To provide an oil-in-water emulsion composition which is not sticky, spreads well on the skin or hair, gives an excellent impression that active ingredients penetrate into the skin or hair, provides moisture and is excellent in temporal stability.

The oil-in-water emulsion composition contains (A) a nonionic surfactant having an HLB of 7-9 (e.g. polyoxyethylene glyceryl trifatty acid esters etc.), (B) an ester oil having an IOB of 0.2-0.6 in an organic conceptual diagram (e.g. tripropylene glycol dineopentanoate, isodecyl benzoate etc.) and (C) ≥0.5 mass% alcohol and, if desired, further contains (D) an acrylamide thickener and (E) a salt-forming drug component.