What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Zinc Oxide 12%
Cosmetic Colorant
Water
Skin ConditioningC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialJojoba Esters
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Propanediol
Solvent
Polyglyceryl-4 Diisostearate/Polyhydroxystearate/Sebacate
Emulsifying
Tridecyl Salicylate
Skin ConditioningNylon-12
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Methylpropanediol
SolventSilica
Abrasive
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCoco-Caprylate
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Oryza Sativa Bran Extract
Skin Conditioning
Stearalkonium Hectorite
Gel FormingLecithin
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Emulsifying
Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate
Emulsifying
Phenylpropane
SolventHelianthus Annuus Extract
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialTetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingZinc Oxide 12%, Water, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Jojoba Esters, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Propanediol, Polyglyceryl-4 Diisostearate/Polyhydroxystearate/Sebacate, Tridecyl Salicylate, Nylon-12, Niacinamide, Methylpropanediol, Silica, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Coco-Caprylate, Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Caprylyl Glycol, Bisabolol, Allantoin, Oryza Sativa Bran Extract, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Lecithin, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Phenylpropane, Helianthus Annuus Extract, Tocopherol, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Sodium Hydroxide
Homosalate
Skin Conditioning
Octocrylene
UV Absorber
Ethylhexyl Salicylate
UV Absorber
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialBHT
Antioxidant
Cetyl Dimethicone
Emollient
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Cocoglycerides
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Parfum
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
PEG-15 Cocamine
EmulsifyingPEG-40 Stearate
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water
Skin ConditioningTriethanolamine
BufferingCera Alba
Emollient
Homosalate, Octocrylene, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, BHT, Cetyl Dimethicone, Chlorphenesin, Cocoglycerides, Disodium EDTA, Tocopheryl Acetate, Parfum, Glycerin, PEG-15 Cocamine, PEG-40 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Water, Triethanolamine, Cera Alba
Reviews
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 BenzoateGlycerin (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 GlycerinWater. 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
