Methyl Salicylate
- CAS
- 119-36-8
- EC
- 2043177
Provides analgesic and refreshing effects. Can cause toxicity if absorbed through the skin in high doses; therefore, its use is restricted.
What does it do?
Provides products with a fresh scent and taste, and is used to soothe the skin.
Details
A component naturally found in wintergreen plants; used in creams and oral care products for its analgesic and refreshing effects. It can be absorbed through the skin into the body and may cause salicylate poisoning in high doses. Use is restricted; pregnant women, children, and those with aspirin allergies should be cautious. Listed on labels as Methyl Salicylate.
Benefits
Functions
Restrictions
Where is it found?
Also known as
Function & Use
Perfuming
Soothing
Denaturant
Usage Restrictions
- Leave-on Maximum - 0.06%
leave-on products
- Rinse-off Maximum - 0.06%
rinse-off products
- Use Condition - 100MoS
Margin of Safety — MoS of 100
- Maximum Concentration - 2.52%
SCCS maximum concentration; safe: up to 2.52% (SCCS/1654/23)
Regulatory note
- EU 1223/2009 Annex IIIRestricted
Industry GHS notices (PubChem)
These are industry self-reports to ECHA, not our regulatory assessment.
- H302(97.5%)- Harmful if swallowed
- H314- Causes severe skin burns and eye damage
- H317- May cause an allergic skin reaction
- H318- Causes serious eye damage
- H319(91.1%)- Causes serious eye irritation
- H412- Harmful to aquatic life with long lasting effects
What The Sources Say
CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review)5
Dermal Penetration In Vitro Salicylic Acid and Methyl Salicylate In vitro skin penetration data indicate that Salicylic Acid was percutaneously absorbed through pig, mouse, and rat skin and that Methyl Salicylate was percutaneously absorbed through pig and guinea pig skin.1 Ethylhexyl Salicylate and Salicylic Acid A skin penetration study on Ethylhexyl Salicylate was performed using human female abdominal skin (full- thickness skin obtained at autopsy) in Franz diffusion cells.26 When 14C-Ethylhexyl Salicylate (5% in oil-in-water; target dose = 5 mg/cm2) was applied as a finite dose, the average total absorption of radioisotope over 48 h was 0.65 ± 0.16% of the applied dose. This value represented a total flux of 1.58 ± 0.36 µg/cm2. When applied as a finite dose in a representative hydroalcoholic formulation containing 5% Ethylhexyl Salicylate, the average total absorption of radioisotope over 48 h was 0.59 ± 0.09% of the applied dose. This value represented a total flux of 1.58 ± 0.25 µg/cm2. The penetration of Salicylic Acid was also determined in this study. When 14C-Salicylic Acid (in oil-in-water emulsion) was applied as a finite dose, the average total absorption of radioisotope over 48 h was 1.14 ± 0.23% of the applied dose. This represented a total flux of 1.65 ± 0.39 µg/cm2. The authors noted that the data obtained in this study suggest that the in vitro human skin permeation of Ethylhexyl Salicylate is relatively low. They also noted that, using similar vehicles, the flux of Salicylic Acid was similar to that of Ethylhexyl Salicylate over a 48-h period. Ethylhexyl Salicylate Distributed for Comment Only -- Do Note Cite or Quote The skin penetration of a sunscreen formulation containing Ethylhexyl Salicylate was evaluated using human full- thickness skin (from 3 women) that was mounted in a Franz diffusion cell with a receptor volume of 12.4 ml.27 The … [kırpıldı — bölüm toplam 21448 karakter]
Definition and General Characterization Salicylic Acid (Figure 1), an aromatic monohydroxybenzoic acid (specifically, 2-hydroxybenzoic acid) is a colorless, crystalline organic acid that can be derived from salicin (a β-glucoside in willow bark). The rest of the ingredients in this report (salicylates) are esters or salts of Salicylic Acid (Figure 2). However, there is one exception, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid (Figure 3), wherein the ester is actually the product of caprylic acid and the phenolic hydroxyl group of Salicylic Acid. As such, this compound is chemically more akin to aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) than to the salicylate carboxyl esters. The definitions of the salicylates reviewed in this safety assessment are included in Table 1. Figure 1. Salicylic Acid