Versus
Foundation
Foundation
American United States
American United States

What's inside

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Show highlights for:

Water

Skin Conditioning

Dimethicone

Emollient
1 / 0 Silicon Icon

Methyl Trimethicone

Skin Conditioning
Silicon Icon

Trimethylsiloxysilicate/Dimethiconol Crosspolymer

Butylene Glycol

Humectant
1 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Phenyl Trimethicone

Skin Conditioning
Silicon Icon

Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate

Emollient

Niacinamide

Smoothing
Niacinamide IconHelps fight Acne IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps brighten skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Oily Skin IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Dark Spots IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Hydroxyethyl Urea

Humectant
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

PPG-12/Smdi Copolymer

Emollient

Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone

Skin Conditioning
Silicon Icon

Glycerin

Humectant
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps brighten skin IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Sodium Polyaspartate

Humectant

PEG-10 Dimethicone

Skin Conditioning
Silicon Icon

Sigesbeckia Orientalis Extract

Skin Conditioning

Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract

Antioxidant
Antioxidant Icon

Acetyl Hexapeptide-8

Humectant
Peptide IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Sorbitol

Humectant
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Isopropyl Isostearate

Emollient
4-5 / 0 Bad for Acne Prone Skin IconMay worsen Oily Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

PPG-15 Stearyl Ether

Emollient

Micrococcus Lysate

Skin Conditioning

Resveratrol

Antioxidant
Antioxidant IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Dark Spots Icon

Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12

Skin Conditioning
Peptide IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Salicylic Acid

Masking
BHA IconPreservative IconHelps fight Acne IconHelps brighten skin IconGood for Oily Skin IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconCan worsen Dry Skin IconMay worsen Eczema IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Caffeine

Skin Conditioning
Helps with Anti-Aging IconHelps reduce irritation Icon

Polysilicone-11

Silicon Icon

Sodium Chloride

Masking
Bad for Acne Prone Skin IconCan worsen Dry Skin IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Tocopheryl Acetate

Antioxidant
0 / 0 Vitamin E IconAntioxidant Icon

Polymethyl Methacrylate

Disteardimonium Hectorite

Stabilising

Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer

Silicon Icon

Lecithin

Emollient
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Triethoxycaprylylsilane

Silicon Icon

Caprylyl Glycol

Emollient
Fatty Alcohol Icon

Zinc Stearate

Cosmetic Colorant
0 / 0

Glyceryl Polymethacrylate

Laureth-7

Emulsifying

Trehalose

Humectant
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Triethyl Citrate

Masking
Fragrance Icon

Sodium Hyaluronate

Humectant
0 / 0 Hyaluronic Acid IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Dimethicone Silylate

Silicon Icon

PEG-8

Humectant

Magnesium Aluminum Silicate

Absorbent
0 / 0

Methicone

Emollient
Silicon Icon

Alumina

Abrasive
Exfoliant Icon

Silica

Abrasive
Exfoliant IconMay worsen Eczema IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Propylene Glycol Caprylate

Skin Conditioning

Hexylene Glycol

Emulsifying
0-2 / 0-1

Xanthan Gum

Emulsifying

Disodium EDTA

BHT

Antioxidant
Antioxidant Icon

Potassium Sorbate

Preservative
Preservative Icon

Phenoxyethanol

Preservative
Preservative Icon

Mica

Cosmetic Colorant
May worsen Eczema Icon

CI 77491

Cosmetic Colorant

CI 77492

Cosmetic Colorant

CI 77499

Cosmetic Colorant

CI 77891

Cosmetic Colorant

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Humectant, Masking, Skin Conditioning

Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.

Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.

Learn more about Butylene Glycol
Emollient, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting

Dimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz.

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 Dimethicone

Disodium EDTA plays a role in making products more stable by aiding other preservatives.

It is a chelating agent, meaning it neutralizes metal ions that may be found in a product.

Disodium EDTA is a salt of edetic acid and is found to be safe in cosmetic ingredients.

Learn more about Disodium EDTA

Disteardimonium Hectorite comes from the clay mineral named hectorite. It is used to add thickness to a product.

It can also help stabilize a product by helping to disperse other ingredients.

Hectorite is a rare, white clay mineral.

Learn more about Disteardimonium Hectorite
Emollient, Emulsifying, Skin Conditioning

Lecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of mixture of phospholipids.

This ingredient has emollient and emulsifying properties.

As an emollient, lecithen helps soften the skin and creates a barrier to keep moisture in.

As an emulsifier, it also helps prevent water and oil ingredients from separating. Lecithin can also help ingredients be better absorbed by the skin.

This is because the phospholipids in lecithin produce liposomes. Liposomes help other ingredients get through the skin barrier.

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 feeds fungal acne.

We recommend reaching out to the brand you are purchasing from to inquire about the source of their lecithin.

Some other names for this ingredient include soy lecithin and deoiled soy lecithin.

Learn more about Lecithin
Preservative

Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.

It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.

Skin Conditioning

Phenyl Trimethicone is a silicon-based polymer. It is derived from silica.

Phenyl Trimethicone is used as an emollient and prevents products from foaming.

As an emollient, it helps trap moisture in the skin. It is considered an occlusive.

Learn more about Phenyl Trimethicone
Preservative

Potassium Sorbate is a preservative used to prevent yeast and mold in products. It is commonly found in both cosmetic and food products.

This ingredient comes from potassium salt derived from sorbic acid. Sorbic acid is a natural antibiotic and effective against fungus.

Both potassium sorbate and sorbic acid can be found in baked goods, cheeses, dried meats, dried fruit, ice cream, pickles, wine, yogurt, and more.

You'll often find this ingredient used with other preservatives.

Learn more about Potassium Sorbate
Masking

Chances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt.

This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.

You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.

There is much debate on whether this ingredient is comedogenic. The short answer - comedogenic ratings don't tell the whole story. Learn more about comegodenic ratings here.

The concensus about this ingredient causing acne seems to be divided. Research is needed to understand if this ingredient does cause acne.

Scrubs may use salt as the primary exfoliating ingredient.

Learn more about Sodium Chloride
Humectant, Skin Conditioning

Sodium Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid's salt form. It is commonly derived from the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid.

Like hyaluronic acid, it is great at holding water and acts as a humectant. This makes it a great skin hydrating ingredient.

Sodium Hyaluronate is naturally occurring in our bodies and is mostly found in eye fluid and joints.

These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:

Learn more about Sodium Hyaluronate

Triethoxycaprylylsilane is a silicone used to bind and stabilize ingredients.

As an emulsifier, it helps prevent ingredients from separating. This can help elongate the shelf life of products.

Triethoxycaprylylsilane is often used to coat mineral sunscreens ingredients to help give a better feel. It also helps reduce oxidative stress in sunscreens.

Learn more about Triethoxycaprylylsilane
Skin Conditioning, Solvent

Water. 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. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water

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