--- title: "Octinoxate: a UVB sunscreen ingredient" description: "Octinoxate is a UVB filter also called ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate. Understand its role, formulation limits and current safety distinctions." --- # Octinoxate: a UVB sunscreen ingredient > Octinoxate is a UVB filter also called ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate. Understand its role, formulation limits and current safety distinctions. Source: https://cosmetic-labs.com/glossary/octinoxate Created: 2026-11-10T10:22:54+00:00 Modified: 2026-11-10T10:22:54+00:00 Author: Emilie SCHOL ## Definition of Octinoxate: a UVB sunscreen ingredient Octinoxate is an organic UVB filter also called ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate. It contributes to sunscreen protection against UVB, but does not replace the UVA protection needed in a broad-spectrum formula. ### Learn more ## What octinoxate protects against Octinoxate belongs to the cinnamate group of organic UV filters. Its main purpose in a sunscreen is to absorb UVB radiation, the part of ultraviolet exposure most closely reflected in the [SPF](https://cosmetic-labs.com/glossary/spf) test. It is not a substitute for a UVA filter. A formula can contain octinoxate and still need other filters to achieve the protection described by a broad-spectrum claim. ## Names and formulation behavior Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate and octyl methoxycinnamate are alternative names associated with octinoxate. These names describe the filter, not a separate finished sunscreen. The molecule can change under light exposure, which makes photostability an important formulation question. Combining filters and evaluating the finished product matters more than assuming that every formula containing the same UVB absorber performs identically. ## Separating evidence from compliance Safety evidence and market compliance answer different questions. A proposal requesting additional safety information is not itself proof that a filter causes harm. Likewise, a scientific opinion is not permission to use an ingredient without checking the rules for the intended market. For product development, verify the current requirements for the complete sunscreen before selecting its filters, format and labeling. A glossary definition cannot replace that review. A human safety assessment does not establish environmental safety. Evidence about a filter in people and evidence about its behavior in marine ecosystems must be evaluated separately. ## What the absorption research shows A controlled trial in 48 healthy adults evaluated four sunscreen formulations containing six filters, including this ingredient. Products were applied to most of the body once on the first day and repeatedly on the next three days. The tested filters entered the bloodstream. That result documents systemic exposure under the studied conditions; it does not, on its own, demonstrate injury or establish the outcome of years of everyday use. The trial was not a comparison showing that one filter was the safest or most effective choice. ## Reading a sunscreen claim Choose the finished sunscreen by its tested protection and directions, not by one familiar ingredient name. Broad-spectrum coverage addresses both UVA and UVB, whereas SPF mainly describes protection against sunburn. Reapply at least every two hours and follow the label after swimming or sweating. Shade, clothing and a hat remain useful alongside sunscreen. A filter name is not a promise that a product is waterproof, and no ingredient list removes the need to use enough product. Do not treat the absence of octinoxate as proof that a replacement sunscreen is harmless to marine ecosystems. Human safety assessments and environmental evaluations answer different questions. An ingredient substitution is not a test of the environmental behavior of an entire formula. Sources ## Sources and references References supporting this page are listed below. Source access dates and supported claims are recorded in the evidence notes where available. [SCCS Opinion on Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, corrected March 2026](https://health.ec.europa.eu/document/download/3166a978-06de-4526-b25e-8d5a66943a2e_en?filename=sccs_o_294.pdf) URL [https://health.ec.europa.eu/document/download/3166a978-06de-4526-b25e-8d5a66943a2e_en?filename=sccs_o_294.pdf](https://health.ec.europa.eu/document/download/3166a978-06de-4526-b25e-8d5a66943a2e_en?filename=sccs_o_294.pdf) [SCCS – Opinion on Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate (EHMC) (CAS No. 