phototoxic

British

/ ˌfəʊtəʊˈtɒksɪk /

adjective

(of cosmetics, skin creams, etc) making the skin hazardously sensitive to sunlight

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As a result, there is no photobleaching and no phototoxic damage, making the approach safer for delicate brain tissue.

From Science Daily • Dec. 19, 2025

The first is a phototoxic reaction, often seen with certain antibiotics such as tetracycline.

From New York Times • Jul. 6, 2023

The pathology would help him distinguish the inflammation of hives from the more destructive phototoxic reaction, which destroys the skin cells.

From New York Times • Jul. 6, 2023

“Antibiotics can cause photosensitivity and phototoxic reactions, meaning that they’re going to worsen your sunburn,” Rech says.

From Time • Aug. 3, 2016

“Those can definitely be phototoxic, especially the retinoids,” says Rech.

From Time • Aug. 3, 2016

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023