beauty
cleaning
food
industrial

Methyl salicylate

CAS 68917-50-0 · 70/100 · High conf.

Also registered as 7 other CAS numbers

68917-75-9 · 9041-28-5 · 90045-28-6 · 8022-86-4 · 8024-54-2 · 648434-07-5 · 119-36-8

Concern score

70/100High concern driven by cmr.

High confidence

Methyl salicylate in plain language

What it is: Also known as Wintergreen oil · Birch sweet oil · Synthetic methyl salicylate · Sweet birch oil · Wintergreen · METHYL o-HYDROXYBENZOATE
Show all 44 names
Methyl 2-hydroxybenzoate · Betula lenta bark oil · Gaultheria procumbens (wintergreen) leaf oil · Benzoic acid, 2-HYDROXY-, methyl ester · Betula lenta oil · Birch oil sweet · Birch, sweet, oil · Black birch oil · Checkerberry leaf oil · Cherry birch bark oil · Eastern teaberry leaf oil · Wintergreen flavor · Gaultheria oil · Gaultheria procumbens leaf oil · Mountain-tea leaf oil · O-hydroxybenzoic acid methyl ester · Sweet birch bark oil · Teaberry leaf oil · Wintergreen leaf oil · 2-(Methoxycarbonyl)phenol · 2-Carbomethoxyphenol · 2-Hydroxybenzoic acid methyl ester · Analgit · Anthrapole ND · Betula · Exagien · Flucarmit · Gaultheriaoel · Metylester kyseliny salicylove · PredaLure · methyl ester Salicylic acid · Wintergruenoel · methyl salicylate (oil of wintergreen) · methyl salicylate. vp: n/a. · methyl salycilate · methylis salicylas · methylsalicylate · Salonpas component methyl salicylate
What it does: Used in cosmetics as a flavouring, an oral-care ingredient and a soothing agent. Methyl Salicylate is the ester of methyl alcohol and salicylic acid.
Flavouring
Oral care
Soothing
Perfuming
Denaturant
Flavouring agent
Is it a concern?: High concern: classified for carcinogenic, mutagenic or reproductive toxicity (CMR). It is restricted in EU cosmetics.

Why it's flagged

Methyl 2-hydroxybenzoate is restricted in cosmetic products under Annex III of the EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009.

RestrictedEU EC — restricted

The score describes this ingredient's chemical identity — its hazard profile from published classifications and regulatory status — not the safety of any product it appears in.

Regulation

Restrictions first, then routine listings from published regulatory sources.

In marketed US drugs
EU Annex III — restricted
EU restricted in cosmetics
Inactive ingredient in US drugs

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Beauty
Cleaning
Pharma
Food
Industrial

EUEC
Annex III of EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009: substances which cosmetic products must not contain except subject to the restrictions laid down. Product types: (a) Leave-on skin products (except face makeup, spray/aerosol body lotion, spray/aerosol deodorant and hydroalcoholic-based fragrances) and leave on hair products (except spray/aerosol products) (b) Face makeup (except lip products, eye makeup and makeup remover) (c) Eye makeup and makeup remover (d) Leave-on hair products (spray/aerosol) (e) Deodorant spray/aerosol (f) Body lotion spray/aerosol… Maximum concentration: (a) 0,06 % (b) 0,05 % (c) 0,002 % (d) 0,009 % (e) 0,003 % (f) 0,04 % (g) 0,06 % (h) 0,6 % (i) 0,6 % (j) 0,03 % (k) 2,52 % (l) 0,1 % (m) 0,6 % (n) 0,65 % Other conditions: Not to be used in preparations for children under 6 years of age, with the exception of (k) “Toothpaste”. The presence of the substance shall be indicated in the list of ingredients referred to in Article 19(1), point (g), when its concentration exceeds: — 0,001 % in leave-on products — 0,01 % in rinse-off products. CMR: Reprotoxic Cat. 2()
restricted
View source →

