Methyl Salicylate (Wintergreen): Uses and Safety

Methyl salicylate is the methyl ester of salicylic acid. It's the main component of wintergreen oil, known in India as gandhapura oil (गंधपुरा तेल). Most methyl salicylate in trade today is made synthetically. Its smell is the sharp, minty-sweet one you recognise from many balms and rubs.

• Formula: C8H8O3
• CAS number: 119-36-8
• Molar mass: about 152.1 g/mol
• Appearance: colourless to pale yellow oily liquid
• Boiling point: about 222 °C
• Density: about 1.18 g/mL, so it sinks in water
• Solubility: only slightly soluble in water; mixes with alcohol and oils

Azlok lists methyl salicylate under cosmetic raw ingredients, for fragrance, balm and personal care formulation. It isn't sold as food or pharmacopoeia grade. The listing name doesn't give a pack size, so check the product page. Compare today's price per kg.

• Balms, rubs and personal care: gives the familiar wintergreen smell and cooling-warm feel to balms and rubs, and is used in some soaps and hair oils.
• Fragrance: a minty, sweet note in fragrance blends for soaps, detergents, cleaners and air fresheners, usually in small amounts.
• Flavour (food or pharma grade only): wintergreen flavour in toothpaste, mouthwash, chewing gum and sweets.
• Lab: a clearing agent in microscopy that makes some tissue samples transparent.

• Methyl salicylate is very strong. Formulators add it in small measured amounts by weight, not by drops or spoons.
• Dissolve it in the oil or alcohol phase. It won't mix into water without a solubiliser.
• For fragrance blends, check current IFRA standards for the product type. Rules differ for leave-on, rinse-off and household products.
• Use levels in balms and other cosmetics are set by product regulations. Check the rules that apply to your product category before selling it. Finished cosmetics sold in India must meet CDSCO and BIS requirements.
• Patch test finished skin products on the inner arm before regular use. Don't use them on broken skin.

• Never swallow it. Methyl salicylate is highly toxic by mouth. Even a teaspoon can seriously harm or kill a small child. If anyone swallows it, get medical help immediately.
• Its sweet smell attracts children. Store it locked away, in a bottle with a child-resistant cap if possible, and never in food or drink bottles.
• Neat liquid can irritate skin and eyes. Wear gloves and safety glasses when handling it.
• Work in a ventilated area. The vapour is strong.
• Store in a tightly closed glass or aluminium bottle, filled close to the top, in a cool, dark place.
• Keep away from heat, flames and strong oxidisers.
• Keep out of reach of children, and label decants clearly.
• Absorb small spills with paper or sand and dispose of them with solid waste. Don't pour neat material down the drain.

For balms, soaps, fragrance blends and cleaning products, the cosmetic raw ingredient listing is suitable. Don't use it as a flavour in anything people eat or put in the mouth, since that needs food or pharma grade material with the right certificates.

Buy only what you'll use in a few months, as the smaller pack is easier to store safely. Balm and fragrance makers needing 25 kg or more can ask for a quote through bulk inquiry.