA-listed |
| Benzophenone-5 | No record | 5%(as acid) | Not FDA-listed |
| Benzylidene Camphor Sulfonic Acid | No record | 6%(as acid) | Not FDA-listed |
| Bis-(Diethylaminohydroxybenzoyl Benzoyl) Piperazine | No record | 10 % | Not FDA-listed |
| Camphor Benzalkonium Methosulfate | No record | 6% | Not FDA-listed |
| Methoxypropylamino Cyclohexenylidene Ethoxyethylcyanoacetate | Approved UV filter | 3% | Not FDA-listed |
| Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol (Nano) | No record | 10 % | Not FDA-listed |
| Mexoryl SX (ecamsule) Terephthalylidene Dicamphor Sulfonic Acid |
Approved UV filter | 10%(as acid) | Not FDA-listed |
| Mexoryl XL Drometrizole Trisiloxane |
15% | 15% | Not FDA-listed |
| Moved or deleted | No record | Prohibited Approved preservative Approved UV filter Restricted | Not FDA-listed |
| Neo Heliopan AP (bisdisulizole disodium) Disodium Phenyl Dibenzimidazole Tetrasulfonate |
Approved UV filter | 10%(as acid) | Not FDA-listed |
| Parsol SLX Polysilicone-15 |
10% | 10% | Not FDA-listed |
| PEG-25 PABA | No record | 10% | Not FDA-listed |
| Polyacrylamidomethyl Benzylidene Camphor | No record | 6% | Not FDA-listed |
| Potassium Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonate | No record | 8%(as acid) | Not FDA-listed |
| Sodium Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonate | No record | 8%(as acid) | Not FDA-listed |
| TEA-Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonate | Approved UV filter | (a) 2.5% 8%(as acid) | Not FDA-listed |
| Tinosorb A2B Tris-Biphenyl Triazine |
No record | 10% | Not FDA-listed |
| Tinosorb M (bisoctrizole) Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol |
10% | 10% | Not FDA-listed |
| Titanium Dioxide (Nano) | No record | 25% - | Not FDA-listed |
| TriAsorB Phenylene Bis-Diphenyltriazine |
No record | 5% | Not FDA-listed |
| Tris-Biphenyl Triazine (Nano) | No record | 10% | Not FDA-listed |
| Uvasorb HEB (iscotrizinol) Diethylhexyl Butamido Triazone |
10% | 10% | Not FDA-listed |
| Uvinul A Plus Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate |
10% | 10% | Not FDA-listed |
| Uvinul T 150 Ethylhexyl Triazone |
5% | 5% | Not FDA-listed |
| Zinc Oxide (Nano) | No record | 25% - | Not FDA-listed |
Korea: MFDS list of functional cosmetic UV-protection ingredients. EU: Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 Annex VI via CosIng. U.S.: FDA OTC Monograph M020 (sunscreen drug products). A filter missing from the U.S. list can still be legal in Korea and the EU — this page reports regulatory status only, not safety.
In the U.S., sunscreen actives are regulated as over-the-counter drugs, and a filter must be on the FDA's sunscreen monograph list (M020) to be used. Korea and the EU regulate sunscreens as cosmetics with their own approved filter lists, which include several newer filters that are not on the FDA's list.
Many are sold online, but a sunscreen made with filters that are not on the FDA's list cannot be legally marketed as an over-the-counter sunscreen in the U.S. This page reports the rules; it does not judge any product.
Each country sets the highest concentration of a filter allowed in a finished product. The table shows each limit with a link to the official rule.
Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are allowed in all three jurisdictions, with their own limits and conditions. Some U.S. local rules, such as in Maui County, Hawaii, limit sunscreens to mineral filters.
Korea's MFDS cosmetic ingredient restriction data, the EU's CosIng Annex VI, and the FDA's over-the-counter monograph M020. Each row shows the source and the date we last checked it.