Description
ETHYLHEXYL METHOXYCINNAMATE, with the international nonproprietary name octinoxate (INN), is an ester resulting from the condensation of 2-ethylhexyl alcohol and methoxycinnamic acid, according to the official chemical description. As an ester of a cinnamic acid substituted with a methoxy group, it belongs to the class of alkyl cinnamates. In formulations it is declared with the technical functions of light stabilizer, UV absorber and UV filter: ingredients of this category serve the generic purpose of interacting with ultraviolet radiation incident on the product or on the skin, and of contributing to the light stability of other components of the cosmetic matrix.
Under Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, the substance is listed in Annex VI (list of authorized ultraviolet filters), reference 12. The entry sets a maximum authorized concentration in the ready-for-use cosmetic product of "10%". The CosIng record consulted for this reference does not record, for this entry, any additional conditions of use, restrictions by product type, mandatory labelling warnings or CMR classification. The applicable cosmetic restriction is therefore the one deriving from the listing itself in Annex VI/12, which enables its use as an ultraviolet filter within the quantitative limit indicated.
In general terms, the ultraviolet filters included in Annex VI are incorporated into cosmetic formulations whose declared purpose relates to protection against solar radiation or to the photochemical stabilization of the formula, within the limits and conditions laid down by the annex itself. The applicable reference is Annex VI/12. The information presented is for technical reference only and does not constitute a recommendation for use or an efficacy claim.