HOMOSALATE
Homosalate is an organic salicylate used in cosmetics. Chemically, it is an ester built from a salicylate structure joined to a cyclohexyl group, so it is a defined ingredient rather than a botanical extract or a blend of sunscreen filters.
HOMOSALATE: what it is
Homosalate is an organic salicylate used in cosmetics. Chemically, it is an ester built from a salicylate structure joined to a cyclohexyl group, so it is a defined ingredient rather than a botanical extract or a blend of sunscreen filters.
Its name may recall salicylic acid, but that does not make the two ingredients interchangeable. In homosalate, the salicylate structure is esterified and attached to a bulky group, a difference that changes its characteristics and intended role in a formula. HOMOSALATE is the INCI name commonly seen on labels.
HOMOSALATE: what it does in cosmetics
Homosalate is mainly used as a UV filter and UV absorber. In a facial sunscreen, it absorbs part of the ultraviolet radiation reaching the product and helps make up the formula's filter system. When it is also used as a fragrance ingredient, it can contribute to the cosmetic's scent profile.
Seeing HOMOSALATE on a label does not establish a product's SPF or its protection on its own: those outcomes depend on the other filters, their amounts, and testing of the finished formula. In the European Union, its use as a UV filter is limited to face products, excluding propellant sprays, at a maximum concentration of 7.34%.
HOMOSALATE: conditions and care
In the European Union, homosalate as a UV filter is permitted only in face products, excluding propellant sprays, at up to 7.34% in the ready-to-use preparation.
Restrictions and conditions of use
Products containing this ingredient
See which products include it and the name used in each composition.
