Source: https://reeflabel.com/ingredients/octisalate/ Chemical (organic) UV filter · Reef research: Limited data # Octisalate A weak UVB filter found in many 'reef-friendly' chemical formulas. Legal under Hawaii state law. Banned in - Palau Also excluded where only mineral sunscreen is allowed - Maui County - Hawaiʻi County ## Where it’s restricted Named in the law or guidance | Location | Status | Since | | --- | --- | --- | | [Palau](https://reeflabel.com/locations/palau/) [law text ↗](https://www.palaugov.pw/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/RPPL-No.-10-30-re.-The-Responsible-Tourism-Education-Act-of-2018.pdf) | In force | January 1, 2020 | ### Also not allowed under mineral-only rules Octisalate isn’t named in these laws, but they allow only mineral (zinc oxide or titanium dioxide) sunscreens, so a product containing it is excluded anyway. - [Maui County (Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi)](https://reeflabel.com/locations/maui-county/) (in force since October 1, 2022) - [Hawaiʻi County (Big Island)](https://reeflabel.com/locations/hawaii-county/) (in force since December 1, 2022) ## Why it’s regulated In its 2021 proposed order (OTC000008), the FDA proposed that sunscreens containing octisalate are not GRASE because additional data is needed. The FDA says this proposal is not a conclusion that octisalate is unsafe. ## What the reef research says Stien et al. (2020) exposed the hexacoral Pocillopora damicornis to solar filters, including ethylhexyl salicylate (ES), which the paper's compound table lists under the name octisalate. ES raised one steroid (compound 14) at 50 µg/L and triggered a stress or inflammatory response at 300 µg/L and above. The authors say ES may have caused partial bleaching at 1 mg/L, but this is unconfirmed. Mitchelmore et al. (2019) sampled 19 sites around Oahu, Hawaii, where octisalate ranked second in surface water after homosalate and level with homosalate in coral tissue. The authors describe Oahu surface seawater levels as parts-per-trillion. ES effects were reported in the lab at 50 µg/L. Sources (4) - [Stien et al. 2020, Scientific Reports: A unique approach to monitor stress in coral exposed to emerging pollutants (doi 10.1038/s41598-020-66117-3)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7295770/) - [Mitchelmore et al. 2019, Science of the Total Environment: Occurrence and distribution of UV-filters and other anthropogenic contaminants in coastal surface water, sediment, and coral tissue from Hawaii (doi 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.03.116)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30904653/) - [FDA: Questions and answers on FDA's regulatory actions on OTC sunscreen](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/understanding-over-counter-medicines/questions-and-answers-fdas-regulatory-actions-over-counter-sunscreen) - [21 CFR 352.10, Sunscreen active ingredients (eCFR; ensulizole, meradimate, octinoxate and octisalate appear under their revised names in the stayed 2002 amendment)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-352.10) ## Products that contain it (537) [ Alba Botanica Hydrating Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50 SPF 50 · lotion · Chemical/hybrid Allowed in 4 of 9 placesNot allowed: Maui County, Hawaiʻi County +3 ](https://reeflabel.com/products/alba-botanica-hydrating-sunscreen-lotion-spf-50/)[ Alba Botanica Hydrating Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30 SPF 30 · lotion · Chemical/hybrid Allowed in 4 of 9 placesNot allowed: Maui County, Hawaiʻi County +3 ](https://reeflabel.com/products/alba-botanica-hydrating-sunscreen-lotion-spf-30/)[ Alba Botanica Hydrating Sunscreen Face Lotion SPF 50 SPF 50 · lotion · Chemical/hybrid Allowed in 4 of 9 placesNot allowed: Maui County, Hawaiʻi County +3 ](https://reeflabel.com/products/alba-botanica-hydrating-sunscreen-face-lotion-spf-50/)[ Alba Botanica Hydrating Sunscreen Face Lotion SPF 30 SPF 30 · lotion · Chemical/hybrid Allowed in 4 of 9 placesNot allowed: Maui County, Hawaiʻi County +3 ](https://reeflabel.com/products/alba-botanica-hydrating-sunscreen-face-lotion-spf-30/)[ Alba Botanica Hydrating Sunscreen Spray SPF 70 SPF 70 · spray aerosol · Chemical/hybrid Allowed in 4 of 9 placesNot allowed: Maui County, Hawaiʻi County +3 ](https://reeflabel.com/products/alba-botanica-hydrating-sunscreen-spray-spf-70/)[ Alba Botanica Hydrating Sunscreen Spray SPF 50 SPF 50 · spray aerosol · Chemical/hybrid Allowed in 4 of 9 placesNot allowed: Maui County, Hawaiʻi County +3 ](https://reeflabel.com/products/alba-botanica-hydrating-sunscreen-spray-spf-50/)[ Alba Botanica Hydrating Sunscreen Spray SPF 30 SPF 30 · spray aerosol · Chemical/hybrid Allowed in 4 of 9 placesNot allowed: Maui County, Hawaiʻi County +3 ](https://reeflabel.com/products/alba-botanica-hydrating-sunscreen-spray-spf-30/)[ Alba Botanica Sensitive Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50 SPF 50 · lotion · Chemical/hybrid Allowed in 4 of 9 placesNot allowed: Maui County, Hawaiʻi County +3 ](https://reeflabel.com/products/alba-botanica-sensitive-sunscreen-lotion-spf-50/)[ Alba Botanica Sensitive Sunscreen Spray SPF 50 SPF 50 · spray aerosol · Chemical/hybrid Allowed in 4 of 9 placesNot allowed: Maui County, Hawaiʻi County +3 ](https://reeflabel.com/products/alba-botanica-sensitive-sunscreen-spray-spf-50/)[ Alba Botanica Sensitive Sunscreen Spray SPF 70 SPF 70 · spray aerosol · Chemical/hybrid Allowed in 4 of 9 placesNot allowed: Maui County, Hawaiʻi County +3 ](https://reeflabel.com/products/alba-botanica-sensitive-sunscreen-spray-spf-70/)[ Alba Botanica Kids Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50 SPF 50 · lotion · Chemical/hybrid Allowed in 4 of 9 placesNot allowed: Maui County, Hawaiʻi County +3 ](https://reeflabel.com/products/alba-botanica-kids-sunscreen-lotion-spf-50/)[ Alba Botanica Kids Sunscreen Spray SPF 50 SPF 50 · spray aerosol · Chemical/hybrid Allowed in 4 of 9 placesNot allowed: Maui County, Hawaiʻi County +3 ](https://reeflabel.com/products/alba-botanica-kids-sunscreen-spray-spf-50/) [See all 537 products that list octisalate →](https://reeflabel.com/products/?q=octisalate) **Related ingredients:** [Homosalate](https://reeflabel.com/ingredients/homosalate/), [Oxybenzone](https://reeflabel.com/ingredients/oxybenzone/), [Octocrylene](https://reeflabel.com/ingredients/octocrylene/) Last reviewed October 14, 2026. ### Label names we match - octisalate - ethylhexyl salicylate - octyl salicylate - 2-ethylhexyl salicylate ### Regulatory status **CAS:** 118-60-5 **Wikidata:** [Q27160526](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q27160526) **US FDA:** Insufficient data: not GRASE under FDA's 2019 proposal, restated in its 2021 proposed order (OTC000008), until more safety data are submitted. Still a proposal as of September 2026. Max 5% in the US. **EU:** Approved, max 5%. **Protects against:** UVB.