beauty
cleaning
food
industrial

Hexyl salicylate

CAS 6259-76-3 · 70/100 · High conf.

Concern score

70/100High concern based on regulatory listings.

High confidence

Hexyl salicylate in plain language

What it is: Also known as Hexyl 2-hydroxybenzoate · Benzoic acid, 2-HYDROXY-, hexyl ester · N-hexyl salicylate · N-hexyl ester salicyl acid · 1-Hexyl salicylate · 2-Hydroxybenzoic acid hexyl ester
Show all 18 names
Benzoic Acid, 2-hydroxy-, 2-hexyl ester · Benzoic acid, 2-hydroxy-, hexyl ester · Benzoic acid, hydroxy-, hexyl ester · Ec 228-408-6 · Hexyl 2-hydroxybenzoic acid · Hexyl salicylate, >98% · Hexyl salicylic acid · hexyl ester Salicylic acid · UNII-8F78EY72YL · hexylsalicylat · n-Hexyl-o-hydroxybenzoate · n-Hexylsalicylic acid
What it does: Used in cosmetics as a fragrance ingredient.
Perfuming
Fragrance
Flavouring
Deodorant
Is it a concern?: High concern: no hazard classifications on record. It is restricted in EU cosmetics.

Why it's flagged

Hexyl 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.

EU Annex III — restricted
EU restricted in cosmetics

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Beauty
Cleaning
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) Hydroalcoholic-based fragrances (except hydroalcoholic-based fragrances intended for children below 3 years of age) (b) All rinse-off products (except shower gel/bath products, hand wash, hair conditioner and shampoo intended for children below 3 years of age) (c) All leave-on products (except hair conditioner, body lotion, face cream, hand cream, lipstick/lip balm and fragrance products… Maximum concentration: (a) 2 % (b) 0,5 % (c) 0,3 % (d) 0,001 % (e) 0,001 % (f) 0,1 % Other conditions: Not to be used in preparations for children under 3 years of age, with the exception of (d) “Toothpaste” and (f).
restricted
View source →

EUEFSAEFSA opinion6 entries
- Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in contact with Food (AFC) on a request from the Commission related to Flavouring Group Evaluation 20: Benzyl alcohols, benzaldehydes, a related acetal, benzoic acids, and related esters from chemical group 23 (Commission Regulation (EC) No 1565/2000 of 18 July 2000) (EFSA AFC)Source →
- Scientific Opinion on Flavouring Group Evaluation 20, Revision 2 (FGE.20Rev2): Benzyl alcohols, benzaldehydes, a related acetal, benzoic acids, and related esters from chemical groups 23 and 30 (EFSA CEF)Source →
- Flavouring Group Evaluation 20, Revision 1 (FGE.20Rev1): Benzyl alcohols, benzaldehydes, a related acetal, benzoic acids and related esters from chemical group 23 Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in Contact with Food (AFC) (EFSA AFC)Source →
- Scientific Opinion on Flavouring Group Evaluation 20, Revision 4 (FGE.20Rev4): Benzyl alcohols, benzaldehydes, a related acetal, benzoic acids, and related esters from chemical groups 23 and 30 (EFSA CEF)Source →
- 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 →
- Scientific Opinion on Flavouring Group Evaluation 20, Revision 3 (FGE.20Rev3): Benzyl alcohols, benzaldehydes, a related acetal, benzoic acids, and related esters from chemical groups 23 and 30 (EFSA CEF)Source →
EUCosIngActive2 entries
- Hexyl Salicylate is the organic compound that conforms to the formula:Source →
- Cosmetics Regulation annex III / ref 380.Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 200 composition records across product categories including Cleaning products and household care, Personal care, Cleaning and safety. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Fragrance, Deodorizer, Flavouring and nutrient.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 200 composition records across product categories including Cleaning products and household care, Personal care, Cleaning and safety. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Fragrance, Deodorizer, Flavouring and nutrient.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
- Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in contact with Food (AFC) on a request from the Commission related to Flavouring Group Evaluation 20: Benzyl alcohols, benzaldehydes, a related acetal, benzoic acids, and related esters from chemical group 23 (Commission Regulation (EC) No 1565/2000 of 18 July 2000) (EFSA AFC)
  2006 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →
- Scientific Opinion on Flavouring Group Evaluation 20, Revision 2 (FGE.20Rev2): Benzyl alcohols, benzaldehydes, a related acetal, benzoic acids, and related esters from chemical groups 23 and 30 (EFSA CEF)
  2010 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →
- Flavouring Group Evaluation 20, Revision 1 (FGE.20Rev1): Benzyl alcohols, benzaldehydes, a related acetal, benzoic acids and related esters from chemical group 23 Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in Contact with Food (AFC) (EFSA AFC)
  2009 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →
- Scientific Opinion on Flavouring Group Evaluation 20, Revision 4 (FGE.20Rev4): Benzyl alcohols, benzaldehydes, a related acetal, benzoic acids, and related esters from chemical groups 23 and 30 (EFSA CEF)
  2012 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →
- 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 →
- Scientific Opinion on Flavouring Group Evaluation 20, Revision 3 (FGE.20Rev3): Benzyl alcohols, benzaldehydes, a related acetal, benzoic acids, and related esters from chemical groups 23 and 30 (EFSA CEF)
  2011 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →

Evidence & sources

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

8 data sources

Where this comes from

CosIng
regulatory · updated 2026-09-23
Open →
EU CosIng Cosmetics Regulation Annexes
regulatory · updated 2026-01-15
Open →
EFSA OpenFoodTox
regulatory · updated 2026-10-04
Open →
EPA Chemical and Products Database
exposure · updated february 19, 2015
Open →
EPA DSSTox Identifiers
chemistry · updated 2025-12-29
Open →
FDA GSRS UNII
registry · updated 2026-02-26
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 EPA CPDat has listed Hexyl salicylate in a product composition. These are source records, not Greenveil catalog products.

Source records

200

Named organisations

Cleaning products and household carePersonal careCleaning and safetyVehiclePesticides

Typical roles

PerfumingFragranceFlavouringDeodorant

See products using Hexyl salicylate →

Catalog

Found in these products

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

See all 19 →Find products without it →