What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
4-Methylbenzylidene Camphor
UV Absorber
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol
UV Filter
Zinc Oxide
Cosmetic Colorant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
BHT
Antioxidant
Calcium Stearate
Cosmetic ColorantCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Copernicia Cerifera Wax
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Disodium EDTA
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Magnesium Sulfate
PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningTriacontanyl Pvp
HumectantXanthan Gum
Emulsifying4-Methylbenzylidene Camphor, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol, Zinc Oxide, 1,2-Hexanediol, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, BHT, Calcium Stearate, Caprylyl Glycol, Copernicia Cerifera Wax, Decyl Glucoside, Disodium EDTA, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glyceryl Oleate, Isopropyl Palmitate, Magnesium Sulfate, PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Phenoxyethanol, Propylene Glycol, Water, Triacontanyl Pvp, Xanthan Gum
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
UV Absorber
Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate
UV Filter
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol
UV Filter
Ethylhexyl Triazone
UV Absorber
Water
Skin ConditioningAlcohol
Antimicrobial
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialDibutyl Adipate
EmollientDimethicone
Emollient
Vp/Eicosene Copolymer
Betaine
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate
Skin Conditioning
Silica
Abrasive
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Triethanolamine
BufferingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Lauryl Glucoside
CleansingBHT
Antioxidant
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Titanium Dioxide, Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Water, Alcohol, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Dibutyl Adipate, Dimethicone, Vp/Eicosene Copolymer, Betaine, Tocopherol, Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Silica, Decyl Glucoside, Triethanolamine, Xanthan Gum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Lauryl Glucoside, BHT, Propylene Glycol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
BHT is a synthetic antioxidant and preservative.
As an antioxidant, it helps your body fight off free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells.
As a preservative, it is used to stabilize products and prevent them from degrading. Specifically, BHT prevents degradation from oxidation.
The concerns related to BHT come from oral studies; this ingredient is currently allowed for use by both the FDA and EU.
However, it was recently restricted for use in the UK as of April 2024.
Learn more about BHTThis ingredient is better known as bemotrizinol or Tinosorb S and is one of the best broad-spectrum UV filters in modern sunscreen.
It works by absorbing UV light across a whole range (280-400 nm) with peaks around 310 nm (UVB) and 340-345 nm (UVA). This means it covers UVB plus the deeper UVA wavelengths that drive photoaging and pigmentation.
Another pro?
It's exceptionally photostable, barely degrades in sunlight, and acts as a "bodyguard" for less stable filters.
That's why you'll see it paired with avobenzone or octinoxate; this team up ensures they keep working through sun exposure.
Safety reviews have been reassuring across the board. This ingredient shows low absorption through the skin, rarely irritates, and lab studies found it doesn't act like a hormone in the body (a concern that's been raised about some older sunscreen filters).
On maximum concentrations:
In 2026, the US F.D.A finally added it as an OTC sunscreen ingredient at concentrations up to 6% for adults / children 6 months and older
Learn more about Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl TriazineC12-15 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 BenzoateDecyl Glucoside is a plant-derived surfactant and emulsion stabilizer. It is created by reacting glucose with the fatty acids from plants.
Like all surfactants, it works by lowering the surface tension between water and oil. This makes it so that dirt, sebum, and makeup can be lifted off your skin and rinsed away. It also produces a dense and creamy foam.
Because it has a neutral charge, it is compatible with a wide range of ingredients and stays stable across a broad pH range/water hardiness conditions.
Patch testing has shown it to have the lowest irritation potential among common cleansing surfactants (like SLS).
Typical use levels range from 5-20% in rinse-off cleansers.
One thing worth knowing: The American Contact Dermatitis Society named the parent family, alkyl glucosides, "Allergen of the Year" in 2017. The prevalence of allergy is pretty low but be sure to patch test if you've reacted to "gentle" or sulfate-free cleansers before.
This ingredient is fungal acne safe because the fatty alcohol portion of this ingredient is not within the C11-24 chain length that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Decyl GlucosideThis ingredient is also known as Tinosorb M or Bisoctrizole and is a bit of an overachiever in the sunscreen world.
It's a hybrid broad-spectrum filter that covers UVA and UVB (~280-400nm) with peak absorption around 305nm for UVB or 360nm for UVA (and a tiny bit in blue-light territory as well).
One of its best party tricks is photostability; it doesn't break down with repeated sun exposure and doesn't generate free radicals in the process either. You'll also see it paired with wobbly filters like avobenzone because it helps stabilize them.
The safety profile is assuring as well. Because it's a large molecule, it doesn't easily absorb into skin and rarely causes irritation.
It's approved in the EU, Asia, and Australia up to 10% and most formulas land somewhere in the 2-10% range.
You won't find it as a sunscreen active in the US, but it can make an appearance as a formula-protecting UV-absorber.
Learn more about Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl TetramethylbutylphenolPropylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
