bareMinerals Original Liquid Foundation SPF 20 Versus Physician's Formula Organic Wear Silk Foundation Elixir
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
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
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Water
MaskingOlive Oil Decyl Esters
C9-12 Alkane
SolventTapioca Starch
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate
Emulsifying
Water
Skin ConditioningLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Squalene
Emollient
Lauroyl Lysine
Skin Conditioning
Lecithin
Emollient
Sodium Myristoyl Glutamate
CleansingHydroxyapatite
Abrasive
Hectorite
AbsorbentSodium Chloride
MaskingPolyglyceryl-2 Isostearate
Emulsifying
Disteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingLeuconostoc Ferment Filtrate
AntimicrobialCI 77220
Cosmetic ColorantTocopherol
Antioxidant
Glycerin
Humectant
Cassia Angustifolia Seed Polysaccharide
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Collagen
Moisturising
Cereus Grandiflorus Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningIron Oxides
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Water, Olive Oil Decyl Esters, C9-12 Alkane, Tapioca Starch, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate, Water, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Squalene, Lauroyl Lysine, Lecithin, Sodium Myristoyl Glutamate, Hydroxyapatite, Hectorite, Sodium Chloride, Polyglyceryl-2 Isostearate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Leuconostoc Ferment Filtrate, CI 77220, Tocopherol, Glycerin, Cassia Angustifolia Seed Polysaccharide, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Collagen, Cereus Grandiflorus Flower Extract, Iron Oxides, CI 77891
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Disteardimonium Hectorite comes from the clay mineral named hectorite. It is used to add thickness to a product.
It can also help stabilize a product by helping to disperse other ingredients.
Hectorite is a rare, white clay mineral.
Learn more about Disteardimonium HectoriteGlycerin (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 GlycerinThis ingredient comes from a fatty acid (lauric acid) and amino acid (lysine). It is used to add a silky feel to cosmetics.
According to a manufacturer, its fatty acid base leaves a silky feeling on the skin. It also has emollient properties because of this. Emollients help soften skin by preventing water from evaporating.
Lauroyl lysine is barely soluble in water.
Learn more about Lauroyl LysineWater. 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
