What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialGlycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Zinc Oxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Actinidia Chinensis Fruit Extract
EmollientSodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Glycine Soja Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
Buffering
Triethoxycaprylylsilane
Acrylates Copolymer
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSilica
Abrasive
Water, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Zinc Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Actinidia Chinensis Fruit Extract, Sodium Polyacrylate, Niacinamide, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Glycine Soja Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Acrylates Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Silica
Isododecane
EmollientDimethicone/Bis-Isobutyl PPG-20 Crosspolymer
Emollient
Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate
UV Filter
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialIsododecane, Dimethicone/Bis-Isobutyl PPG-20 Crosspolymer, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Squalane, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
C12-15 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 BenzoateCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.
Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.
In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.
While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.
Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.
This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.
This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideEthylhexylglycerin 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 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.
