UV FILTER

Ethylhexyl Salicylate

UV filter

A UV filter used in leave-on hair products to slow colour fade.

71products in our library

2%of researched products

usually #30on the label, in our shampoos

Shampoomost common in

Oil-solublein water

products in our library: 71
of researched products: 2%
on the label, in our shampoos: usually #30
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”.

Buildup risk Needs a cleanser

How much of it is left on hair between washes.

Rinse-out behaviour Rinses with a cleanser

What it takes to get it off the hair again.

Prominence in our shampoos Secondary

Where it sits on the labels we have, in the category it appears in most.

Stated purpose A stated active

Why a formulator says it is in there.

The same figures as a table. The at-a-glance levels for Ethylhexyl Salicylate.
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 Salicylate does

The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.

Absorbs some UV

Included to slow colour fading, not as sun protection for skin.

Stays until washed

It takes a surfactant to remove — worth knowing on a low-detergent routine.

Charge

Not recorded not recorded for this entry

Charge is not recorded for this ingredient.

Solubility

Water-solubleOil-solubleWater-dispersibleInsolubleVolatile

Needs a surfactant to remove. On a low-detergent routine it can build up over time.

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 22 products	3%	secondary · #30
Conditioner 13 products	2%	secondary · #31
Leave-in 13 products	3%	secondary · #21
Finisher: oil 4 products	2%	secondary · #16
Finisher: serum 4 products	5%	secondary · #16
Mask / treatment 3 products	1%	secondary · #23
Styler: hairspray 3 products	3%	secondary · #10
Heat protectant 2 products	1%	secondary · #20
Styler: curl cream 2 products	2%	secondary · #18
Styler: gel 2 products	1%	secondary · #20

Leading 1–3Supporting 4–8Secondary 9–15Lower 16–25Trace 26+

3 more product types

Product type	How common	Typical position on label ?
Styler: mousse 1 product	1%	secondary · #27
Styler: smoothing cream 1 product	2%	secondary · #32
Styler: volumizer 1 product	2%	secondary · #18

The same figures as a table. Where Ethylhexyl Salicylate sits on the ingredient list, by product type.
Product type	Products	Share of category	Median position	Earliest position	Band
Shampoo	22	3%	30	15	secondary
Conditioner	13	2%	31	16	secondary
Leave-in	13	3%	21	7	secondary
Finisher: oil	4	2%	16	10	secondary
Finisher: serum	4	5%	16	10	secondary
Mask / treatment	3	1%	23	16	secondary
Styler: hairspray	3	3%	10	8	secondary
Heat protectant	2	1%	20	19	secondary
Styler: curl cream	2	2%	18	11	secondary
Styler: gel	2	1%	20	19	secondary
Styler: mousse	1	1%	27	27	secondary
Styler: smoothing cream	1	2%	32	32	secondary
Styler: volumizer	1	2%	18	18	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

Leading 0Supporting 2Secondary 11Lower 30Trace 32

Every listing in our library, by position on the label.

Every listing of Ethylhexyl Salicylate in our library, grouped by its position on the label.
Positions	Zone	Listings
1-3	Leading	0
4-8	Supporting	2
9-15	Secondary	11
16-25	Lower	30
26+	Trace	32

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.

May suitGray, silver, or brass-prone hair

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.

A good sign if you want

some protection for colour-treated hair
something that lasts through the day
gray or light hair to stay cool rather than warm

Less relevant if you want to know

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

Seeing it usually means

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

It does not automatically mean

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.

The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.

These ingredients tend to appear together to deliver a stated effect, keep the formula stable, and hold on to water.

Found in these products

The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.

IGK · Leave-in Mistress Hydrating and Conditioning Hair Balm #7 on the label

Color Wow · Styler Cult Favorite Firm + Flexible Hairspray #8 on the label · $3.00/oz Color Wow · Styler Texas Hold 'Em Big Hold Hairspray #10 on the label · $3.64/oz

IGK · Finisher Crybaby Anti-Frizz Smoothing Serum #10 on the label · $13.65/oz

inh HAIR · Finisher Gloss Gems Hair Oil Treatment Capsules #10 on the label

Pureology · Styler Style + Protect Soft Finish Hairspray - 11.0 oz #10 on the label · $3.27/oz

Ouidad · Styler Curl Shaper Take Shape Plumping Defining Cream #11 on the label · $3.25/oz

Pureology · Styler Style + Protect Lock It Down Hairspray - 11.0 oz #11 on the label · $3.27/oz

Color Wow · Finisher Pop & Lock Frizz Control & Glossing Serum #13 on the label · $13.33/oz Ouidad · Styler Curl Shaper Out of Thin (H)air Volumizing Jelly #13 on the label · $3.06/oz

DevaCurl · Leave-in Mist of Wonders Leave-In #14 on the label · $3.60/oz

Pureology · Finisher Hydrate Glow Catcher Hair Oil For Moisture and Shine #14 on the label · $21.77/oz

See all 71 products in the library that list Ethylhexyl Salicylate

Identity

What this entry is, and what our references call it.

Canonical name

Ethylhexyl Salicylate

Identifiers

CAS 118-60-5
PubChem 8364

Most-listed rank

#9 of 32 vitamins and actives in our library, by how many products list it

Also listed as

ethylhexyl salicylate
ethylhexyl salicylate (octisalate)

For your hair?

Whether Ethylhexyl Salicylate matters for your hair depends on your hair.

the 9th most-listed vitamin or active in our library

What this page is

What this ingredient does, and where it sits on the labels we have researched.

What it is not

A verdict on any product that contains it, and never a safety grade.

Next

Build your hair profile and let the whole library sort itself

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 8364, CAS 118-60-5, C15H22O3 · accessed 2026-08-28

How this page was made

Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library — 71 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.

Ethylhexyl Salicylate

What Ethylhexyl Salicylate does

Where it appears

Position footprint

Whether Ethylhexyl Salicylate matters for your hair depends on your hair.

References

This ingredient

How this page was made

Your personalized hair plan