Banana Boat Aqua Sensitive Skin UV Protection Suncreen Lotion SPF50+ PA++++ Versus Skin Aqua Sunplay UV Perfect Mild Milk SPF 50+ PA+++
This chemical sunscreen covers most of the UV range, lighter on the deep UVA that drives aging.
This chemical sunscreen covers the full UV range and blocks ~98% of UVB at SPF 50.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningHomosalate
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Ethylhexyl Salicylate
UV Absorber
Octocrylene
UV Absorber
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Isostearic Acid
Cleansing
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningEthylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
UV Absorber
Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid
UV Absorber
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Octocrylene
UV Absorber
Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate
UV Filter
Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol
UV Filter
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
EmollientEthylhexyl Triazone
UV Absorber
Silica
Abrasive
Arachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingBehenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingArachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Acrylates/Dimethicone Copolymer
Skin Conditioning
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Diethylhexyl Butamido Triazone
UV Absorber
Sodium Citrate
BufferingDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Cellulose
Absorbent
Hectorite
AbsorbentTremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide
Emulsion Stabilising
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
BHT
Antioxidant
Brassica Campestris Sterols
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Carnosine
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Ectoin
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Betaine
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Glycerin
Humectant
Trehalose
Humectant
Urea
Buffering
Theobroma Cacao Seed Extract
Antioxidant
Hydrolyzed Algin
Polyquaternium-51
Skin Conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Serine
Masking
Algin
Masking
Disodium Phosphate
BufferingGlyceryl Polyacrylate
Pullulan
Potassium Phosphate
BufferingWater, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid, Cyclopentasiloxane, Octocrylene, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol, Propylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Silica, Arachidyl Alcohol, Sodium Hydroxide, Behenyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 60, Xanthan Gum, Arachidyl Glucoside, Phenoxyethanol, Acrylates/Dimethicone Copolymer, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Diethylhexyl Butamido Triazone, Sodium Citrate, Decyl Glucoside, Caprylyl Glycol, Cellulose, Hectorite, Tremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA, BHT, Brassica Campestris Sterols, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Carnosine, Citric Acid, Ectoin, Panthenol, Butylene Glycol, Allantoin, Betaine, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycerin, Trehalose, Urea, Theobroma Cacao Seed Extract, Hydrolyzed Algin, Polyquaternium-51, Pentylene Glycol, Serine, Algin, Disodium Phosphate, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, Pullulan, Potassium Phosphate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolGlycerin (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 OctocrylenePentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:
Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.
On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.
Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolPhenoxyethanol 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 PhenoxyethanolSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateWater. 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
