What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Octocrylene
UV Absorber
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingNiacinamide
Smoothing
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
PEG-20 Stearate
Emulsifying
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Artemisia Vulgaris Extract
Skin Conditioning
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Olivate
Anthyllis Vulneraria Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningFarnesol
Perfuming
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Saururus Chinensis Leaf/Root Extract
Antimicrobial
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Quaternium-73
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningArtemisia Vulgaris Oil
Perfuming
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Water, Propylene Glycol, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Octocrylene, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Cetearyl Alcohol, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Niacinamide, Phenoxyethanol, PEG-20 Stearate, Allantoin, Panthenol, Bisabolol, Artemisia Vulgaris Extract, Sorbitan Olivate, Cetearyl Olivate, Anthyllis Vulneraria Flower Extract, Farnesol, Salicylic Acid, Centella Asiatica Extract, Saururus Chinensis Leaf/Root Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Quaternium-73, Ethylhexylglycerin, Artemisia Vulgaris Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
UV Absorber
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningAcrylates Crosspolymer
AbsorbentInulin Lauryl Carbamate
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexyl Triazone
UV Absorber
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Bakuchiol
Antimicrobial
Ectoin
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Octocrylene
UV Absorber
Sodium Surfactin
CleansingQuaternium-73
Water, Glycerin, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Acrylates Crosspolymer, Inulin Lauryl Carbamate, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Chlorphenesin, Bisabolol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Bakuchiol, Ectoin, Phenoxyethanol, Octocrylene, Sodium Surfactin, Quaternium-73
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Bisabolol is a gentle skin conditioner, antioxidant, and soothing ingredient.
It's primary claim to fame is soothing and research shows topically applied bisabolol can quiet the chemical messengers that cause your skin to become inflamed, helping to sooth any irritation.
A clinical study found that applying 0.5% bisabolol daily for 8 weeks produced an average 9% decrease in skin pigmentation. Researchers found it can also suppress the process that leads to excess melanin production in skin.
In vitro studies found that bisabolol combined with propylene glycol significantly increased skin permeability by increasing lipid fluidity in the stratum corneum.
You'll likely see use concentrations quite low, usually 0.1-0.2%.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated ingredient that works well in formulas designed for sensitive, reactive, or post-procedure skin.
Learn more about BisabololAlso known as Avobenzone, this ingredient is an oil-soluble used to absorb the full spectrum of UVA rays (peak 357 nm).
It's one of the most effective UVA filters available but has a major caveat of photostability: avobenzone is susceptible to photodegradation.
This means it can lose efficacy when exposed to sunlight without the help of a stabilizing agent.
Studies show antioxidants (like vitamin E or vitamin C) and some UV filters (like octocrylene and Tinosorb S) can meaningfully improve its stability in a formulation.
The maximum allowable concentration according to regulation is 3% in the US + Canada, and 5% in the EU, Australia, China, Korea, and ASEAN countries.
It has a well-support safety profile: a comprehensive 2025 review found minimal toxicity with no evidence of carcinogenicity.
Overall, avobenzone is a safe and regulated ingredient used in sunscreen for over 40 years.
Learn more about Butyl MethoxydibenzoylmethaneGlycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.
Topically, glycerin does several things at once:
Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.
Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.
This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.
Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinOctocrylene is an oil-soluble organic UV filter that mainly absorbs UVB and short wave UVA II light.
Its real superpower is teamwork: octocrylene is remarkably photostable and is most famous for stabilizing avobenzone (the workhorse UVA filter).
This ingredient is commonly used to enhance both UVB and UVA protection due to its unique property in stabilizing avobenzone. It also pulls double duty by boosting water resistance and giving formulas a smooth, spreadable feel.
The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) has deemed octocrylene to be safe as a UV-filter at concentrations up to 10% (capped at 9% in propellant sprays). The US also permits it up to 10%.
Two things worth knowing:
You'll usually see this ingredient used in concentrations between 2-10% (higher amounts when used as a stabilizer for avobenzone).
Learn more about OctocrylenePhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolWe don't have a description for Quaternium-73 yet.
Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.
So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.
You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Remember to stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water
