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Other Ingredients

Octinoxate

Also known as: Octyl methoxycinnamate, Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, OMC

The workhorse UVB filter — light, cheap, and ubiquitous in cosmetics, with endocrine questions and a reef-ban footnote.

  • By IngredientWiki Editorial Team
  • Fact-checked by IngredientWiki Editorial Team
  • Updated 2026-09-26
  • 2 min read

In short

Octinoxate (ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate) is the most widely used UVB filter in the world — appearing not just in sunscreens but in lipsticks, foundations, and moisturizers where UV protection is a secondary function. It is light, cost-effective, and cosmetically elegant, absorbing UVB efficiently. Its modern footnotes mirror oxybenzone's: weak estrogenic activity in some assays (without established human endocrine effects), measurable absorption, and a place in Hawaii's 2021 reef-safety ban alongside oxybenzone. In the US it remains an approved, commonly used sunscreen active, and the scientific consensus continues to rank consistent sun protection above theoretical risks.

  • World's most-used UVB filter; also in makeup and moisturizers
  • Cosmetically elegant: light, non-greasy, stable in formulas
  • Weak in-vitro estrogenic activity; no established human effect
  • Included in Hawaii's 2021 reef ban

What is Octinoxate?

Octinoxate is the sunscreen ingredient you have almost certainly worn without knowing — it is the default UVB filter not just in sunscreens but in foundations, lipsticks, and day creams, chosen for the same reason it is everywhere: it works, feels weightless, and costs little. Its modern profile carries the same two footnotes as oxybenzone — laboratory endocrine signals without established human effects, and a place in Hawaii's reef ban — while remaining the volume leader of global UV protection. Understanding octinoxate means weighing ubiquity against uncertainty, with the evidence still favoring protection.

Where it comes from

Natural sources

  • Fully synthetic cinnamate derivative, introduced as a sunscreen active in the 1980s

How it's made

Used at up to 7.5% (US) in sunscreens; lower levels in daily-wear cosmetics.

What it does in products

  • UVB absorption
  • Cosmetic UV protection in makeup
  • Formula elegance (light, non-greasy)
  • SPF contribution in combination systems

Benefits

Reliable UVB protection

strong evidence

Decades of use confirm effective sunburn protection, contributing to the well-established public-health benefit of daily photoprotection.

Cosmetic elegance

strong evidence

Its light, oil-free feel enabled the shift from greasy sunblocks to wearable daily SPF — a genuine compliance benefit.

No established human endocrine harm

strong evidence

In-vitro estrogenic signals have not translated into human endocrine effects in epidemiological studies.

Side effects & safety

Contact or photocontact allergy (uncommon)Uncommon given its ubiquity.

Safety considerations

  • No specific restriction; some clinicians suggest mineral alternatives during pregnancy as a general precaution.
  • None significant.
  • Not for: Confirmed allergy

How it's used

In supplements

Not an oral ingredient.

In skincare

Up to 7.5% in US sunscreens; lower in daily-wear cosmetics.

Regulatory status

  • FDA-approved OTC sunscreen active; under the same GRASE data review as other US organic filters.
  • INCI name on cosmetic labels: Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate.
  • Regulated as OTC drug active.

Popular products containing Octinoxate

  • Daily-wear moisturizers with SPF (e.g., Olay) — Octinoxate-based daily SPFOlay · OTC drug
  • L'Oréal / Maybelline SPF makeup — UV protection in cosmeticsL'Oréal · OTC drug
  • Neutrogena sunscreens (octinoxate variants) — Combination UV systemsNeutrogena · OTC drug

Product names and brands are shown for reference and belong to their respective owners.

The estrogen-assay question

Octinoxate shows weak estrogenic activity in some cell assays, and animal studies at very high doses show uterine effects. Human epidemiological work has not demonstrated endocrine disruption from cosmetic exposure, and regulators have maintained approval. As with oxybenzone, the gap between laboratory signal and human outcome remains the central, unresolved question.

Beyond sunscreen

Octinoxate's ubiquity extends to everyday makeup and moisturizers — products where UV protection is secondary. This distributed exposure is part of why it attracts scrutiny: the same ingredient protecting lips and eyelids is also the one whose absorption is most studied.

Frequently asked questions

Is octinoxate banned?

In Hawaii (with oxybenzone) for reef concerns, and restricted in some jurisdictions; in the US mainland and most markets it remains a standard approved filter.

Is octinoxate the same as oxybenzone?

No — octinoxate is the primary UVB filter, oxybenzone covers UVB/short UVA and stabilizes avobenzone. They often appear together in US broad-spectrum formulas.

Should I avoid octinoxate in my moisturizer?

For most people, daily SPF benefits outweigh theoretical concerns. Mineral options exist if you prefer to avoid organic filters.

The bottom line

Octinoxate is the quiet workhorse of UVB protection — ubiquitous, elegant, and scientifically unresolved only at the margins, where consensus still favors wearing it.

References

  1. Octinoxate: safety and endocrine evaluation. PubMed Central. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31778460/
  2. Sunscreen filters and human exposure. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31058986/
  3. Hawaii sunscreen ban — reef safety context. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33151577/