What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningEthylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
UV Absorber
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Glycerin
Humectant
Isohexadecane
EmollientSodium Acrylates/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Crosspolymer
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Polydecene
Emollient
Lauryl Glucoside
CleansingHyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Carica Papaya Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCentella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Parfum
Masking
Snail Secretion Filtrate
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTriethanolamine
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Water, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Titanium Dioxide, Glycerin, Isohexadecane, Sodium Acrylates/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Lauryl Glucoside, Hyaluronic Acid, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Niacinamide, Parfum, Snail Secretion Filtrate, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Triethanolamine, Disodium EDTA
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Carica Papaya Fruit Extract comes from the flesh of the papaya. It's a skin conditioning agent that carries a mix of bioactives like papain, beta-carotene, and vitamin C.
These bioactive compounds give it two main talking points:
1. Papain is a proteolytic enzyme that provides mild exfoliation, helping skin look smoother and more even.
2. The carotenoids and vitamin C provide some antioxidant activity.
It's pretty compatible with most ingredients, but just sure to space out enzyme products with strong acids/retinoids to avoid over-doing it.
Maximum reported concentration is around 0.1% and most leave-on products use just 0.05%. If you see higher figures like 5-10%, this is usually the pre-diluted material from raw extract suppliers.
This ingredient has an assuring safety record and there's a lack of clinical case reports of dermatitis from using it.
The only caveat is allergy: patch test if you have a papaya or latex-fruit allergy.
Learn more about Carica Papaya Fruit ExtractHyaluronic acid (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan (basically a long sugar chain) that your skin already makes on its own. In your skin, HA lives in the extracellular matrix and acts as the body's moisture reservoir.
Topically, HA is a humectant that binds water and helps skin look more plump, smooth, and hydrated.
The only catch is that HA isn't a single thing; it actually comes in a wide range of molecular weights (~50 - 2,000+ kDA) and size matters.
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
This is why the best HA serums blend the two sizes together so you get the best of both worlds.
The majority of cosmetic HA is produced by bacterial fermentation, typically using Streptococcus or Bacillus strains. Typical use levels in skincare sit around 0.1-2%.
A clinical study using a 0.2% low-molecular weight HA gel showed improvement in facial seborrheic dermatitis with excellent tolerance.
These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:
Learn more about Hyaluronic AcidNiacinamide is a multitasking form of vitamin B3 that strengthens the skin barrier, reduces pores and dark spots, regulates oil, and improves signs of aging.
And the best part? It's gentle and well-tolerated by most skin types, including sensitive and reactive skin.
You might have heard of "niacin flush", or the reddening of skin that causes itchiness. Niacinamide has not been found to cause this.
In very rare cases, some individuals may not be able to tolerate niacinamide at all or experience an allergic reaction to it.
If you are experiencing flaking, irritation, and dryness with this ingredient, be sure to double check all your products as this ingredient can be found in all categories of skincare.
When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.
When you apply niacinamide to your skin, your body converts it into nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). NAD is an essential coenzyme that is already found in your cells as "fuel" and powers countless biological processes.
In your skin, NAD helps repair cell damage, produce new healthy cells, support collagen production, strengthen the skin barrier, and fight environmental stressors (like UV and pollution).
Our natural NAD levels start to decline with age, leading to slower skin repair, visible aging, and a weaker skin barrier. By providing your skin niacinamide, you're recharging your skin's NAD levels. This leads to stronger, healthier, and younger looking skin.
Another name for vitamin B3 is nicotinamide. This vitamin is water-soluble and our bodies don't store it. We obtain Vitamin B3 from either food or skincare. Meat, fish, wheat, yeast, and leafy greens contain vitamin B3.
The type of niacinamide used in skincare is synthetically created.
Learn more about NiacinamideTitanium Dioxide (TD) is a mineral UV filter widely used in sunscreens and cosmetics.
It's one of only two UV filters officially classified as "mineral" by regulatory agencies (the other being Zinc Oxide).
A really common myth is that mineral filters work by reflecting UV light off your skin like tiny mirrors.
They don't only do that; modern research shows TD protects mostly by absorbing UV radiation, the same way chemical filters do.
When researchers measured this, reflection accounted for only about 4-5% of the protection (and less than SPF 2 on its own). The other ~95% comes from absorption: the UV photons hit the particle and their energy gets soaked up by its semiconductor band gap rather than bouncing off.
So "reflects vs. absorbs" was never really the right way to split mineral from chemical filters.
TD gives broad-spectrum protection that's strongest in the UVB and UVA-2 range and weaker in the UVA-1 range. Its UVA protection isn't quite as strong as Zinc Oxide's which is why you'll often see the two paired together.
Together, they make a solid broad-spectrum system.
TD is a great pick for sensitive, acne-prone, or redness-prone skin because it's non-irritating and chemically inert. Regulatory reviews classify it as a non-sensitizer and mild-to-non-irritant.
It's also unlikely to cause the "eye sting" some chemical filters are known for.
The main trade-off is cosmetic; TD can leave a white cast and has a thicker texture. This is why mineral sunscreens are often less cosmetically elegant than chemical or hybrid formulas (and harder to shade-match on deeper skin tones).
Formulators often use micronized or nano-sized TD to cut down on white case and improve spreadability. Smaller particles scatter less visible light so the formula looks less chalky while still filtering UV.
TD is almost always bundled with coatings like Alumina, Silica, Stearic Acid, or Dimethicone. These coatings do two important jobs:
TD can be used at up to 25% in a finished sunscreen; this is the regulatory ceiling in both the US and the EU.
In practice, the amount in any given product varies a lot depending on the target SPF and whether it's paired with other UV filters.
TD is one of the most heavily vetted sunscreen ingredients out there. It is approved as a UV filter in all major markets worldwide, including the US, EU, UK, Japan, Korea, China, Australia, and Canada.
The safety evidence is solid. There was an old worry that nano particles might absorb through skin into the body but multiple studies (including on damaged, sunburned, and UV-irradiated skin) have shown that TD stays on the surface and the layer of dead skin cells on top of everything else.
There's also no evidence of carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, or reproductive toxicity from dermal exposure of this ingredient.
For those who have seen the headline about a 2022 EU ban on TD, that was on TD as a food additive (a complete separate use from topical sunscreen).
There are ongoing questions about how nano-TD might affect marine ecosystems. As of now, there has been no conclusive evidence that any form of TD (or any other sunscreen filter) harms coral reefs or marine life.
The science is still developing and it's a space worth watching rather than packing over.
However, several destinations have reef-safety sunscreen rules that restrict certain chemical filters and steer visitors toward mineral, non-nano options. If you're traveling somewhere with these rules, a non-nano mineral sunscreen is the safe bet.
Learn more about Titanium Dioxide