USFDAinactive ingredient database8 entries — 4 administration routes
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: TABLET; Potency: 10 mgSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: GEL; Potency: 0.05 %w/wSource →
- Route: TOPICAL; Dosage form: POWDER; Potency: NASource →
- Route: VAGINAL; Dosage form: DOUCHE; Potency: 0.05 %w/wSource →
- Route: DENTAL; Dosage form: POWDER, DENTIFRICE; Potency: NASource →
- Route: DENTAL; Dosage form: PASTE, DENTIFRICE; Potency: 1.1 %w/wSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: LOZENGE; Maximum daily exposure: 53 mgSource →
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: CAPSULE; Potency: 16 mgSource →
EUCosIngActive2 entries
- Cosmetics Regulation annex III / ref 324.Source →
- Methyl Salicylate is the ester of methyl alcohol and salicylic acid. It conforms to the formula: Restriction: III/324Source →
EUEFSAEFSA opinion2 entries
- Scientific Opinion on the safety and efficacy of benzyl alcohols, aldehydes, acids, esters and acetals (chemical group 23) when used as flavourings for all animal species (EFSA FEEDAP)Source →
- Flavouring Group Evaluation 52 (FGE.52): Consideration of hydroxy- and alkoxy substituted benzyl derivatives evaluated by JECFA (57th meeting) structurally related to benzyl alcohols, benzaldehydes, a related acetal, benzoic acids, and related esters evaluated by EFSA in FGE.20 (2005) (Commission Regulation (EC) No 1565/2000 of 18 July 2000) (EFSA AFC)Source →
GLOBALJECFAEvaluatedJECFA evaluation record.
- JECFA evaluation record.Source →
GLOBALJECFA0-0.5 mg/kg bw (1967)JECFA evaluation lists ADI 0-0.5 mg/kg bw (1967). Functional class: flavouring agent.
- JECFA evaluation lists ADI 0-0.5 mg/kg bw (1967). Functional class: flavouring agent.Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 325 composition records across product categories including Personal care, Laboratory supplies, Industrial products. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Fragrance, Flavouring and nutrient, Humectant.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 325 composition records across product categories including Personal care, Laboratory supplies, Industrial products. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Fragrance, Flavouring and nutrient, Humectant.Source →
USFDAmarketed drug occurrenceFDA NDC lists this ingredient in 524 active drug products and 539 total products.
- FDA NDC lists this ingredient in 524 active drug products and 539 total products.Source →
USFDAlisted in openFDA substanceopenFDA substance registry classifies this ingredient as chemical.
- openFDA substance registry classifies this ingredient as chemical.Source →

Expert safety opinions

Independent scientific assessments cited by the records we hold, with the year and link where the record gives one.

SCCS
EU Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety
No SCCS opinion on file.
CIR
Cosmetic Ingredient Review (US expert panel)
No CIR safety assessment on file.
EFSA
European Food Safety Authority
- Scientific Opinion on the safety and efficacy of benzyl alcohols, aldehydes, acids, esters and acetals (chemical group 23) when used as flavourings for all animal species (EFSA FEEDAP)
  2012 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →
- Flavouring Group Evaluation 52 (FGE.52): Consideration of hydroxy- and alkoxy substituted benzyl derivatives evaluated by JECFA (57th meeting) structurally related to benzyl alcohols, benzaldehydes, a related acetal, benzoic acids, and related esters evaluated by EFSA in FGE.20 (2005) (Commission Regulation (EC) No 1565/2000 of 18 July 2000) (EFSA AFC)
  2008 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →
JECFA
Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives
- JECFA evaluation record.
  Year not recorded · GLOBAL JECFA listing · Read the source →
- JECFA evaluation lists ADI 0-0.5 mg/kg bw (1967). Functional class: flavouring agent.
  Year not recorded · GLOBAL JECFA listing · Read the source →

Evidence & sources

No graded research studies for Methyl salicylate yet. This record is compiled from the published data sources below — registries and regulatory listings, not study findings.

11 data sources

Where this comes from

CosIng
regulatory · updated 2026-09-23
Open →
EU CosIng Cosmetics Regulation Annexes
regulatory · updated 2023-09-11
Open →
EFSA OpenFoodTox
regulatory · updated 2026-10-04
Open →
EPA Chemical and Products Database
exposure · updated september 6, 2017
Open →
EPA DSSTox Identifiers
chemistry · updated 2025-12-29
Open →
FDA Inactive Ingredient Database
regulatory · updated 2026-01-09
Open →
FDA National Drug Code Directory
regulatory · updated 2029-11-22
Open →
FDA GSRS UNII
registry · updated 2026-02-26
Open →
WHO JECFA Database
regulatory · updated 2026-10-04
Open →
openFDA Substance
registry · updated 2026-05-24
Open →
PubChem Live Enrichment
chemistry · updated 2026-05-17
Open →

Suitability

Context-specific fit derived from published classifications and the current ingredient evidence profile.

Food use

Food-use source coverage is present in the current record.

Good fit

The ingredient appears in food-oriented source coverage or allowed-use references, which makes food use easier to support than a context with no domain signal at all.

Fragrance avoidance

Not a strong fit for fragrance avoidance because it carries Fragrance.

Avoid

The ingredient itself is a fragrance-linked signal, so it is better treated as an avoid case when fragrance exposure is the main concern.

Where it has been recorded

How often FDA National Drug Code directory has listed Methyl salicylate in a product composition. These are source records, not Greenveil catalog products.

Source records

539

Typical roles

FlavouringOral careSoothingPerfumingDenaturantFlavouring agent

See products using Methyl salicylate →

Catalog

Found in these products

Their ingredient lists include Methyl salicylate; each product's own rating depends on its whole formula, so it is shown on the product page, not here.

See all 118 →Find products without it →