Colourpop Hyaluronic Tinted Moisturizer Pretty Fresh Versus Hourglass Cosmetics Ambient Soft Glow Foundation
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Cyclopentasiloxane
EmollientWater
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
HumectantCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientTrimethylsiloxysilicate
EmollientDimethicone
EmollientPEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone
EmulsifyingCetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone
EmulsifyingPolypropylsilsesquioxane
Silica Silylate
EmollientSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantPyrus Malus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCocos Nucifera Fruit Juice
EmollientCocos Nucifera Water
MaskingPotassium Sorbate
PreservativePolysorbate 20
EmulsifyingDisteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingTribehenin
EmollientSodium Chloride
MaskingPropylene Carbonate
SolventCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeIron Oxides
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCyclopentasiloxane, Water, Butylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Dimethicone, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Polypropylsilsesquioxane, Silica Silylate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Juice, Cocos Nucifera Water, Potassium Sorbate, Polysorbate 20, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Tribehenin, Sodium Chloride, Propylene Carbonate, Caprylyl Glycol, Glycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Iron Oxides, CI 77891
Water
Skin ConditioningCyclopentasiloxane
EmollientCyclohexasiloxane
EmollientIsododecane
EmollientTrimethylsiloxysilicate
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantButylene Glycol
HumectantDimethicone
EmollientLauryl PEG-10 Tris(Trimethylsiloxy)Silylethyl Dimethicone
EmulsifyingPolymethylsilsesquioxane
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningDisteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingAcrylates/Polytrimethylsiloxymethacrylate Copolymer
Skin ConditioningMagnesium Sulfate
Sorbitan Sesquioleate
EmulsifyingDimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin ConditioningTriethoxycaprylylsilane
Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer
Aluminum Hydroxide
EmollientTribehenin
EmollientCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCaesalpinia Spinosa Fruit Extract
Skin ProtectingDipropylene Glycol
HumectantSodium Citrate
BufferingKappaphycus Alvarezii Extract
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
AntioxidantCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantIron Oxides
Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Isododecane, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Lauryl PEG-10 Tris(Trimethylsiloxy)Silylethyl Dimethicone, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, 1,2-Hexanediol, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Acrylates/Polytrimethylsiloxymethacrylate Copolymer, Magnesium Sulfate, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer, Aluminum Hydroxide, Tribehenin, Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Caesalpinia Spinosa Fruit Extract, Dipropylene Glycol, Sodium Citrate, Kappaphycus Alvarezii Extract, Tocopherol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, CI 77891, Iron Oxides
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 GlycolCaprylyl 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 GlycolCi 77891 is a white pigment from Titanium dioxide. It is naturally found in minerals such as rutile and ilmenite.
It's main function is to add a white color to cosmetics. It can also be mixed with other colors to create different shades.
Ci 77891 is commonly found in sunscreens due to its ability to block UV rays.
Learn more about CI 77891Cyclopentasiloxane (D5) is a lightweight silicone that mostly acts as an emollient and solvent in cosmetics. Its the reason your products feel silky, fast-spreading, and non-greasy.
Since D5 is volatile, it does its thing and then evaporates off the skin quickly.
The safety profile of this ingredient is reassuring; the US CIR Expert Panel concluded D5 is safe as used in cosmetics and Health Canada concluded that D5 is not harmful to human health or the environment as currently used in cosmetics
There's a study that people mention about D5 in a rat study showing tumors. This study is related to long-term inhalation of high D5 levels.
Regulatory bodies have judged this study to be not applicable in topical skincare since skin absorption of D5 is very low and we're not really inhaling huge amounts of D5.
The only restriction for this ingredient is environmental. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) restricted D5 in wash-off cosmetics at or above 0.1% due to their persistence in water.
Learn more about CyclopentasiloxaneDimethicone 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 DimethiconeDisteardimonium 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 HectoriteGlycerin (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 GlycerinTribehenin is the triglyceride of glycerin and behenic acid. It is an emollient that helps soften and condition skin.
Safety-wise, this is a well-vetted ingredient. Repeated-insult patch tests of 0.38% tribehenin did not trigger sensitization.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because behenic acid falls into the chain-length range that Malassezia yeasts can feed on.
Learn more about TribeheninThis silicone is an emollient. Emollients create a thin film on the skin to prevent moisture from escaping.
It is not soluble in water and helps increase water-resistance in products.
According to a manufacturer, it can blend seamlessly with silicone oils, such as Cyclopentasiloxane.
Learn more about TrimethylsiloxysilicateWater. 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 WaterThis ingredient is a combination of red, black, and yellow iron oxide pigments. This combination of colors is usually found in foundation, because it results in a "skin" color.
The EU typically uses CI numbers for colorants when applicable, such as CI 77489. In the US, iron oxides are regulated as color additives and "iron oxides" is the most commonly used name in US cosmetic practice.
A 2021 paper looked at skincare formulations containing iron oxides and found that they reduced transmission of blue light when measured optically. In simple terms, the pigment particles helped block or scatter part of the visible light spectrum in lab testing and the authors suggest this could translate into better protection against blue-light-related skin effects.
There is also clinical and experimental research showing that tinted products containing iron oxides can reduce visible light-induced pigmentation:
Please note, whether a product reduces visible or blue light depends on things like:
In the EU's CosIng database, iron oxides are only listed as a colorant. CosIng groups ingredients by their main cosmetic role, such as colorant, preservative, or UV filter.
Though studies say iron oxides can "attenuate blue light", they're describing an optical property and not an officially recognized cosmetic function.
So CosIng isn’t contradicting the research. It’s just classifying iron oxides by what they officially are: pigments that add color.
Learn more about Iron Oxides