What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
No benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Phenoxyethyl Caprylate
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialDiethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate
UV Filter
Ethylhexyl Salicylate
UV Absorber
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Diethylhexyl Butamido Triazone
UV Absorber
Ethylhexyl Triazone
UV Absorber
Diisopropyl Adipate
EmollientBis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Dibutyl Adipate
EmollientWater
Skin ConditioningAlcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Va/Butyl Maleate/Isobornyl Acrylate Copolymer
Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract
Antimicrobial
Glycerin
Humectant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
2,6-Dimethyl-7-Octen-2-Ol
Masking
Lecithin
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Ubiquinone
Antioxidant
Alcohol, Phenoxyethyl Caprylate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Octyldodecanol, Diethylhexyl Butamido Triazone, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Diisopropyl Adipate, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Dibutyl Adipate, Water, Alcohol Denat., Va/Butyl Maleate/Isobornyl Acrylate Copolymer, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, Glycerin, Tocopheryl Acetate, 2,6-Dimethyl-7-Octen-2-Ol, Lecithin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Tocopherol, Ubiquinone
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Ethylhexyl Salicylate (also called Octisalate or Octyl Salicylate) is an oil-soluble organic UV filter that's been used in sunscreen since the 1950's.
It absorbs UVB light in the 280-320 nm range with a peak absorbance around 306 nm.
You'll often see it paired with other UV filters to boost overall SPF because octisalate is a fairly week filter on its own.
The reason you'll see it so often is because it can help solubilize and stabilize the trickier filters like oxybenzone and avobenzone.
Unlike these filters, octisalate has pretty good photostability and doesn't create skin-damaging free radicals when exposed to sunlight.
The fatty-alcohol part of the molecule also gives it a light, emollient feel so it doubles as a nice texture enhancer.
Usage levels vary around the world:
Safety-wise, this ingredient has a pretty reassuring track record. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Products (SCCP) found very low skin penetration in human skin tests and negative results for irritation, phototoxicity, and photoallergy.
The real-world allergy risk is pretty low too; a 2012 European study of 1,031 people recorded only 2 reactions to it (a rate of 0.19%).
You might have seen scary headlines about sunscreen getting into your blood.
In 2019, the FDA found that several chemical filters can absorb through the skin and show up in the bloodstream at small but measurable levels.
Here's the important part: these tiny levels are just a cutoff the FDA uses to decide which ingredients need more testing and doesn't mean anything harmful was found.
The researchers were clear that the results are no reason to stop wearing sunscreen.
Learn more about Ethylhexyl Salicylate
