ETHYLHEXYL SALICYLATE

📋 Quick facts

Description: ETHYLHEXYL SALICYLATE — chemical UV filter (UVB) — also known as Octisalate.

All Functions: chemical UV filter (UVB) — also known as Octisalate

Quick Facts:

• Category: sunscreen

Proven Benefits At A Glance:

• Ethylhexyl salicylate (EHS) is a UV filter used in sunscreens and other personal care products to protect skin from sun damage
• When applied to skin, EHS is absorbed and metabolized by the body, with traces appearing in urine within 10-11 hours
• In a study of 33 patients with frontal fibrosing alopecia (a type of hair loss), about 27% showed allergic contact dermatitis reactions to EHS in patch tests
• Human exposure to EHS has been increasing over the past 25 years based on biomonitoring data from Germany
• EHS is found in environmental water and wastewater, particularly in areas with heavy tourism or industry

⚗️ Chemical Overview

Ethylhexyl salicylate is a member of phenols and a benzoate ester. It is functionally related to a salicylic acid. The Panel concluded that the following ingredients are safe in cosmetics in the present practices of use and concentration described in the safety assessment, when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing, which may be based on a quantitative risk assessment (QRA)…Ethylhexyl Salicylate… Also known as Ethylhexyl Salicylate. Octyl salicylate is an oil soluble chemical sunscreen agent that absorbs UVB radiation. It does not protect against UVA. Octyl salicylate is used to augment the UVB protection in a sunscreen. Salicylates are weak UVB absorbers and they are generally used in combination with other UV filters. Octyl salicylate appears to have a good safety profile. It covers wavelength in the range 295-315 nm, peak at 307-310 nm. It is an ester of salicylic acid and 2-ethylhexanol. The salicylate portion of the molecule absorbs ultraviolet light to protect skin from the harmful effects of exposure to sunlight, while the ethylhexanol portion functions as an emollient.

Source(s): Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR), ChEBI, DrugBank, via PubChem

📊 Comedogenicity

🛡️ Safety rating

Safety tier is a starting heuristic from regulatory status and comedogenic rating, not a dermatological verdict — see our Terms for the full disclaimer. Research confidence reflects how many real cited studies back this ingredient, not the strength of their findings.

🤰 Pregnancy Safety Note

Limited pregnancy data. Mineral sunscreens preferred.

🌍 Regulatory Status

💧 Skin Type Compatibility

Derived from this ingredient’s irritancy potential and comedogenicity rating against the needs of each skin type — e.g. oily and acne-prone skin are marked down for pore-clogging ingredients, sensitive skin for irritants. A starting heuristic, not a dermatological verdict.

⚠️ Don’t Combine With

📚 Research & Evidence

🔬 The Science

Ethylhexyl salicylate is a chemical UV filter—meaning it absorbs ultraviolet light to protect skin from sun damage. Here’s what research currently shows about how it behaves in and on your body:

#1: **Skin Absorption and Metabolism**: When EHS-containing sunscreen is applied to skin, the ingredient penetrates the outer layer and enters the bloodstream (Contact Dermatitis, 2024; Toxicol Lett, 2024; Arch Toxicol, 2024). After a single application of sunscreen to about 75% of body surface area, peak urinary excretion (the amount showing up in urine) occurred 10-11 hours later, with an elimination half-life between 6.6 and 9.7 hours (Arch Toxicol, 2024).

The body metabolizes EHS into several breakdown products; the unchanged EHS compound itself made up about 34% of what was excreted in urine within 24 hours, while various metabolites accounted for the rest (Toxicol Lett, 2024). Notably, the parent EHS compound remained the dominant marker even after metabolism, suggesting the body doesn’t completely break it down on first pass through the liver (Arch Toxicol, 2024). #2: **Potential for Allergic Reactions**: In a 2024 study, researchers patch-tested 33 women with frontal fibrosing alopecia (a condition involving progressive hair loss, typically on the forehead) using EHS at 10% concentration (Contact Dermatitis, 2024).

Nine patients—27.3% of the group—showed allergic contact dermatitis reactions to EHS. Four of these nine patients also reacted to their own personal sunscreens containing EHS. The mean age was 54 years (range 30-65). Five patients had already been diagnosed with hair loss before testing; four received their diagnosis during the investigation. The researchers propose that EHS should be added to the list of known contact allergens in this population, though they note EHS is “rarely reported as a sensitiser” overall (Contact Dermatitis, 2024). #3: **Population Exposure Trends**: A German biomonitoring study tracked EHS exposure markers in urine samples from young adults (ages 20-29) collected every 4 years between 1996 and 2020, all during winter months (Environ Int, 2023).

