What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientDiethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate
UV Filter
Glycerin
Humectant
Ethylhexyl Triazone
UV Absorber
Phenylene Bis-Diphenyltriazine
Stabilising
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingStearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Vp/Eicosene Copolymer
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Glyceryl Behenate
Emollient
Glyceryl Dibehenate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Polyacrylate-13
Polyisobutene
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
PPG-1-PEG-9 Lauryl Glycol Ether
EmulsifyingCI 17200
Cosmetic ColorantSorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Glucoside
EmollientTribehenin
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingWater, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Glycerin, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Phenylene Bis-Diphenyltriazine, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Stearyl Alcohol, Vp/Eicosene Copolymer, Benzoic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Glyceryl Behenate, Glyceryl Dibehenate, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Polysorbate 20, PPG-1-PEG-9 Lauryl Glycol Ether, CI 17200, Sorbitan Isostearate, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Glucoside, Tribehenin, Xanthan Gum
Water
Skin ConditioningAlcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Octocrylene
UV Absorber
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialButyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Dibutyl Adipate
EmollientBis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Tromethamine
BufferingCyclohexasiloxane
Emollient
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol
UV Filter
Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid
UV Absorber
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Parfum
Masking
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Laureth-7
EmulsifyingBHT
Antioxidant
Polyacrylamide
Water, Alcohol Denat., Octocrylene, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Dibutyl Adipate, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Cyclopentasiloxane, Tromethamine, Cyclohexasiloxane, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol, Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid, Panthenol, Carbomer, Propylene Glycol, Tocopheryl Acetate, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Parfum, Decyl Glucoside, Phenoxyethanol, Xanthan Gum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Disodium EDTA, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Laureth-7, BHT, Polyacrylamide
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
This ingredient is better known as bemotrizinol or Tinosorb S and is one of the best broad-spectrum UV filters in modern sunscreen.
It works by absorbing UV light across a whole range (280-400 nm) with peaks around 310 nm (UVB) and 340-345 nm (UVA). This means it covers UVB plus the deeper UVA wavelengths that drive photoaging and pigmentation.
Another pro?
It's exceptionally photostable, barely degrades in sunlight, and acts as a "bodyguard" for less stable filters.
That's why you'll see it paired with avobenzone or octinoxate; this team up ensures they keep working through sun exposure.
Safety reviews have been reassuring across the board. This ingredient shows low absorption through the skin, rarely irritates, and lab studies found it doesn't act like a hormone in the body (a concern that's been raised about some older sunscreen filters).
On maximum concentrations:
In 2026, the US F.D.A finally added it as an OTC sunscreen ingredient at concentrations up to 6% for adults / children 6 months and older
Learn more about Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl TriazineC12-15 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 BenzoateWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
