What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Ingredients Side-by-side
Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate 10%
UV Filter
Diethylhexyl Butamido Triazone 3.5%
UV Absorber
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine 5.5%
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexyl Triazone 4%
UV Absorber
Dibutyl Adipate
EmollientUndecane
EmollientDicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientPropylheptyl Caprylate
EmollientDicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialTridecane
Perfuming
Silica Dimethyl Silylate
EmollientTocopherol
Antioxidant
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Dunaliella Salina Extract
Skin ConditioningDiethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate 10%, Diethylhexyl Butamido Triazone 3.5%, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine 5.5%, Ethylhexyl Triazone 4%, Dibutyl Adipate, Undecane, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Propylheptyl Caprylate, Dicaprylyl Ether, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Tridecane, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Tocopherol, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Dunaliella Salina Extract
Zinc Oxide 22%
Cosmetic Colorant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Water
Skin ConditioningC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialDicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientCetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Silica
Abrasive
Glycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Emulsion Stabilising
Ethyl Ferulate
Antioxidant
Triethoxycaprylylsilane
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Polymethyl Methacrylate
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Sodium Chloride
MaskingHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Sodium Citrate
BufferingMelanin
Skin ProtectingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialTocopherol
Antioxidant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningIron Oxides
Zinc Oxide 22%, Dimethicone, Water, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Silica, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Polysorbate 20, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Ethyl Ferulate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Bisabolol, Phenoxyethanol, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Caprylyl Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Sodium Chloride, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Sodium Citrate, Melanin, Pentylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ascorbic Acid, Retinyl Palmitate, Beta-Glucan, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Iron Oxides
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate is a lightweight emollient made by combinig benzoic acid with fatty alcohols that are 12-15 carbons long.
In cosmetics, it plays several roles:
The Cosmetic Review Expert Panel has concluded the alkyl benzoate group to be safe as used in cosmetics; it wasn't found to be a skin irritant and unlikely to be absorbed due to its low water solubility.
This report recorded almost 1000 reported uses with concentrations up to 59% in leave-on products but your cosmetics will typically use 0.5-15% depending on the product.
It's often called a "SPF booster": this is because it keeps UV filters properly dissolved and evenly distributed to support a sunscreen's performance. It doesn't actually raise SPF on its own.
Overall, this ingredient is well tolerated.
This ingredient is fungal acne safe because it is an ester of benzoic acid.
Think of this ingredient as two parts stuck together: an oily part and an acid part. Malassezia only gets a meal when it can snip off a fatty acid to eat. With C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, the acid part is benzoic acid, which isn't a fatty acid and which the yeast can't use as food.
Benzoic acid is actually used as a preservative to stop yeast from growing.
The oily part is a blend of C12-15 fatty alcohols but fatty alcohols in this size range can support only a little Malassezia growth (mostly for one species of Malassezia as well).
In the ingredient, those alcohols stay locked inside the molecule. The yeast can only reach them by snipping the benzoate bond, and that type of bond is harder for it to cut than a normal fatty bond.
So not much gets released. And whatever does get snipped comes packaged with benzoic acid, which discourages yeast growth.
Learn more about C12-15 Alkyl BenzoateDicaprylyl Carbonate comes from carbonic acid and caprylyl alcohol, a fatty alcohol. It is an emollient and gives skin a velvet feel. The sources of Dicaprylyl Carbonate may be synthetic or from animals.
As an emollient, Dicaprylyl Carbonate creates a film on the skin. This film traps moisture in, keeping your skin soft and hydrated.
Tocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about Tocopherol
