Pet Safety / Compounds / Methyl salicylate (wintergreen oil)

Is Methyl salicylate (wintergreen oil) safe for dogs and cats?

High risk for pets

Dogs are more sensitive to salicylates than humans; topical muscle rub ingestion is a common veterinary emergency

What is methyl salicylate (wintergreen oil)?

The IUPAC name is methyl 2-hydroxybenzoate.

Also known as: methyl 2-hydroxybenzoate, methyl salicylate, Analgit, Flucarmit.

IUPAC name
methyl 2-hydroxybenzoate
CAS number
119-36-8
Molecular formula
C8H8O3
Molecular weight
152.15 g/mol
SMILES
COC(=O)C1=CC=CC=C1O
PubChem CID
4133

Risk for dogs

High risk

Dogs are more sensitive to salicylates than humans; topical muscle rub ingestion is a common veterinary emergency

Regulatory consensus

1 regulatory bodyhas classified Methyl salicylate (wintergreen oil).

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
Regulatory Framework—Regulated under food safety frameworks (FDA GRAS, EU food additive regulations)

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where pets encounter methyl salicylate (wintergreen oil)

  • Personal Care — toothpaste, mouthwash, lip balm
  • Consumer Products — muscle rubs, topical analgesics, heating pads
  • Food — candy, chewing gum, mint flavoring

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Methyl salicylate (wintergreen oil):

  • Natural preservatives; Clean-label ingredients; Minimally processed food
    Trade-offs: Consumer label appeal ('clean label'); variable efficacy depending on food matrix and target pathogen; may alter flavor/color; regulatory status varies by jurisdiction; often more expensive per unit of preservation effect.
    Relative cost: 2-5× conventional

Frequently asked questions

Is methyl salicylate (wintergreen oil) safe for pets?

Dogs are more sensitive to salicylates than humans; topical muscle rub ingestion is a common veterinary emergency

What products contain methyl salicylate (wintergreen oil)?

Methyl salicylate (wintergreen oil) appears in: toothpaste (Personal care); mouthwash (Personal care); muscle rubs (Consumer products); topical analgesics (Consumer products); candy (Food).

See Methyl salicylate (wintergreen oil) in the pets app

Look up products containing methyl salicylate (wintergreen oil), compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in pets View raw API data

Sources (1)
  1. PubChem Compound Database (2026) — database

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →