In this paper we report the first systematic nonlinear optical study of molecules with octopolar charge distribution. First hyperpolarizabilities were determined by the Hyper-Rayleigh Scattering technique and depolarization of the harmonic scattered light was measured and linked to the symmetry of the scatterers. It is shown experimentally that octopolar molecules have nonlinear optical properties that compare favorably to those of their dipolar counterparts. The hyperpolarizability of octopolar molecules is shown to be solvent independent, in contrast to the hyperpolarizability of dipolar systems.