# A Survey of UV Filters Used in Sunscreen Cosmetics
## 3 Discussion  
Our findings indicate that the most popular photoprotective components, both for children and adults, were butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane (BMBM; Avobenzene), bisethylhexyloxyphenylenol methoxyphenyl triazine (BEMT; Tinosorb S), ethylhexyl salic (EHS), and ethylhexyl tiazone (EHT), and that most sunscreens in Poland have five or four UV filters in a single preparation. Two surveys of UV filters contained in sunscreen products for children and adults were conducted in Thailand. The first overview (n = 246) was made between December 2017 and March 2018 [32], and the second (n = 312) in April 2020 [33]. While they yielded similar results for the adult products, the reviews of products for children were very divergent; however, this may be due to them being based on small numbers of products, viz. n = 20 [32] and n = 15 [33]. The first overview (n = 226), performed from December 2017 to March 2018 [32], found the most common UV filter for adult to be ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate (EHMC) (62.8%), followed by titanium dioxide, octocrylene (OC), and butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane (BMBM) in 54.9%, 45.1%, and 44.2%, respectively. The most frequently used UV filter for children (n = 20) was butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane (BMBM) (65.0%). The mineral filter TiO\({}_{2}\) (60.0%) was also commonly used, followed by octocrylene (45.0%) and bis-ethylhexyloxyphenyl methoxyphenyl tiazine (BEMT) (40.0%). Ethlyhexyl methoxycinnamate (EHMC) was found less frequently, i.e., only 30.0% [32]. The second survey (n = 297), performed in April 2020 [33], found the most common UV filter for adults to be titanium dioxide (68.0%), followed by ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate (EHMC) (57.2%) and butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane (BMBM) (42.1%), while the most common for children (n = 15) was bis-ethylhexyloxyphenyl methoxyphenyl tiazine (BEMT) (53.3%), followed by butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane (BMBM) and ethylhexyl salicate (EHS) (46.7% each). The share for titanium dioxide in this group was 40.0%. [33]. However, these findings cannot be compared with the present study as the filters are intended for people with different skin phototypes from regions with different degrees of sunlight exposure and a different legal environment. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that our results differed meaningfully from the study conducted by [PERSON] et al. [33]. The most prevalent filters were 4.5 times (TiO\({}_{2}\)) and 2.5 times (EHMC) more prevalent than in our present study; in turn, our predominant filter for adults was butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane (BMBM) (56.0%). A similar survey of randomly selected preparations from several dozen brands was carried out in Portugal in 2021 [34]. The most popular UV filters for adults (n = 379), i.e., with a percentage share above 35%, included butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane (BMBM) (73.9%), octocrylene (OC) (51.7%), bis-ethylhexyloxyphenyl methoxyphenyl tiazine (BEMT) (47.5%), ethylhexyl tiazone (38.0%), and ethylhexyl] salicylate (35.9%). In comparison, in the present study, the prevalence of methoxydibenzoylmethane (BMBM) was 17.9 p.p. lower, with 56.0%; this was followed by bis-ethylhexyloxyphenyl methoxyphenyl tiazone (BEMT; 54.7%), ethylhexyl salicate (EHS; 54.7%), and ethylhexyl tiazine (EHT; 50.0%). These components also occupied the top positions in the Portuguese study, but with lower shares by 7.2 p.p., 18.8 p.p., and 12.0 p.p., respectively. While octocrylene (OC) was the second most common filter in the Portuguese study (51.7%), it was in sixth place in the present study (36.7%) [34]. Clear differences were also observed regarding child sunscreens between the Polish (n = 50) and Portuguese (n = 65). The predominant component in Poland, bis-ethylhexyloxyphenyl methoxyphenyl tiazine (BEMT; 60.0%), was only in fifth place in the Portuguese study, with a share of approximately 30%. Conversely, the predominant component in the Portuguese study was butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane (BMBM; approximately 60%), which was only fifth on the list in the present study (36.0%).