Figure 2. Salicylates generic structure (wherein R is a salt cation or an alcohol residue), and examples: Calcium Salicylate and Ethylhexyl Salicylate Distributed for Comment Only -- Do Note Cite or Quote Figure 3. Capryloyl Salicylic Acid Chemical and Physical Properties Chemical and physical properties of Salicylic Acid and salicylates (salts and esters) are presented in Table 2.6,7,8,9 Method of Manufacture Amyl Salicylate Amyl Salicylate can be synthesized by heating a mixture of Salicylic Acid, n-amyl alcohol, and concentrated sulfuric acid under a reflux condenser for approximately 4 h.10 After the unreacted alcohol had been removed by distillation at atmospheric pressure, the residue is washed with 10% aqueous potassium carbonate and dissolved in ether, and the ether solution is dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate. The high-boiling material that remains after removal of the ether is fractionated under reduced pressure. The Amyl Salicylate fraction boils at 116 to 121ºC and 1.4 mmHg. According to … [kırpıldı — bölüm toplam 11244 karakter]
Definition and General Characterization Salicylic Acid (Figure 1), an aromatic monohydroxybenzoic acid (specifically, 2-hydroxybenzoic acid) is a colorless, crystalline organic acid that can be derived from salicin (a β-glucoside in willow bark).6 The rest of the ingredients in this report (salicylates) are esters or salts of Salicylic Acid (Figure 2). The definitions of the salicylates reviewed in this safety assessment are included in Table 1. Figure 1. Salicylic Acid Figure 2. Salicylates generic structure (wherein R is a salt cation or an alcohol residue), and examples: Calcium Salicylate and Ethylhexyl Salicylate Chemical and Physical Properties The molecular weight of Salicylic Acid is 138 Da; its corresponding salts have formula weights from 160 to 298 Da. The acid and salts are solids at standard temperature and pressure (STP). The molecular weights are as small as 152 Da, and go up to 390 Da. These esters are liquids at STP and are acidic due to the phenolic hydroxyl group. The chemical and physical properties of Salicylic Acid and salicylates (salts and esters) are presented in Table 2.7,8,9,10,11,12 Method of Manufacture Amyl Salicylate Amyl Salicylate can be synthesized by heating a mixture of Salicylic Acid, n-amyl alcohol, and concentrated sulfuric acid under a reflux condenser for approximately 4 h.13 After the unreacted alcohol has been removed by distillation at atmospheric pressure, the residue is washed with 10% aqueous potassium carbonate and dissolved in ether, and the ether solution is dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate. The high-boiling material that remains after removal of the ether is fractionated under reduced pressure. The Amyl Salicylate fraction boils at 116 to 121ºC and 1.4 mm Hg. According to … [kırpıldı — bölüm toplam 14848 karakter]
Definition and General Characterization Salicylic Acid, a lipophilic mono-β-hydroxybenzoic acid, is a colorless, crystalline organic acid that can be derived from salicin (a β-glucoside in willow bark; similar to aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid); Figure 1). The rest of the ingredients in this report (salicylates) are esters or salts comprising, in part, Salicylic Acid (Figure 2). However, there is one exception, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid (Figure 3), wherein the ester is actually the product of caprylic acid and the hydroxyl group of Salicylic Acid. The definitions of the salicylates that are being reviewed in this safety assessment are included in Table 1. Figure 1. Salicylic Acid Figure 2. Salicylates generic structure (wherein R is a salt cation or an alcohol residue), and examples: Calcium Salicylate and Ethylhexyl Salicylate Figure 3. Capryloyl Salicylic Acid Chemical and Physical Properties Chemical and physical properties of Salicylic Acid and salicylates are presented in Table 2.4,5,6,7 Silver Salicylate Silver Silicylate is a promoter in the classical Koenigs-Knorr reaction for the synthesis of glycosides.8 Distributed for comment only -- do not cite or quote Method of Manufacture Amyl Salicylate According to one method in the literature, the production of primary normal Amyl Salicylate, a mixture of Salicylic Acid, primary normal amyl alcohol, and concentrated sulfuric acid is heated under a reflux condenser for approximately 4 h.9 After the unreacted alcohol had been removed by distillation at atmospheric pressure, the residue is washed with 10% potassium carbonate and dissolved in ether, and the ether solution is dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate. The high-boiling … [kırpıldı — bölüm toplam 7685 karakter]
