Is Phenyl Salicylate safe in cosmetics?
Phenyl Salicylate has a safety rating of "MODERATE" in our database. EU status: restricted. US status: permitted.
MODERATE
Cosmetic Ingredient
Phenyl Salicylate
Also known as: BRN 0393969, EINECS 204-259-2, Fenylester kyseliny salicylove, UNII-28A37T47QO, 2-Hydroxy-benzoic acid phenyl ester (+2 more)
INCI: PHENYL SALICYLATE
Phenyl Salicylate (CAS 118-55-8) is a cosmetic cosmetic ingredient functioning as UV absorber, masking agent. EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: restricted, max ≤2% rinse-off / ≤0.5% leave-on. Industrial safety data is also available in the chemical safety database. Same-CAS public records also appear in industrial chemical safety and pharmaceutical data.
Function
UV absorber, masking agent
Editorial assessment
MODERATE
Preliminary editorial note — not a computed safety verdict.
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
phenyl 2-hydroxybenzoate
InChIKey
ZQBAKBUEJOMQEX-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
restricted
EU Max Conc.
≤2% rinse-off / ≤0.5% leave-on
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
Not an FDA-approved OTC sunscreen active; may be used in cosmetics for non-sunscreen functions
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Phenyl Salicylate.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
HRIPT Human Patch Test Studies
1 human repeat insult patch test aggregated from dermatological literature.
| Test Type | N | Sensitized | Dose µg/cm² | NESIL µg/cm² | Potency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMT | - | 0 | 4050 | - | - |
Endocrine Disruptor Evidence (Expanded)
Cross-referenced EDC classifications, mechanism data, and dose-response evidence from EDLists, SIN List, and cosmetic-specific detail sources.
Cosmetic-Specific Mechanism
Category: UV filter
Receptor targets: ERα
LOEC: 10 µM
EU status: allowed (max 3% as UV filter)
agonist
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Intermediate
Tonnage Band
Intermediate use only
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
Expanded Jurisdictional Detail
Additional regulatory detail beyond the 7-jurisdiction summary: Saudi SFDA, Korea MFDS, ASEAN ACD, Japan/Korea, Brazil/India, and cross-jurisdictional restriction entries.
JPKR Japan/Korea Cosmetics
Japan (Restricted): max 1.0
Additional Jurisdictional Restrictions (2)
| Jurisdiction | Status | Max % | Product Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| JP | restricted | 1.0% | All cosmetics |
| KR | prohibited | - | - |
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (2)
Carcinogen Classification
No indication of carcinogenicity to humans (not listed by IARC).
Source: Toxin and Toxin Target Database (T3DB)
Endocrine Disruptors
Potential endocrine disrupting compound
Source: NORMAN Suspect List Exchange
Regulatory (3)
JECFA Number
736
Source: WHO/JECFA
JECFA Evaluation
PHENYL SALICYLATE | 2000 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | TRS 901-JECFA 55/44 | FAS 46-JECFA 55/165
Source: WHO/JECFA
JECFA Evaluation
SALOL | 2000 | No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent | TRS 901-JECFA 55/44 | FAS 46-JECFA 55/165
Source: WHO/JECFA
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Antioxidant
Biocide
Flavouring and nutrient
Fragrance
Thickening agent
UV stabilizer
Regulatory List Membership (3)
IFRA Fragrance Transparency List
FDA Substances Added to Food (EAFUS)
Consumer Product Chemical
Editorial summary
Preliminary editorial summary for Phenyl Salicylate — not a computed safety verdict. See the sourced toxicological data above.
Regulatory Flags
endocrine_disruptor
ifra_fragrance
fda_food_additive
jecfa_safe
Known Synonyms
BRN 0393969
EINECS 204-259-2
Fenylester kyseliny salicylove
UNII-28A37T47QO
2-Hydroxy-benzoic acid phenyl ester
Phenyl-2-hydroxybenzoate
salol
Chemical Function
Biocide
Fragrance
Flavouring and nutrient
UV stabilizer
Antioxidant
Thickening agent
Regulatory Lists
IFRA Transparency
Europe
food_additive; Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS) (2/2019)
Canada; pharmaceutical
consumer_product
Australian Status
AICIS status: listed
Cross-Vertical Safety Context
Same-CAS public records found in pharmaceutical data.
SOURCE
ChEMBL / DrugCentral / FAERS
DB_PHARMA CAS match
Pharmaceutical Data
Same-CAS rows from the pharmaceutical spoke database.
Compound
PHENYL SALICYLATE
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL1339216
Max Phase
-1
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phenyl Salicylate allowed in the EU?
Phenyl Salicylate EU regulatory status: restricted. Maximum allowed concentration: ≤2% rinse-off / ≤0.5% leave-on. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Phenyl Salicylate do in cosmetics?
Phenyl Salicylate functions as: UV absorber, masking agent. It is classified as a cosmetic ingredient in our database. CAS number: 118-55-8.
Is Phenyl Salicylate used outside cosmetics?
Phenyl Salicylate also appears in industrial chemical safety and pharmaceutical data. The cross-vertical cards on this page render same-CAS public rows from the matched databases.
Compliance Tools
Check Phenyl Salicylate compliance across multiple jurisdictions:
Ingredient Decoder
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82 Allergen Checker
Check for EU declarable fragrance allergens
Substance Compliance
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MoS Calculator
Calculate Margin of Safety using SCCS methodology
Heavy Metal Limits
Compare limits across jurisdictions
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