5466-77-3/83834-59-7, EC No. 226-775-7/629-661-9) – Public Health](https://health.ec.europa.eu/publications/sccs-opinion-ethylhexyl-methoxycinnamate-ehmc-cas-no-5466-77-383834-59-7-ec-no-226-775-7629-661-9_en) URL [https://health.ec.europa.eu/publications/sccs-opinion-ethylhexyl-methoxycinnamate-ehmc-cas-no-5466-77-383834-59-7-ec-no-226-775-7629-661-9_en](https://health.ec.europa.eu/publications/sccs-opinion-ethylhexyl-methoxycinnamate-ehmc-cas-no-5466-77-383834-59-7-ec-no-226-775-7629-661-9_en) [SCCS – Opinion on Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate (EHMC) (CAS No. 5466-77-3/83834-59-7, EC No. 226-775-7/629-661-9) – Public Health](https://health.ec.europa.eu/publications/sccs-opinion-ethylhexyl-methoxycinnamate-ehmc-cas-no-5466-77-383834-59-7-ec-no-226-775-7629-661-9_en) URL [https://health.ec.europa.eu/publications/sccs-opinion-ethylhexyl-methoxycinnamate-ehmc-cas-no-5466-77-383834-59-7-ec-no-226-775-7629-661-9_en](https://health.ec.europa.eu/publications/sccs-opinion-ethylhexyl-methoxycinnamate-ehmc-cas-no-5466-77-383834-59-7-ec-no-226-775-7629-661-9_en) [Sunscreens and Photoaging: A Review of Current Literature](https://www.ebi.ac.uk/europepmc/webservices/rest/PMC8361399/fullTextXML) URL [https://www.ebi.ac.uk/europepmc/webservices/rest/PMC8361399/fullTextXML](https://www.ebi.ac.uk/europepmc/webservices/rest/PMC8361399/fullTextXML) [Questions and Answers: FDA’s regulatory actions on over-the-counter sunscreen | FDA](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/understanding-over-counter-medicines/questions-and-answers-fdas-regulatory-actions-over-counter-sunscreen) URL [https://www.fda.gov/drugs/understanding-over-counter-medicines/questions-and-answers-fdas-regulatory-actions-over-counter-sunscreen](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/understanding-over-counter-medicines/questions-and-answers-fdas-regulatory-actions-over-counter-sunscreen) [Sunscreen: How to Help Protect Your Skin from the Sun](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/understanding-over-counter-medicines/sunscreen-how-help-protect-your-skin-sun) URL [https://www.fda.gov/drugs/understanding-over-counter-medicines/sunscreen-how-help-protect-your-skin-sun](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/understanding-over-counter-medicines/sunscreen-how-help-protect-your-skin-sun) [Sunscreen: How to Help Protect Your Skin from the Sun](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/understanding-over-counter-medicines/sunscreen-how-help-protect-your-skin-sun) URL [https://www.fda.gov/drugs/understanding-over-counter-medicines/sunscreen-how-help-protect-your-skin-sun](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/understanding-over-counter-medicines/sunscreen-how-help-protect-your-skin-sun) [Systemic absorption trial, retrieved indexed abstract](https://www.ebi.ac.uk/europepmc/webservices/rest/search?query=EXT_ID:31961417&format=json&resultType=core) URL [https://www.ebi.ac.uk/europepmc/webservices/rest/search?query=EXT_ID:31961417&format=json&resultType=core](https://www.ebi.ac.uk/europepmc/webservices/rest/search?query=EXT_ID:31961417&format=json&resultType=core) [Systemic absorption trial, retrieved indexed abstract](https://www.ebi.ac.uk/europepmc/webservices/rest/search?query=EXT_ID:31961417&format=json&resultType=core) URL [https://www.ebi.ac.uk/europepmc/webservices/rest/search?query=EXT_ID:31961417&format=json&resultType=core](https://www.ebi.ac.uk/europepmc/webservices/rest/search?query=EXT_ID:31961417&format=json&resultType=core) [Systemic absorption trial, retrieved indexed abstract](https://www.ebi.ac.uk/europepmc/webservices/rest/search?query=EXT_ID:31961417&format=json&resultType=core) URL [https://www.ebi.ac.uk/europepmc/webservices/rest/search?query=EXT_ID:31961417&format=json&resultType=core](https://www.ebi.ac.uk/europepmc/webservices/rest/search?query=EXT_ID:31961417&format=json&resultType=core) [Finished sunscreen protection testing](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/understanding-over-counter-medicines/sunscreen-how-help-protect-your-skin-sun) URL [https://www.fda.gov/drugs/understanding-over-counter-medicines/sunscreen-how-help-protect-your-skin-sun](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/understanding-over-counter-medicines/sunscreen-how-help-protect-your-skin-sun) --- ## Site identity - Organization: Cosmetic Labs - Description: Cosmetic Labs is a directory and a platform to meet all your cosmetic product development needs. From sourcing raw material to finding the best CRO for your needs. - Website: https://cosmetic-labs.com