What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialButylene Glycol
Humectant
Octocrylene
UV Absorber
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Vp/Eicosene Copolymer
Ethylhexyl Salicylate
UV Absorber
Adipic Acid/Diglycol Crosspolymer
Dimethicone
Emollient
Tribehenin
Emollient
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Glycerin
Humectant
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingDimethiconol
Emollient
Diethylhexyl Butamido Triazone
UV Absorber
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Methylparaben
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Ethylparaben
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningVitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantTetrasodium EDTA
Citric Acid
Buffering
T-Butyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Panax Ginseng Root Extract
Emollient
Water, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Butylene Glycol, Octocrylene, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Vp/Eicosene Copolymer, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Adipic Acid/Diglycol Crosspolymer, Dimethicone, Tribehenin, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Phenoxyethanol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Panthenol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Glycerin, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Dimethiconol, Diethylhexyl Butamido Triazone, Caprylyl Glycol, Methylparaben, Parfum, Ethylparaben, Ethylhexylglycerin, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Dipropylene Glycol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Citric Acid, T-Butyl Alcohol, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Panax Ginseng Root Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialGlycerin
Humectant
Octocrylene
UV Absorber
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Dimethicone
Emollient
Ethylhexyl Triazone
UV Absorber
Silica
Abrasive
Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate
Absorbent
Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer
Terephthalylidene Dicamphor Sulfonic Acid
UV Absorber
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingDrometrizole Trisiloxane
UV Absorber
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Phenylethyl Resorcinol
Antioxidant
Triethanolamine
BufferingTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Poloxamer 338
EmulsifyingAmmonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Capryloyl Salicylic Acid
Exfoliating
Water, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Glycerin, Octocrylene, Niacinamide, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Dimethicone, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Silica, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Terephthalylidene Dicamphor Sulfonic Acid, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Drometrizole Trisiloxane, PEG-100 Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Tocopherol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Phenylethyl Resorcinol, Triethanolamine, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Poloxamer 338, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Xanthan Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid
Reviews
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 MethoxydibenzoylmethaneC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate is a lightweight emollient made by combinig benzoic acid with fatty alcohols that are 12-15 carbons long.
In cosmetics, it plays several roles:
The Cosmetic Review Expert Panel has concluded the alkyl benzoate group to be safe as used in cosmetics; it wasn't found to be a skin irritant and unlikely to be absorbed due to its low water solubility.
This report recorded almost 1000 reported uses with concentrations up to 59% in leave-on products but your cosmetics will typically use 0.5-15% depending on the product.
It's often called a "SPF booster": this is because it keeps UV filters properly dissolved and evenly distributed to support a sunscreen's performance. It doesn't actually raise SPF on its own.
Overall, this ingredient is well tolerated.
This ingredient is fungal acne safe because it is an ester of benzoic acid.
Think of this ingredient as two parts stuck together: an oily part and an acid part. Malassezia only gets a meal when it can snip off a fatty acid to eat. With C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, the acid part is benzoic acid, which isn't a fatty acid and which the yeast can't use as food.
Benzoic acid is actually used as a preservative to stop yeast from growing.
The oily part is a blend of C12-15 fatty alcohols but fatty alcohols in this size range can support only a little Malassezia growth (mostly for one species of Malassezia as well).
In the ingredient, those alcohols stay locked inside the molecule. The yeast can only reach them by snipping the benzoate bond, and that type of bond is harder for it to cut than a normal fatty bond.
So not much gets released. And whatever does get snipped comes packaged with benzoic acid, which discourages yeast growth.
Learn more about C12-15 Alkyl BenzoateCaprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolDimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
What it does:
Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.
Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.
Learn more about DimethiconeGlycerin (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 GlycerinOctocrylene 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 OctocrylenePotassium Cetyl Phosphate is the potassium salt of a mixture. This mixture consists of the esters from phosphoricacid and cetyl alcohol.
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate is an emulsifier and cleansing agent. Emulsifiers help stabilize a product. It does this by preventing certain ingredients from separating.
As a cleansing agent, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate helps gather oils, dirts, and pollutants from your skin. This makes it easier to rinse them away with water.
Learn more about Potassium Cetyl PhosphateWater. 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
