Octocrylene 5% ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is an oil-soluble synthetic UV filter used mainly for UVB coverage, with some short-UVA support. It also helps photostabilize less stable sunscreen filters in emulsions and anhydrous formats.
What does Octocrylene 5% do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is an oil-soluble synthetic UV filter used mainly for UVB coverage, with some short-UVA support. It also helps photostabilize less stable sunscreen filters in emulsions and anhydrous formats.
Is Octocrylene 5% clean?
Clean-beauty frameworks often restrict or exclude it because of sensitization reports, endocrine-activity questions, and the benzophenone impurity or degradation issue. At 5%, it sits within common regulatory sunscreen limits where it is permitted.
Is Octocrylene 5% sustainable?
This material is synthetic and typically petroleum-derived. It is not readily biodegradable, and its environmental persistence and aquatic bioaccumulation profile create significant sustainability friction.
Is Octocrylene 5% COSMOS-approved?
It is not permitted under COSMOS natural or organic standards for sunscreen use. From a Green Chemistry view, it has weak alignment because it relies on synthetic petrochemical chemistry and has limited biodegradability.
How does Octocrylene 5% work chemically?
The molecule is an oil-soluble aromatic ester with a conjugated cyanoacrylate-type chromophore that absorbs strongly in the UVB range and helps stabilize selected UVA filters. Typical use is about 2% to 10% depending on region and formula, and quality control focuses on photostability, oil-phase compatibility, and trace benzophenone formation or carryover.
Last updated 2026-08-17