UV FILTER
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
- UV filter
A UV filter added to protect the product's colour and, in leave-ins, to slow colour fade.
- products in our library
- 145
- of researched products
- 4%
- on the label, in our shampoos
- usually #27
- most common in
- Shampoo
- in water
- Oil-soluble
At a glance
Four named levels, read from this ingredient’s chemical class, its charge, its solubility, or where it sits on the labels we have. More dots means more of the property named — never “better”.
How much of it is left on hair between washes.
What it takes to get it off the hair again.
Where it sits on the labels we have, in the category it appears in most.
Why a formulator says it is in there.
| Property | Level | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Buildup risk | Needs a cleanser | 4 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Rinses with a cleanser | 2 of 5 |
| Prominence | Secondary | 2 of 5 |
| Stated purpose | A stated active | 4 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
Included to slow colour fading, not as sun protection for skin.
It takes a surfactant to remove — worth knowing on a low-detergent routine.
Charge
Charge is not recorded for this ingredient.
Solubility
Needs a surfactant to remove. On a low-detergent routine it can build up over time.
Where it appears
Where it appears
One row per product category in our library: how many products list it, what share of that category that is, and where it typically sits on the label.
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Shampoo
24 products
|
secondary · #27 | |
Conditioner
22 products
|
secondary · #22 | |
Leave-in
21 products
|
secondary · #18 | |
Mask / treatment
11 products
|
secondary · #17 | |
Styler: hairspray
11 products
|
secondary · #11 | |
Finisher: oil
9 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Styler: texture spray
8 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Finisher: serum
6 products
|
supporting · #9 | |
Finisher: shine spray
6 products
|
secondary · #12 | |
Heat protectant
6 products
|
secondary · #18 |
8 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Styler: mousse
6 products
|
secondary · #21 | |
Styler: curl cream
5 products
|
secondary · #15 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
4 products
|
secondary · #18 | |
Styler: gel
2 products
|
secondary · #20 | |
Finisher: anti frizz finish
1 product
|
secondary · #17 | |
Styler: lotion
1 product
|
secondary · #17 | |
Styler: paste
1 product
|
secondary · #35 | |
Styler: volumizer
1 product
|
secondary · #27 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shampoo | 24 | 3% | 27 | 9 | secondary |
| Conditioner | 22 | 3% | 22 | 11 | secondary |
| Leave-in | 21 | 5% | 18 | 10 | secondary |
| Mask / treatment | 11 | 3% | 17 | 11 | secondary |
| Styler: hairspray | 11 | 11% | 11 | 8 | secondary |
| Finisher: oil | 9 | 5% | 16 | 6 | secondary |
| Styler: texture spray | 8 | 14% | 16 | 7 | secondary |
| Finisher: serum | 6 | 8% | 9 | 4 | supporting |
| Finisher: shine spray | 6 | 9% | 12 | 8 | secondary |
| Heat protectant | 6 | 4% | 18 | 16 | secondary |
| Styler: mousse | 6 | 4% | 21 | 13 | secondary |
| Styler: curl cream | 5 | 5% | 15 | 9 | secondary |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 4 | 7% | 18 | 13 | secondary |
| Styler: gel | 2 | 1% | 20 | 19 | secondary |
| Finisher: anti frizz finish | 1 | 4% | 17 | 17 | secondary |
| Styler: lotion | 1 | 8% | 17 | 17 | secondary |
| Styler: paste | 1 | 1% | 35 | 35 | secondary |
| Styler: volumizer | 1 | 2% | 27 | 27 | secondary |
No product-type differences have been researched yet — the reading below is computed from where it sits on the labels in our library.
Position footprint
Every listing in our library, by position on the label.
| Positions | Zone | Listings |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | Leading | 0 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 12 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 61 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 47 |
| 26+ | Trace | 45 |
How to read this
US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order.
So position tells you about relative amount only above that line, and we never convert a position into a percentage.
Who should pay attention
Conditional formulation guidance, scoped to a hair condition and to the positions where it is meaningful. It is not a conclusion about any finished product, and not a conclusion about you.
Sunlight oxidises hair pigment, and on gray, silver or lightened hair that shows up as yellowing. A UV filter on the label absorbs some of the light that drives it.
