The present invention relates to a compound which is a benzophenone substituted with a hydroxyl-terminated alkylene oxide group (R) of formula 1:




where R is a combination of from 1 to 13 propylene oxide groups and from 5 to 20 ethylene oxide groups, with the proviso that the sum of the propylene oxide groups and the ethylene oxide groups is not greater than 25. The compound of the present invention provides a non-volatile, non-toxic photoinitiator that provides excellent gloss retention in exterior architectural coatings.