Avobenzone and oxybenzone are synthetic sun-blocking chemicals commonly found in sunscreens that regularly escape into the environment. Scientists want to understand how toxic they might be and whether they accumulate in living organisms over time. This research explored how these two chemicals interact with cell membranes, which are made of lipids—fatty substances that form a protective barrier around cells. The researchers tested how the chemicals behaved with different types of lipids found in mammals, fish, and crustaceans, as well as fat cells. Using various laboratory techniques, they discovered that both chemicals make membranes more flexible and less stable while changing their structure.
Avobenzone proved significantly more disruptive than oxybenzone. Interestingly, each chemical showed preferences for certain lipid types, and the amount of different lipids present affected how damaging the chemicals were. While direct membrane damage may not fully explain why these chemicals are harmful to life, their tendency to stick to specific lipids could help explain why they build up in organisms. (Source: Langmuir, via PubMed.)
Source: PubMed — read the full article