What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate 7.5%
UV Absorber
Titanium Dioxide 1%
Cosmetic Colorant
Water
Skin ConditioningMethyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Neopentyl Glycol Diethylhexanoate
Emollient
Isononyl Isononanoate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer
Talc
Abrasive
Boron Nitride
Absorbent
Disteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingStearic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Lecithin
Emollient
Aluminum Dimyristate
Emulsion StabilisingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Silica
Abrasive
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Citrate
BufferingSorbic Acid
Preservative
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantIron Oxides
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate 7.5%, Titanium Dioxide 1%, Water, Methyl Trimethicone, Neopentyl Glycol Diethylhexanoate, Isononyl Isononanoate, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Talc, Boron Nitride, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Dimethicone, Lecithin, Aluminum Dimyristate, Tocopherol, Myristic Acid, Silica, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Citrate, Sorbic Acid, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethanol, CI 77891, Iron Oxides
Zinc Oxide 7.5%
Cosmetic Colorant
Water
Skin ConditioningEthylhexyl Olivate
Skin Conditioning
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Undecane
EmollientPolyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantCalcium Sodium Borosilicate
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Emulsifying
Galactoarabinan
Tridecane
Perfuming
Propanediol
Solvent
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Squalane
Emollient
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Arnica Montana Flower Extract
Masking
Artemisia Capillaris Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningEthyl Ferulate
Antioxidant
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningPolyhydroxystearic Acid
Emulsifying
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Lecithin
Emollient
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Phenethyl Alcohol
MaskingCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantIron Oxides
Zinc Oxide 7.5%, Water, Ethylhexyl Olivate, Octyldodecanol, Undecane, Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Glycerin, Mica, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Niacinamide, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Galactoarabinan, Tridecane, Propanediol, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Oleate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Panthenol, Squalane, Caffeine, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Artemisia Capillaris Flower Extract, Ethyl Ferulate, Sodium Gluconate, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Maltodextrin, Pentylene Glycol, Lecithin, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Tocopherol, Phenethyl Alcohol, CI 77891, Iron Oxides
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Ci 77891 is a white pigment from Titanium dioxide. It is naturally found in minerals such as rutile and ilmenite.
It's main function is to add a white color to cosmetics. It can also be mixed with other colors to create different shades.
Ci 77891 is commonly found in sunscreens due to its ability to block UV rays.
Learn more about CI 77891Glycerin (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 GlycerinLecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of phospholipids.
Thanks to its amphiphilic structure (water-loving head and oil-loving tail), it is a true multitasker:
It plays well with most ingredients and is typically used at 0.1-1%. However, concentrations up to 50% have been reported in moisturizers.
Depending on the source of this ingredient, lecithin may not be fungal acne safe. This is because some sources of lecithin come from soybean oil, which may feed the malassezia yeast that causes fungal acne.
We recommend reaching out to the brand you are purchasing from to inquire about the source of their lecithin.
Learn more about LecithinPentylene glycol is typically used within a product to thicken it. It also adds a smooth, soft, and moisturizing feel to the product. It is naturally found in plants such as sugar beets.
The hydrophilic trait of Pentylene Glycol makes it a humectant. As a humectant, Pentylene Glycol helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This can help keep your skin hydrated.
This property also makes Pentylene Glycol a great texture enhancer. It can also help thicken or stabilize a product.
Pentylene Glycol also acts as a mild preservative and helps to keep a product microbe-free.
Some people may experience mild eye and skin irritation from Pentylene Glycol. We always recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient in your routine.
Pentylene Glycol has a low molecular weight and is part of the 1,2-glycol family.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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
