bareMinerals Original Liquid Foundation SPF 20 Versus bareMinerals Original Pure Serum Radiant Natural Liquid Foundation Mineral SPF 20
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Titanium Dioxide 2.49%
Cosmetic Colorant
Water
Skin ConditioningEthylhexyl Olivate
Skin Conditioning
Amylopectin
Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Emulsifying
Propanediol
Solvent
Dipeptide-15
Skin Conditioning
Squalane
Emollient
Sea Salt
Abrasive
Disteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingOpuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Lauroyl Lysine
Skin Conditioning
Magnesium Stearate
Cosmetic ColorantAluminum Hydroxide
EmollientStearic Acid
Cleansing
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingTrisodium EDTA
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Iron Oxides
Titanium Dioxide 2.49%, Water, Ethylhexyl Olivate, Amylopectin, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Propanediol, Dipeptide-15, Squalane, Sea Salt, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract, Glycerin, Lauroyl Lysine, Magnesium Stearate, Aluminum Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Trisodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Iron Oxides
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Coconut Alkanes
Emollient
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantSilica
Abrasive
Stearalkonium Hectorite
Gel FormingCoco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Lecithin
Emollient
Jojoba Esters
Emollient
Propylene Carbonate
SolventPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningMagnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Nymphaea Alba Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantIron Oxides
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Coconut Alkanes, Mica, Silica, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Glycerin, Lecithin, Jojoba Esters, Propylene Carbonate, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Butylene Glycol, Water, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Nymphaea Alba Flower Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, 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.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol 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 PhenoxyethanolWater. 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 WaterThis 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
