What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningMica
Cosmetic ColorantEthylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Sorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Iron Oxides
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Polyacrylamide
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Pvp
Emulsion StabilisingC13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Sodium Dehydroacetate
Preservative
Laureth-7
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
Sodium Stearate
CleansingCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Vaccinium Macrocarpon Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Quartz
Abrasive
Ceteareth-20
CleansingCalcium Chloride
AstringentLycium Barbarum Fruit Extract
Astringent
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Mica, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Glycerin, Sorbitan Stearate, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Phenoxyethanol, Polyacrylamide, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Pvp, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Laureth-7, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Vaccinium Macrocarpon Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Quartz, Ceteareth-20, Calcium Chloride, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract, Tocopherol, CI 77891
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
C13-14 Alkane
SolventPropanediol
Solvent
Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Glycerin
Humectant
Trimethylsiloxysilicate
Emollient
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Silica
Abrasive
Magnesium Sulfate
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Disteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingSorbitan Sesquioleate
Emulsifying
Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantStearoyl Inulin
EmollientDimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantIron Oxides
CI 77007
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Dimethicone, C13-14 Alkane, Propanediol, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Glycerin, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Pentylene Glycol, Silica, Magnesium Sulfate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopherol, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Mica, Stearoyl Inulin, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Disodium EDTA, CI 77891, Iron Oxides, CI 77007
Alternatives
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Ci 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 77891Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinMica 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 MicaPhenoxyethanol 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.
Tocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.
Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.
You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.
There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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