Butyloctyl Salicylate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Isodecyl Salicylate, Methyl Salicylate, Salicylic Acid, Sodium Salicylate, and Tridecyl Salicylate Studies on the genotoxic potential of Butyloctyl Salicylate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Isodecyl Salicylate, Methyl Salicylate, Salicylic Acid, Sodium Salicylate, and Tridecyl Salicylate are negative, except that Salicylic Acid is positive in a B. subtilis rec assay (negative in seven other bacterial tests and one mammalian test); Methyl Salicylate is positive in S. typhimurium strains TA98, and TA100 with metabolic activation (negative in in 2 other Ames tests); and Sodium Salicylate is positive in an in vivo chromosome aberration study in mice (negative SCE in vivo in mice, and in 4 in vitro test systems).1
ToxValDB (EPA Toxicity Value Database)8
EPA ToxValDB skin/eye data — endpoint: skin sensitisation: in vivo (non-LLNA), classification: Not likely to be sensitizing, species: guinea pig, study: skin sensitization, guideline: equivalent or similar to OECD Guideline 406 (Skin Sensitisation), year: 2001. Caveat: this is an aggregated record; dose, species and route of exposure must be considered together.
EPA ToxValDB skin/eye data — endpoint: eye irritation: in vivo, classification: Studies Indicate No Significant Irritation, species: rabbit, study: eye irritation, guideline: OECD Guideline 405 (Acute Eye Irritation / Corrosion) equivalent or similar to, year: 2001. Caveat: this is an aggregated record; dose, species and route of exposure must be considered together.
EPA ToxValDB skin/eye data — endpoint: skin irritation: in vivo, classification: Moderate or Mild Irritation, species: rabbit, study: skin irritation, guideline: OECD Guideline 404 (Acute Dermal Irritation / Corrosion) according to, year: 1999. Caveat: this is an aggregated record; dose, species and route of exposure must be considered together.
EPA ToxValDB genotoxicity: positive — positive reports: 5, negative: 3, Ames: positive. Caveat: this is an aggregated record; dose, species and route of exposure must be considered together.
EPA ToxValDB skin/eye data — endpoint: skin sensitisation: in vivo (LLNA), classification: Not likely to be sensitizing, species: mouse, study: skin sensitization, guideline: equivalent or similar to OECD Guideline 429 (Skin Sensitisation: Local Lymph Node Assay), year: 1995. Caveat: this is an aggregated record; dose, species and route of exposure must be considered together.
+3 more records.
EPA ToxCast (high-throughput in vitro screening)1
EPA ToxCast ER model: NO estrogen receptor activity found (AUC agonist=0, antagonist=0). Tested in 18 in vitro assays. Caveat: this is an in vitro screening model with no dose or exposure context; it does NOT mean an effect occurs in humans at cosmetic use levels.
Scientific References
- CIR — Amended Safety Assessment ofCosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR), Personal Care Products Council(2018)
- EPA CompTox Chemicals Dashboard — DSSTox identifiers mapped to CAS (2021r1)US EPA, Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure
- EU CosIng — Cosmetic Ingredient Database full exportEuropean Commission, DG GROW
- OpenFDA Cosmetic Adverse Events (api.fda.gov/cosmetic/event)US FDA — unvalidated adverse event reports
- SCCS Opinion SCCS/1654/23 — SCCS Scientific Advice – children exposure on Methyl salicylate (methyl 2-hydroxybenzoate)Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS)(2023)
- SCCS Opinion SCCS/1676/25 — Scientific advice – children’s exposure to Methyl salicylate (methyl 2-hydroxybenzoate) - Revision of SCCS/1654/23Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS)(2025)
- ToxCast ER model — Methyl salicylate (DTXSID5025659)US EPA — ToxCast / CompTox
- ToxValDB — genotoxicityUS EPA — ToxValDB v97
- ToxValDB — skin/eyeUS EPA — ToxValDB v97