bondi sands SPF 50+ Fragrance Free Sunscreen Face Mist Versus Hawaiian Tropic Weightless Hydration Water Sunscreen Mist SPF 30
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Butane
Isobutane
Homosalate
Skin Conditioning
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialButyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Octocrylene
UV Absorber
Ethylhexyl Salicylate
UV Absorber
Butyloctyl Salicylate
Skin Conditioning
Acrylates/Octylacrylamide Copolymer
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Diethylhexyl 2,6-Naphthalate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningPropane
Erythritol
Humectant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower
Skin ConditioningAlcohol, Butane, Isobutane, Homosalate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Octocrylene, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Acrylates/Octylacrylamide Copolymer, Cyclopentasiloxane, Diethylhexyl 2,6-Naphthalate, Glycerin, Water, Propane, Erythritol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 2.7%
UV Absorber
Homosalate
Skin Conditioning
Octocrylene
UV Absorber
Water
Skin ConditioningDiisopropyl Adipate
EmollientButyloctyl Salicylate
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Oryza Sativa Starch
AbsorbentPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Acrylates/C12-22 Alkyl Methacrylate Copolymer
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Glycerin
Humectant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Carica Papaya Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningMangifera Indica Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPassiflora Incarnata Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPsidium Guajava Fruit Extract
AstringentPlumeria Acutifolia Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningButyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 2.7%, Homosalate, Octocrylene, Water, Diisopropyl Adipate, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Butylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Oryza Sativa Starch, Phenoxyethanol, Acrylates/C12-22 Alkyl Methacrylate Copolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Chlorphenesin, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Parfum, Sodium Polyacrylate, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hyaluronate, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract, Mangifera Indica Fruit Extract, Passiflora Incarnata Fruit Extract, Psidium Guajava Fruit Extract, Plumeria Acutifolia Flower Extract
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Also known as Avobenzone, this ingredient is an oil-soluble used to absorb the full spectrum of UVA rays (peak 357 nm).
It's one of the most effective UVA filters available but has a major caveat of photostability: avobenzone is susceptible to photodegradation.
This means it can lose efficacy when exposed to sunlight without the help of a stabilizing agent.
Studies show antioxidants (like vitamin E or vitamin C) and some UV filters (like octocrylene and Tinosorb S) can meaningfully improve its stability in a formulation.
The maximum allowable concentration according to regulation is 3% in the US + Canada, and 5% in the EU, Australia, China, Korea, and ASEAN countries.
It has a well-support safety profile: a comprehensive 2025 review found minimal toxicity with no evidence of carcinogenicity.
Overall, avobenzone is a safe and regulated ingredient used in sunscreen for over 40 years.
Learn more about Butyl MethoxydibenzoylmethaneButyloctyl Salicylate is a chemical UV filter structurally similar to octisalate. It is a photostabilizer, SPF booster, emollient and solvent. This ingredient helps evenly spread out ingredients.
According to a manufacturer, it is suitable for pairing with micro Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, and pigments.
Photostabilizers help stabilize UV-filters and prevents them from degrading quickly.
Learn more about Butyloctyl SalicylateGlycerin (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 GlycerinHomosalate is an oil-soluble organic UVB filter that has been a sunscreen staple for decades. Its job is to absorb UVB rays (~295-315 nm) and protect your skin against sunburn,
This is one of the more photostable organic UV filters; it holds up pretty well under UV and a 2022 quantum-chemistry study found it stays stable in sunlight.
It's actually so reliable that formulators often pair it with shakier ingredients like oxybenzone and avobenzone. Formulators also use it to help dissolve the other UV filters into the oil phase.
One thing to keep in mind: "stable" isn't the same as "strong". On its own, homosalate is actually a pretty weak UV filter so it's better off as a helpful team player that helps boost overall SPF protection.
The safety picture is a bit nuanced but not scary.
This ingredient has a long track record of being gentle and regulators agree it isn't an irritant; EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety found that homosalate is not considered a skin irritant and doesn't raise eye-irritation flags either.
There's talk about homosalate because your skin absorbs a little bit of it into your bloodstream. A 2020 FDA-backed study found homosalate showed up in people's blood levels at the level where the FDA decides to double check.
The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) also found small amounts in blood and breast milk. They estimated that about 5% of what you apply gets absorbed through the skin.
Due to the debate about whether it might mess with hormones, the SCCS recommended a maximum limit of 0.5% in most products of 7.3% in face creams/pump sprays.
One important thing to keep in mind: in the US, Homosalate is currently labeled "non-GRASE" by the FDA. This sounds alarming but really just means the FDA wants more data to confirm it's safe. It's not confidently saying this ingredient is harmful.
As of now, homosalate is still completely legal and widely used while that research gets done.
The current maximum limits are:
Learn more about HomosalateOctocrylene 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 OctocryleneWater. 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 Water
