UV FILTER
Ethylhexyl Salicylate
- UV filter
A UV filter used in leave-on hair products to slow colour fade.
- products in our library
- 118
- of researched products
- 2%
- on the label, in our shampoos
- usually #28
- most common in
- Shampoo
- in water
- Oil-soluble
At a glance
Four things worth knowing about how this ingredient behaves on hair.
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 Salicylate 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, which matters 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
32 products
|
secondary · #28 | |
Conditioner
21 products
|
secondary · #23 | |
Leave-in
17 products
|
secondary · #17 | |
Finisher: serum
11 products
|
secondary · #12 | |
Finisher: oil
7 products
|
secondary · #17 | |
Heat protectant
6 products
|
secondary · #21 | |
Styler: hairspray
6 products
|
secondary · #11 | |
Mask / treatment
5 products
|
secondary · #29 | |
Styler: curl cream
3 products
|
secondary · #19 | |
Styler: gel
3 products
|
secondary · #19 |
6 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Styler: mousse
2 products
|
secondary · #25 | |
Finisher: shine spray
1 product
|
secondary · #14 | |
Styler: paste
1 product
|
secondary · #31 | |
Styler: refresh spray
1 product
|
secondary · #20 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
1 product
|
secondary · #32 | |
Styler: volumizer
1 product
|
secondary · #18 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shampoo | 32 | 2% | 28 | 15 | secondary |
| Conditioner | 21 | 2% | 23 | 9 | secondary |
| Leave-in | 17 | 2% | 17 | 7 | secondary |
| Finisher: serum | 11 | 8% | 12 | 6 | secondary |
| Finisher: oil | 7 | 3% | 17 | 8 | secondary |
| Heat protectant | 6 | 3% | 21 | 19 | secondary |
| Styler: hairspray | 6 | 2% | 11 | 8 | secondary |
| Mask / treatment | 5 | 1% | 29 | 16 | secondary |
| Styler: curl cream | 3 | 1% | 19 | 11 | secondary |
| Styler: gel | 3 | 1% | 19 | 13 | secondary |
| Styler: mousse | 2 | 1% | 25 | 23 | secondary |
| Finisher: shine spray | 1 | 1% | 14 | 14 | secondary |
| Styler: paste | 1 | 1% | 31 | 31 | secondary |
| Styler: refresh spray | 1 | 3% | 20 | 20 | secondary |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 1 | 1% | 32 | 32 | secondary |
| Styler: volumizer | 1 | 1% | 18 | 18 | secondary |
We have not researched differences by product type yet. The reading below comes 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 | 7 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 25 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 46 |
| 26+ | Trace | 40 |
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
Formulation guidance for specific hair conditions, limited to the label positions where it applies. It is not a conclusion about any finished product, or 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 seeing this ingredient tells you, what it does not, and the limits of our own method.
- 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, which depends on the whole formula, not one line of it
- the exact percentage in a bottle, because label position never converts into a number
- a secondary UV filter, listed below the main ingredients in our shampoos
- it was on the printed ingredient list of every product we counted (we read labels, 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
The ingredients that most often appear alongside this one in our library. We leave out the near-universal ones, because they pair with everything and tell you nothing.
- Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate · 64
- Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane · 58
- Tocopherol · 57
- Ethylhexylglycerin · 49
- Disodium EDTA · 45
- BHT · 44
- Dimethicone · 43
- Benzyl Alcohol · 43
- Caprylyl Glycol · 41
- Butylene Glycol · 38
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, soften the strand, and keep the formula stable.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
LUSETA · Finisher
Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizing Hair Serum
#6 on the label · $8.28/oz
LUSETA · Finisher
Keratin Oil Hair Repair Serum
#6 on the label · $8.24/oz
IGK · Leave-in
Mistress Hydrating and Conditioning Hair Balm
#7 on the label
LUSETA · Finisher
Collagen Peptides Hair Serum
#7 on the label · $8.28/oz
Color Wow · Styler
Cult Favorite Firm + Flexible Hairspray
#8 on the label · $3.00/oz
LUSETA · Finisher
Biotin & Collagen Strengthening Oil
#8 on the label · $8.28/oz
LUSETA · Finisher
Macadamia Oil Hair Moisture Serum
#8 on the label · $4.12/oz
L'Oreal Paris · Conditioner
EverPure Sulfate-Free Simply Clean Conditioner
#9 on the label · $1.41/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
See all 118 products in the library that list Ethylhexyl Salicylate
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
Ethylhexyl Salicylate
- CAS 118-60-5
- PubChem 8364
- ethylhexyl salicylate
- ethylhexyl salicylate (octisalate)
For your hair?
Whether Ethylhexyl Salicylate matters for your hair depends on your hair.
the 10th 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 comes 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: 118 of 6816 researched products list this ingredient. Nothing on this page is written per ingredient.
- The dots are levels, not scores. Each one comes from what kind of ingredient it is (its chemical class, charge and solubility) or from where it sits on the labels we have.
- 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. Without one, we leave the row out rather than fill it in.
- This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.
- Entry last updated 2026-09-22. Product-page methodology: the product library.
