Body & Beauty / Compounds / Ethyl salicylate

Ethyl salicylate on your skin: a safety profile

Moderate risk

(People-specific data is limited; this page draws from human adult context.) Salicylate ester — potential endocrine disruptor (estrogenic activity reported in vitro for some members); skin sensitizer; UV absorber properties

What is ethyl salicylate?

The IUPAC name is ethyl 2-hydroxybenzoate.

Also known as: ethyl 2-hydroxybenzoate, Sal ethyl, Mesotol, Salicylic ether.

IUPAC name
ethyl 2-hydroxybenzoate
CAS number
118-61-6
Molecular formula
C9H10O3
Molecular weight
166.17 g/mol
SMILES
CCOC(=O)C1=CC=CC=C1O
PubChem CID
8365

Risk for people

Moderate risk

Salicylate ester — potential endocrine disruptor (estrogenic activity reported in vitro for some members); skin sensitizer; UV absorber properties

Regulatory consensus

2 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Ethyl salicylate. The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EDC Assessment2024Suspected endocrine disruptor
IFRA2020restrictionIFRA restriction — salicylate class

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where you encounter ethyl salicylate

  • Personal Care — perfume, sunscreen, lotion
  • Fragrance — perfume, cologne, scented personal care products, household fragrance products, candles
    Identified in Fragrance Ingredient Safety Priority Research database (2,325 ingredients)

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Ethyl salicylate:

  • Methyl salicylate (with limits)
    Trade-offs: Alternative fragrance ingredient; individual safety profile should be assessed per IFRA standards; sensitization potential varies by compound; patch testing recommended for sensitive individuals.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×
  • Isoamyl salicylate
    Trade-offs: Alternative fragrance ingredient; individual safety profile should be assessed per IFRA standards; sensitization potential varies by compound; patch testing recommended for sensitive individuals.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

What products contain ethyl salicylate?

Ethyl salicylate appears in: perfume (Personal care); sunscreen (Personal care); perfume (Fragrance); cologne (Fragrance).

See Ethyl salicylate in the body app

Look up products containing ethyl salicylate, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in body View raw API data

Sources (1)
  1. PubChem Compound Database (2026) — database

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →