Octocrylene 5.0%Water ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is an oil-soluble organic UV filter used mainly for UVB and short-UVA coverage in sunscreens and SPF cosmetics. It also helps stabilize less photostable UV filters in oil-phase sunscreen systems.
What does Octocrylene 5.0%Water do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is an oil-soluble organic UV filter used mainly for UVB and short-UVA coverage in sunscreens and SPF cosmetics. It also helps stabilize less photostable UV filters in oil-phase sunscreen systems.
Is Octocrylene 5.0%Water clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, this ingredient is often restricted or excluded because of sensitization concerns, endocrine-activity debate, and trace impurity issues that can increase with age and heat. It has more clean-standard friction than mineral UV filters and many newer-generation filters.
Is Octocrylene 5.0%Water sustainable?
This material is synthetic and petrochemical-derived, with environmental concern tied to aquatic persistence and bioaccumulation potential. It is not considered readily biodegradable, so rinse-off and beach-use exposure are common points of scrutiny.
Is Octocrylene 5.0%Water COSMOS-approved?
This ingredient is not permitted in COSMOS organic or COSMOS natural formulations as a sunscreen active. Its petrochemical origin, persistence profile, and limited biodegradability make it a weak fit with Green Chemistry priorities.
How does Octocrylene 5.0%Water work chemically?
The molecule is an oil-soluble aromatic ester with a conjugated cyanoacrylate chromophore that absorbs mostly in the UVB and short-UVA range. Typical use levels are about 2 to 10%, with 10% as the maximum allowed in several major sunscreen regulations, and it is generally stable in anhydrous or emulsion oil phases but should be protected from excessive heat during storage.
Last updated 2026-05-16