Detectable EHS metabolites increased dramatically: in 1996, only 5% of samples showed the most sensitive marker above the detection limit, but by 2016 this reached 100%. By 2020, levels remained high (97% above the detection limit). The median calculated daily intake of EHS was 59 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day—well below regulatory safety thresholds (Environ Int, 2023). The study notes that higher exposures would be expected in people who use sunscreen more frequently, such as vacationers, children, and outdoor workers. #4: **Environmental Presence**: EHS is widely detected in surface water, wastewater, sediment, soil, air, and dust globally (Environ Res, 2026).

In surface water, mean concentrations averaged 203 ng/L along Romania’s Black Sea coast and varied by location based on tourism and industrial activity. The compound shows bioaccumulation potential—meaning it can build up in organisms over time—with a mean bioaccumulation factor of 1432 L/kg (Environ Res, 2026). In wastewater treatment systems, EHS concentrations ranged widely depending on whether it was dissolved or attached to particles (Environ Res, 2026).

📄 Related Research

Matched by search — not necessarily verified support for every statement above.

• Pastor-Nieto MA et al. (2024). Sensitisation to ethylhexyl salicylate: Another piece of the frontal fibrosing alopecia puzzle. Contact Dermatitis.
• Kuhlmann L et al. (2024). New metabolites of 2-ethylhexyl salicylate in human urine after simulated real-life dermal sunscreen application. Toxicol Lett.
• Kuhlmann L et al. (2024). Toxicokinetics of 2-ethylhexyl salicylate (EHS) and its seven metabolites in humans after controlled single dermal exposure to EHS. Arch Toxicol.
• Chen J et al. (2026). A review of environmental occurrence and toxicity of 2-ethylhexyl salicylate, homomenthyl salicylate and ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate. Environ Res.
• Bury D et al. (2023). Increasing exposure to the UV filters octocrylene and 2-ethylhexyl salicylate in Germany from 1996 to 2020: Human biomonitoring in 24-h urine samples of the German Environmental Specimen Bank (ESB). Environ Int.

🧴 Products Containing ETHYLHEXYL SALICYLATE

• Nivea Nivea q10 plus anti rides
• Beiesdorf, Nivea, Nivea Sun Protect & Hydrate 30 haute
• Nivea Q10 Plus Soin de jour FPS 15
• Nivea Sun Kids Lait Protecteur Format Voyage
• Nivea NIVEA Sun Protect & Hydrate SPF30 Zonnebrandspray
• BRYNILD GRUPPEN AS Nivea Day Care Q10 Plus C 50ml
• Nivea, Nivea Sun Sensitive Immediate Protect+, SPF30
• Balea Beauty Effect Tagescreme
• Sun Dance, Sundance Sonnenmilch 30 (hoch)
• dm sun dance 30 transparentes sonnenspray
• Sun dance, Sundance Sonnen light Lotion mit Kokosduft 20 mittel
• cien cien bb crème
• Cien VitalBeauty Dia
• Cien Sun Kids spray solaire
• Cien Cell Intense Cien
• Sundance, sun dance Transparentes Sonnenspray LSF 50
• Sun Dance, Sundance Sonnencreme-Gel Sport
• Sun Dance, Sundance Sonnenfluid sensitiv LSF 50+
• Sun Dance, Sundance sun dance 50+ Sonnenmilch
• Balea, dm Balea Hairspray Gloss & Shine
• Sundance,dm Sundance Kids 50 Sonnenmilch
• Sundance Sonnenfluid matt LSF 30
• Sun Ozon Sunclean Sonnenmilch LSF 30
• Nivea, Nivea Sun Protect & Moisture solkrem, SPF30
• Nivea sun NIVEA Sun Protect & Hydrate Pocket Size SPF30 Zonnebrandcrème
• V.Sun Catch the sun
• Rossmann Sun ozon kids
• BCL Kansosan Skincare Moisture Base AQ
• L’OREAL NORGE AS Preferance 4.15 Caracas
• Ponds
• apoteket Sollotion SPF 30
• apoteket Sollotion SPF 30
• BRYNILD GRUPPEN AS Nivea Q10 Day & Night Cream Gavepakke
• ACO Kids Active Sun Lotion SPF 50+
• Sun Look Protect SF30
• crema liquida humectante lubriderm
• rayito de sol
• simonds pantalla solar crema
• Coop, Io Coop Crema Solare 50+
• Nivea, Nivea Sun Spray transparent protection invisible 30 haute