Ingredient glossary
Octisalate
On your shelf ✓What Octisalate does for your skin, who it suits, and what to watch for.
INCI: Ethylhexyl Salicylate
In short: Octisalate delivers uvb protection, suits most skin types, and the evidence behind it is moderate.
- What it does
- Uvb protection
- Best for
- Most skin types
- Evidence
- Moderate
- How long
- Straight away
how it was measured
Measured on UV attenuation by the applied film - UVB absorption contributing to SPF; the clinical consensus; no trial pins the point.
The molecule
The Glow take
Only as good as the sunscreen it lives in.
As a single filter, Octisalate only matters as part of a finished sunscreen you actually reapply. The best SPF is the one that feels good enough to wear every morning.
— Maya
What it does
- uvb protection
moderate evidenceGenerally considered one of the gentler UVB filters with low sensitization, but environmental impact is under review in some regions.
Why we say this
On a label: usually effective at 3-5%.
The UV filter family, at a glance
2 UV filter entries in the base, Octisalate among them. 2 of the 2 are a supporting active.
- Octisalate250 Da
- Homosalate262 Da
Who it's for, and who should skip it
Tends to suit
- normal
- oily
Approach with care
- reef concern
- Clogs poresLow
- Irritation riskLow
How it fits each skin type
- DrySuits
- CombinationSuits
- OilySuits
- SensitiveSuits
Take extra care if any of these apply to you: reef concern.
Where it fits in your routine
This one works on contact — there is nothing to wait for.
What that covers, and what it does not
- Measured on: UV attenuation by the applied film — UVB absorption contributing to SPF.
- Ethylhexyl salicylate is a weak UVB absorber used at 3-5% mainly as an SPF booster and solvent for crystalline filters such as avobenzone; every one of those jobs is done by the film at first application.
- Timing follows the same monograph and ISO basis as the rest of the filter set — protection at the 15-minute mark, nothing developing afterwards.
- Its reputation for gentleness concerns tolerability, not speed.
US 21 CFR 201.327; EU Reg 1223/2009 Annex VI; ISO 24444:2019.
Light, and how to keep it
No measurement of this filter alone in the open literature; where it sits among the 16 on the ladder of what fails first in an ageing sunscreen: does sunscreen expire?
What regulators say
In the EU octisalate is capped at 5% as a UV filter (Annex VI entry 20).
What the regulator says, in full
- A UV filter has no dose-effect relationship worth stating for one ingredient: the number a reader can use is the product's SPF and UVA rating, measured on the finished film by ISO 24444 and ISO 24443, and it depends on the whole filter system, the film thickness and the vehicle, not on the percentage of bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine alone.
- The regulators set ceilings for safety, not efficacy: EU Annex VI entry 18, 10%; not an approved filter in the United States, so no monograph limit.
- Above those limits nothing is permitted and below them the SPF is whatever the product's own test says.
- The caveat: its second job, keeping avobenzone from photodegrading, is a formulation property measured by ISO 24443.
Plays well with
- other uvb filters
- broad spectrum filters
Octisalate, answered
Is Octisalate safe during pregnancy?
Yes. Octisalate is considered safe to use during pregnancy and breastfeeding. As with anything, if you are unsure it is worth a quick word with your doctor or midwife.
Who should avoid Octisalate?
Approach Octisalate with care if any of these apply to you: reef concern.
What concentration of Octisalate actually works?
Octisalate tends to do its job in the 3 to 5% range. Much lower and it is likely underdosed.
Compare Octisalate with
6 comparisons built, the 1 most looked-up above.
This, for every label you own
One ingredient is easy. A full label is where it gets confusing. The Ingredient Decoder reads any product and tells you the honest truth, ingredient by ingredient.
Sources & how we reviewed this
- PMID 14617432abstract read, not the full text
What changed on this page
- : the effective dose from trials, the highest dose tested
- : what the EU regulates
- : sources