What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPhenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Isododecane
EmollientTitanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Nylon-12
Glycerin
Humectant
Cyclomethicone
Emollient
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientDimethicone Crosspolymer-3
Skin Conditioning
Thermus Thermophillus Ferment
Skin ConditioningDisteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingPropylene Carbonate
SolventLauryl PEG/PPG-18/18 Methicone
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPolyglyceryl-4 Isostearate
Emulsifying
Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Hexyl Laurate
Emollient
Methicone
Emollient
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Malachite Extract
Antioxidant
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Lavandula Angustifolia Extract
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract
AstringentPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningIron Oxides
Water, Phenyl Trimethicone, Isododecane, Titanium Dioxide, Cyclopentasiloxane, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Nylon-12, Glycerin, Cyclomethicone, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Dimethicone Crosspolymer-3, Thermus Thermophillus Ferment, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Propylene Carbonate, Lauryl PEG/PPG-18/18 Methicone, Sodium Chloride, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Hexyl Laurate, Methicone, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Malachite Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Extract, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Iron Oxides
Water
Skin ConditioningOctyldodecyl Neopentanoate
EmollientIsononyl Isononanoate
EmollientCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantPEG-10 Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Sorbitan Trioleate
Emulsifying
Apium Graveolens Seed Extract
Antioxidant
Linum Usitatissimum Seed Extract
Perfuming
Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract
Perfuming
Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Stearoxymethicone/Dimethicone Copolymer
Emollient
Triethoxycaprylylsilane
Sodium Chloride
MaskingTamarindus Indica Extract
SmoothingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Iron Oxides
CI 77288
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Octyldodecyl Neopentanoate, Isononyl Isononanoate, CI 77891, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sorbitan Trioleate, Apium Graveolens Seed Extract, Linum Usitatissimum Seed Extract, Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract, Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Stearoxymethicone/Dimethicone Copolymer, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Sodium Chloride, Tamarindus Indica Extract, Tocopherol, Iron Oxides, CI 77288
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinPEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone is a modified version of dimethicone with emulsifying properties. It helps add a silky and lightweight feel to products like sunscreens and foundations.
Its unique structure allows it to bridge the gap between water-loving and oil-loving ingredients. This makes it especially good at creating stable, velvety, and elegant formulations.
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.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideWater. 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
