Cetaphil Sheer Mineral Face Liquid Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Versus Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Water-Light Daily Face Sunscreen SPF 60
This hybrid sunscreen covers the full UV range and blocks ~98% of UVB at SPF 50.
This chemical sunscreen covers burning UVB and near UVA but not the deep UVA that drives aging.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Zinc Oxide 12%
Cosmetic Colorant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Butyloctyl Salicylate
Skin Conditioning
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Caprylyl Methicone
Skin Conditioning
Dimethicone
Emollient
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingIsododecane
EmollientLauryl PEG-10 Tris(Trimethylsiloxy)Silylethyl Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Lauryl PEG-8 Dimethicone
Surfactant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Octyldodecyl Neopentanoate
EmollientPEG-10
HumectantPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Polymethylsilsesquioxane
Propanediol
Solvent
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingTetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Trilaureth-4 Phosphate
EmulsifyingWater
Skin ConditioningZinc Oxide 12%, Allantoin, Bisabolol, Butyloctyl Salicylate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylyl Glycol, Caprylyl Methicone, Dimethicone, Dimethiconol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Isododecane, Lauryl PEG-10 Tris(Trimethylsiloxy)Silylethyl Dimethicone, Lauryl PEG-8 Dimethicone, Niacinamide, Octyldodecyl Neopentanoate, PEG-10, Phenoxyethanol, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Propanediol, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Tocopherol, Trilaureth-4 Phosphate, Water
Homosalate 10%
Skin Conditioning
Octocrylene 7.5%
UV Absorber
Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%
UV Absorber
Benzophenone-3 5%
UV Absorber
Acrylates/Dimethicone Methacrylate Copolymer 3%
Emollient
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
BHT
Antioxidant
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialCamellia Oleifera Leaf Extract
AstringentCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Cetyl Dimethicone
Emollient
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Diethylhexyl 2,6-Naphthalate
EmollientDisodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningMannan
Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate
EmollientPantothenic Acid
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Polyester-7
Skin ConditioningPolymethyl Methacrylate
Portulaca Oleracea Extract
Skin Conditioning
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Silica
Abrasive
Steareth-100
Gel FormingSteareth-2
EmulsifyingStyrene/Acrylates Copolymer
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Water
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingHomosalate 10%, Octocrylene 7.5%, Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%, Benzophenone-3 5%, Acrylates/Dimethicone Methacrylate Copolymer 3%, Ascorbic Acid, BHT, Bisabolol, Butylene Glycol, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Caprylyl Glycol, Cetyl Dimethicone, Chlorphenesin, Cyclopentasiloxane, Diethylhexyl 2,6-Naphthalate, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Mannan, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Pantothenic Acid, Parfum, Pentylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Polyester-7, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Retinyl Palmitate, Silica, Steareth-100, Steareth-2, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Water, Xanthan Gum
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Bisabolol is a gentle skin conditioner, antioxidant, and soothing ingredient.
It's primary claim to fame is soothing and research shows topically applied bisabolol can quiet the chemical messengers that cause your skin to become inflamed, helping to sooth any irritation.
A clinical study found that applying 0.5% bisabolol daily for 8 weeks produced an average 9% decrease in skin pigmentation. Researchers found it can also suppress the process that leads to excess melanin production in skin.
In vitro studies found that bisabolol combined with propylene glycol significantly increased skin permeability by increasing lipid fluidity in the stratum corneum.
You'll likely see use concentrations quite low, usually 0.1-0.2%.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated ingredient that works well in formulas designed for sensitive, reactive, or post-procedure skin.
Learn more about BisabololC12-15 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 GlycolEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinPhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolWater. 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