Read from this ingredient’s chemical class. Where we have researched the ingredient itself, that reading replaces the class one.
Why it matters to shoppers
What this ingredient is evidence of, what it is not evidence of, and what our own method can and cannot tell you.
- some protection for colour-treated hair
- something that lasts through the day
- gray or light hair to stay cool rather than warm
- an exact safety score — we do not publish one, for any ingredient
- how a finished product performs by itself — that is the whole formula, not one line of it
- the exact percentage in a bottle — label position never converts into a number
- a secondary UV filter, listed below the main ingredients in our shampoos
- it was on the label of every product we counted — we read printed ingredient lists, not marketing copy
- that a product is right or wrong for you
We do not publish safety scores or hazard grades. Where a regulator has published a restriction or a use condition, we state it and cite it; otherwise we describe what the ingredient does and stop.
Commonly paired with
Ingredients that appear alongside this one most often in our library. Near-universal ingredients are excluded — they pair with everything and tell you nothing.
- BHT · 70
- Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane · 58
- Disodium EDTA · 55
- Tocopherol · 54
- Ethylhexyl Salicylate · 51
- Dimethicone · 44
- Butylene Glycol · 42
- Alcohol Denat. · 40
- Caprylyl Glycol · 40
- Behentrimonium Chloride · 40
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to keep the formula stable, deliver a stated effect, and smooth the surface.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
CHI · Finisher
Deep Brilliance Shine Serum Lightweight Leave-In Treatment
#4 on the label · $2.80/oz
Design Essentials · Finisher
Silk Essentials Thermal Strengthening Serum
#5 on the label · $5.63/oz
Sebastian · Finisher
Dark Oil
#6 on the label · $11.89/oz
dpHUE · Finisher
Color Fresh Oil Therapy
#7 on the label
Goldwell · Conditioner
Color Extra Rich Brilliance Conditioner
#7 on the label · $2.15/oz
Goldwell · Conditioner
Dualsenses Blondes & Highlights Anti-yellow Conditioner
#7 on the label
Not Your Mother's · Styler
Beach Babe Texturizing Dry Finish Spray
#7 on the label · $1.82/oz
CHI · Finisher
Shine Infusion Spray
#8 on the label · $2.83/oz
Design Essentials · Finisher
Agave & Lavender Serum
#8 on the label · $2.25/oz
inh HAIR · Finisher
Gloss Gems Hair Oil Treatment Capsules
#8 on the label
Joico · Styler
Flip Turn Volumizing Finishing Spray
#8 on the label · $2.50/oz
Kenra · Finisher
Dry Oil Conditioning Mist
#8 on the label · $4.20/oz
See all 145 products in the library that list Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
- CAS 83834-59-7
- PubChem 5355130
- ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate
- ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate (octinoxate)
For your hair?
Whether Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate matters for your hair depends on your hair.
the 5th most-listed vitamin or active in our libraryWhat this ingredient does, and where it sits on the labels we have researched.
A verdict on any product that contains it, and never a safety grade.
We do not physically test your hair. Everything above is read from the ingredient lists in our library and from published references — the consultation is what turns it into a plan.
References
Sourced Backed by a manufacturer or regulatory source.
This ingredient
- Manufacturer or regulatory PubChem — Compound identity: CID 5355130, CAS 83834-59-7, C18H26O3 · accessed 2026-08-28
How this page was made
- Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library — 145 of 3889 researched products list this ingredient. Nothing on this page is written per ingredient.
- The dots are named levels read from an ingredient’s chemical class, charge, solubility, or where it sits on the labels we have — never a score.
- US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order. Position tells you about relative amount only above that line, and we never convert a position into a percentage.
- The prominence bands (leading, supporting, secondary) are the same ones the product pages use to read a single label, applied here to the median position across a category.
- We do not publish safety scores or hazard grades. Where a regulator has published a restriction or a use condition, we state it and cite it; otherwise we describe what the ingredient does and stop.
- Identifiers and references appear only when a published source is attached to this entry; where none is, the row is simply absent rather than filled in.
- This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.
- Entry last updated 2026-08-28. Product-page methodology: the product library.