Octocrylene 7.5% Inactive: Water/Aqua/Eau ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is an oil-soluble organic UV filter used mainly for UVB coverage, with some short-wave UVA support. It also helps stabilize other photo-unstable UV filters in sunscreen systems.
What does Octocrylene 7.5% Inactive: Water/Aqua/Eau do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is an oil-soluble organic UV filter used mainly for UVB coverage, with some short-wave UVA support. It also helps stabilize other photo-unstable UV filters in sunscreen systems.
Is Octocrylene 7.5% Inactive: Water/Aqua/Eau clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, it has friction because some standards and retailers restrict it due to sensitization reports, endocrine-screening debate, and benzophenone impurity or degradation concerns. It is regulated with concentration limits in conventional sunscreens, including use around the 7.5% level in some markets.
Is Octocrylene 7.5% Inactive: Water/Aqua/Eau sustainable?
This material is synthetic and petrochemical-derived rather than renewable. It is not readily biodegradable and is associated with aquatic persistence and bioaccumulation concerns, which is the main sustainability drawback.
Is Octocrylene 7.5% Inactive: Water/Aqua/Eau COSMOS-approved?
It is not permitted in COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic products. Its Green Chemistry fit is weak because it relies on nonrenewable feedstocks and has poor biodegradability, despite being effective at low formulation percentages.
How does Octocrylene 7.5% Inactive: Water/Aqua/Eau work chemically?
The molecule is an oil-soluble aromatic ester with a conjugated UV-absorbing chromophore, which is why it sits in the oil phase of emulsions rather than the water phase. Typical sunscreen use is in the low single digits up to about 10%, and formulators monitor heat, storage time, and compatibility because benzophenone can increase as an impurity or degradation product.
Last updated 2026-05-15