The invention relates to an optical element, an optical system and an image pickup apparatus. The optical element includes a plurality of substrates, an adhesive configured to adhere the plurality ofsubstrates to each other, and an antireflection film provided to at least one of an incident surface and an exit surface of the optical element. The antireflection film includes a first layer including alcohol having at least one of an ether bond and an ester bond in a branched structure with 4 to 7 carbon atoms. A content of the alcohol in the first layer is 0.5 mg/cm<3> to 5.0 mg/cm<3>. The first layer has a refractive index of 1.1 to 1.3 for light with a wavelength of 550 nm.