What is "HOMOSALATE" and what does it do?

Role: Organic UV filter

Family: HOMOSALATE,UV filter Old UVB

Comedogenic index: 0

Homosalate is an oil-soluble organic sunscreen used to protect the skin from UVB rays (295-315 nm), with peak protection at 306 nm.
It's an older, unstable sunscreen dating from 1978 (part of the reason why sunscreens need to be reapplied frequently is the instability of older chemical sunscreens).
As such, homosalate is not a powerful UV filter (it only offers SPF protection of 4.3 at a maximum permitted concentration of 10 %) and is not photostable (it loses 10 % of its SPF protection in 45 minutes), so it must always be combined with other sunscreens for adequate protection.
Homosalate also acts as a solvent for UV filters that are more difficult to dissolve, such as the well-known avobenzone.

As far as homosalate's safety profile is concerned, the news is not the best. In vitro (laboratory) studies have shown that it may have some estrogenic activity.
However, if you're the type to err on the side of caution, be careful when using homosalate-containing sunscreens on a long-term, full-body basis.

Homosalate is authorized for use up to 10 % in the European Union and 15 % in the United States, but the EU is currently considering limiting it to just 1.4 %.

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