Foundation
Foundation
American United States
British United Kingdom

What's inside

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Show highlights for:

Cyclohexasiloxane

Emollient
Silicon Icon

Water

Skin Conditioning

Trimethylsiloxysilicate

Emollient
Silicon Icon

Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate

UV Absorber
0 / 0 UV Protection IconChemical UV Filter IconMay cause irritation IconNon-Reef-Safe Icon

PEG-10 Dimethicone

Skin Conditioning
Silicon Icon

Titanium Dioxide

Cosmetic Colorant
0 / 0 UV Protection IconMineral UV Filter IconNon-Reef-Safe Icon

Butylene Glycol

Humectant
1 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Dimethicone

Emollient
1 / 0 Silicon IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

Phenyl Trimethicone

Skin Conditioning
Silicon Icon

PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone

Emulsifying
Silicon Icon

Glycerin

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

Cyclopentasiloxane

Emollient
Silicon Icon

1,2-Hexanediol

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Alcohol Denat.

Antimicrobial
Alcohol IconCan worsen Dry Skin IconMay worsen Eczema IconMay cause irritation IconMay worsen Perioral Dermatitis IconMay worsen Psoriasis IconMay worsen Seborrheic Dermatitis IconMay worsen Keratosis Pilaris IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconHelps reduce Skin Redness Icon

Alumina

Abrasive
Exfoliant Icon

Caprylyl Glycol

Emollient
Fatty Alcohol Icon

Carbomer

Emulsion Stabilising
1 / 0

Centaurea Cyanus Flower Extract

Astringent
Helps reduce Skin Redness Icon

Ceramide AP

Skin Conditioning
Ceramide IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Ceramide EOP

Skin Conditioning
Ceramide IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Ceramide NP

Skin Conditioning
Ceramide IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract

Masking
Helps reduce irritation IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Cholesterol

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

Cucumis Sativus Seed Extract

Skin Conditioning

Cymbidium Grandiflorum Flower Extract

Skin Conditioning

Dimethicone/Silsesquioxane Copolymer

Silicon Icon

Dimethiconol

Emollient
Silicon Icon

Disteardimonium Hectorite

Stabilising

Hexylene Glycol

Emulsifying
0-2 / 0-1

Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract

Skin Conditioning

Hydrogen Dimethicone

Silicon Icon

Lactobacillus/Eriodictyon Californicum Ferment Extract

Skin Conditioning

Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract

Cleansing
May cause irritation IconEU Allergen Icon

Lecithin

Emollient
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Lilium Candidum Bulb Extract

Skin Conditioning

Magnesium Sulfate

Maltodextrin

Absorbent
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Malva Sylvestris Extract

Astringent

Maris Sal

Skin Conditioning

Methicone

Emollient
Silicon Icon

Mica

Cosmetic Colorant

Morus Alba Bark Extract

Skin Conditioning

Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract

Skin Conditioning

Nymphaea Alba Flower Extract

Skin Conditioning

Phytosphingosine

Skin Conditioning
Helps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Polyquaternium-51

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Polysilicone-11

Silicon IconGood for Oily Skin Icon

Pullulan

Sclerotium Gum

Emulsion Stabilising

Serica

Humectant

Silica

Abrasive
Exfoliant IconGood for Oily Skin IconGood for Minimizing Pores Icon

Sodium Carrageenan

Emulsion Stabilising

Sodium Hyaluronate

Humectant
0 / 0 Hyaluronic Acid IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate

Emulsifying

Sodium PCA

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

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Antioxidant
Vitamin C IconAntioxidant IconHelps brighten skin IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Skin Texture Icon

Tetrasodium EDTA

Tocopheryl Acetate

Antioxidant
0 / 0 Vitamin E IconAntioxidant IconHelps brighten skin Icon

Trehalose

Humectant
Helps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Triethoxycaprylylsilane

Silicon Icon

Triethyl Citrate

Masking
Synthetic Fragrance IconFragrance Icon

Urea

Buffering
Urea IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Skin Texture IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Xanthan Gum

Emulsifying

Zinc Oxide

Cosmetic Colorant
1 / 0 UV Protection IconMineral UV Filter IconGood for Oily Skin IconNon-Reef-Safe Icon

Phenoxyethanol

Preservative
Preservative Icon

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Abrasive, Absorbent

Alumina (aka aluminum oxide) is an inorganic mineral powder refined from bauxite that works as a quiet workhorse in a formula.

It shows up often as an abrasive, absorbent, anticaking, bulking, and viscosity-controlling agent.

One of its most common jobs is acting as a pigment carrier and dispersant.

Alumina platelets are often blended with inorganic sunscreens like Titanium Dioxide (or with colorants) and then coated with a silicone such as Triethoxycaprylylsilane so the pigment spreads evenly and smoothly.

In makeup, it can also double as a light-diffusing powder or oil absorber to keep formulas from looking greasy.

The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded alumina to be safe in present practices of use and concentration.

They note it's a stable, oxidized compound and scientific research has failed to establish links to health issues.

Concentrations vary depending on the product:

Learn more about Alumina
Emollient, Humectant, Skin Conditioning

Caprylyl 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 Glycol
Cosmetic Colorant

Mica is a naturally occurring mineral used to add shimmer and color in cosmetics. It can also help improve the texture of a product or give it an opaque, white/silver color.

Serecite is the name for very fine but ragged grains of mica.

This ingredient is often coated with metal oxides like titanium dioxide. Trace amounts of heavy metals may be found in mica, but these metals are not harmful in our personal products.

Mica has been used since prehistoric times throughout the world. Ancient Egyptian, Indian, Greek, Roman, Aztec, and Chinese civilizations have used mica.

Learn more about Mica
Preservative

Phenoxyethanol 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 Phenoxyethanol
Abrasive, Absorbent

Silica, also known as silicon dioxide, is a naturally occurring mineral. It is used as a fine, spherical, and porous powder in cosmetics.

Though it has exfoliant properties, the function of silica varies depending on the product.

The unique structure of silica enhances the spreadability and adds smoothness, making it a great texture enhancer.

It is also used as an active carrier, emulsifier, and mattifier due to its ability to absorb excess oil.

In some products, tiny microneedles called spicules are made from silica or hydrolyzed sponge. When you rub them in, they lightly polish away dead skin layers and enhance the penetration of active ingredients.

Learn more about Silica
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. Remember to stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water

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