What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantOctyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate
Emollient
Silica
Abrasive
Boron Nitride
Absorbent
Lauroyl Lysine
Skin Conditioning
Magnesium Myristate
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Bis-Stearyl Dimethicone
Emollient
Water
Skin ConditioningErythrulose
TanningPalmitoyl Isoleucine
Skin ProtectingIsochrysis Galbana Extract
Skin ConditioningPolyglyceryl-2 Triisostearate
Emulsifying
Ptfe
Polyethylene
Abrasive
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Iron Oxides
CI 77163
Cosmetic Colorant
Mica, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Silica, Boron Nitride, Lauroyl Lysine, Magnesium Myristate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Bis-Stearyl Dimethicone, Water, Erythrulose, Palmitoyl Isoleucine, Isochrysis Galbana Extract, Polyglyceryl-2 Triisostearate, Ptfe, Polyethylene, Phenoxyethanol, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, CI 77163
Dimethicone
Emollient
Triethylhexanoin
MaskingCeresin
Emulsion StabilisingPolymethylsilsesquioxane
Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Emulsion Stabilising
Trimethylsiloxysilicate
Emollient
Polyethylene
Abrasive
Dimethicone/Polyglycerin-3 Crosspolymer
Cleansing
Silica
Abrasive
Mica
Cosmetic Colorant7-Dehydrocholesterol
Emulsion StabilisingC10-18 Triglycerides
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Triolein
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Dioleate
Emollient
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantSodium Citrate
BufferingTocopherol
Antioxidant
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantIron Oxides
Dimethicone, Triethylhexanoin, Ceresin, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Polyethylene, Dimethicone/Polyglycerin-3 Crosspolymer, Silica, Mica, 7-Dehydrocholesterol, C10-18 Triglycerides, Sodium Hyaluronate, Triolein, Glyceryl Dioleate, Dipropylene Glycol, Sodium Citrate, Tocopherol, CI 77891, 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.
Mica is a naturally occurring mineral used to add shimmer and color in cosmetics. It can also help improve the texture of a product or give it an opaque, white/silver color.
Serecite is the name for very fine but ragged grains of mica.
This ingredient is often coated with metal oxides like titanium dioxide. Trace amounts of heavy metals may be found in mica, but these metals are not harmful in our personal products.
Mica has been used since prehistoric times throughout the world. Ancient Egyptian, Indian, Greek, Roman, Aztec, and Chinese civilizations have used mica.
Learn more about MicaPolyethylene is a synthetic ingredient that helps the skin retain moisture. It is a polymer.
It is also typically used within product formulations to help bind solid ingredients together and thicken oil-based ingredients. When added to balms and emulsions, it helps increase the melting point temperature.
Silica, also known as silicon dioxide, is a naturally occurring mineral. It is used as a fine, spherical, and porous powder in cosmetics.
Though it has exfoliant properties, the function of silica varies depending on the product.
The unique structure of silica enhances the spreadability and adds smoothness, making it a great texture enhancer.
It is also used as an active carrier, emulsifier, and mattifier due to its ability to absorb excess oil.
In some products, tiny microneedles called spicules are made from silica or hydrolyzed sponge. When you rub them in, they lightly polish away dead skin layers and enhance the penetration of active ingredients.
Learn more about SilicaThis ingredient is a combination of red, black, and yellow iron oxide pigments. This combination of colors is usually found in foundation, because it results in a "skin" color.
The EU typically uses CI numbers for colorants when applicable, such as CI 77489. In the US, iron oxides are regulated as color additives and "iron oxides" is the most commonly used name in US cosmetic practice.
A 2021 paper looked at skincare formulations containing iron oxides and found that they reduced transmission of blue light when measured optically. In simple terms, the pigment particles helped block or scatter part of the visible light spectrum in lab testing and the authors suggest this could translate into better protection against blue-light-related skin effects.
There is also clinical and experimental research showing that tinted products containing iron oxides can reduce visible light-induced pigmentation:
Please note, whether a product reduces visible or blue light depends on things like:
In the EU's CosIng database, iron oxides are only listed as a colorant. CosIng groups ingredients by their main cosmetic role, such as colorant, preservative, or UV filter.
Though studies say iron oxides can "attenuate blue light", they're describing an optical property and not an officially recognized cosmetic function.
So CosIng isn’t contradicting the research. It’s just classifying iron oxides by what they officially are: pigments that add color.
Learn more about Iron Oxides
