Ingredient glossary / UV filter
Octinoxate (ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate)
On the label: Octinoxate · UV filter
What it is
A chemical UVB filter; restricted in Hawaii alongside oxybenzone.
UV filters: UV filters absorb or scatter ultraviolet light; the working part of a sunscreen. In the US they are regulated as over-the-counter drugs.
Wikidata: Chemical compound. Q739648 →
In the research
54 PubMed papers mention it with skin, cosmetics or hair; the three most recent:
- Multi-matrix assessment of organic UV-filters in a major freshwater recreational ecosystem in Central Europe: Spatio-temporal distribution and environmental risk assessment · Water research, 2026
- Sunscreens · , 2006
- Occurrence of twelve UV filters and evidence of cis-octinoxate formation in Adriatic coastal waters: Environmental implications · Marine pollution bulletin, 2026
A paper is a paper, not a verdict: titles are listed so you can read them, and a study on cells or mice says little about a cream on a face.
Other uv filters
Dew & Balm describes ingredients from the public record and makes no claim about what a product will do for you. Statements about dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA. If a product causes a reaction, stop using it; a reaction that spreads or affects breathing is a call to a doctor or 911.