What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 2.9%
UV Absorber
Homosalate
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexyl Salicylate
UV Absorber
Octocrylene
UV Absorber
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Butyloctyl Salicylate
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer
Skin ConditioningCucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Dicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Diheptyl Succinate
EmollientDiisooctyl Succinate
Emollient
Ethyl Ferulate
Antioxidant
Isononyl Isononanoate
EmollientPvp
Emulsion StabilisingButyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 2.9%, Homosalate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Octocrylene, Alcohol, Bisabolol, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Dicaprylyl Ether, Diheptyl Succinate, Diisooctyl Succinate, Ethyl Ferulate, Isononyl Isononanoate, Pvp
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 2.9%
UV Absorber
Ethylhexyl Salicylate 4.9%
UV Absorber
Octocrylene 9.5%
UV Absorber
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Butyloctyl Salicylate
Skin Conditioning
Isododecane
EmollientDiisooctyl Succinate
Emollient
Diheptyl Succinate
EmollientSilica Caprylyl Silylate
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil
Emollient
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Pvp
Emulsion StabilisingCapryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer
Skin ConditioningEthyl Ferulate
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Beta-Sitosterol
Emulsion Stabilising
Squalene
Emollient
Nylon-12
Lauroyl Lysine
Skin Conditioning
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 2.9%, Ethylhexyl Salicylate 4.9%, Octocrylene 9.5%, Alcohol Denat., Butyloctyl Salicylate, Isododecane, Diisooctyl Succinate, Diheptyl Succinate, Silica Caprylyl Silylate, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil, Bisabolol, Pvp, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Ethyl Ferulate, Tocopherol, Beta-Sitosterol, Squalene, Nylon-12, Lauroyl Lysine
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Bisabolol is a gentle skin conditioner, antioxidant, and soothing ingredient.
It's primary claim to fame is soothing and research shows topically applied bisabolol can quiet the chemical messengers that cause your skin to become inflamed, helping to sooth any irritation.
A clinical study found that applying 0.5% bisabolol daily for 8 weeks produced an average 9% decrease in skin pigmentation. Researchers found it can also suppress the process that leads to excess melanin production in skin.
In vitro studies found that bisabolol combined with propylene glycol significantly increased skin permeability by increasing lipid fluidity in the stratum corneum.
You'll likely see use concentrations quite low, usually 0.1-0.2%.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated ingredient that works well in formulas designed for sensitive, reactive, or post-procedure skin.
Learn more about BisabololAlso known as Avobenzone, this ingredient is an oil-soluble used to absorb the full spectrum of UVA rays (peak 357 nm).
It's one of the most effective UVA filters available but has a major caveat of photostability: avobenzone is susceptible to photodegradation.
This means it can lose efficacy when exposed to sunlight without the help of a stabilizing agent.
Studies show antioxidants (like vitamin E or vitamin C) and some UV filters (like octocrylene and Tinosorb S) can meaningfully improve its stability in a formulation.
The maximum allowable concentration according to regulation is 3% in the US + Canada, and 5% in the EU, Australia, China, Korea, and ASEAN countries.
It has a well-support safety profile: a comprehensive 2025 review found minimal toxicity with no evidence of carcinogenicity.
Overall, avobenzone is a safe and regulated ingredient used in sunscreen for over 40 years.
Learn more about Butyl MethoxydibenzoylmethaneButyloctyl Salicylate is a chemical UV filter structurally similar to octisalate. It is a photostabilizer, SPF booster, emollient and solvent. This ingredient helps evenly spread out ingredients.
According to a manufacturer, it is suitable for pairing with micro Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, and pigments.
Photostabilizers help stabilize UV-filters and prevents them from degrading quickly.
Learn more about Butyloctyl SalicylateWe don't have a description for Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer yet.
We don't have a description for Diheptyl Succinate yet.
Diisooctyl Succinate can be bad for acne prone skin.
Ethyl ferulate is an antioxidant derived from ferulic acid and ethyl alcohol. You'll most likely see this ingredient in sunscreens.
One study from 2014 found a concentration of 10% showed a similar SPF to Benzimidazole. Though this is considered a chemical UV filter, this ingredient is not listed as so. This is due to regulatory loopholes. You'll likely find this ingredient in "100% mineral" sunscreens.
This ingredient is typically found in concentrations between 0.5-1%. It is usually created synthetically or from rice bran oil.
Learn more about Ethyl FerulateEthylhexyl Salicylate (also called Octisalate or Octyl Salicylate) is an oil-soluble organic UV filter that's been used in sunscreen since the 1950's.
It absorbs UVB light in the 280-320 nm range with a peak absorbance around 306 nm.
You'll often see it paired with other UV filters to boost overall SPF because octisalate is a fairly week filter on its own.
The reason you'll see it so often is because it can help solubilize and stabilize the trickier filters like oxybenzone and avobenzone.
Unlike these filters, octisalate has pretty good photostability and doesn't create skin-damaging free radicals when exposed to sunlight.
The fatty-alcohol part of the molecule also gives it a light, emollient feel so it doubles as a nice texture enhancer.
Usage levels vary around the world:
Safety-wise, this ingredient has a pretty reassuring track record. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Products (SCCP) found very low skin penetration in human skin tests and negative results for irritation, phototoxicity, and photoallergy.
The real-world allergy risk is pretty low too; a 2012 European study of 1,031 people recorded only 2 reactions to it (a rate of 0.19%).
You might have seen scary headlines about sunscreen getting into your blood.
In 2019, the FDA found that several chemical filters can absorb through the skin and show up in the bloodstream at small but measurable levels.
Here's the important part: these tiny levels are just a cutoff the FDA uses to decide which ingredients need more testing and doesn't mean anything harmful was found.
The researchers were clear that the results are no reason to stop wearing sunscreen.
Learn more about Ethylhexyl SalicylateOctocrylene is an oil-soluble organic UV filter that mainly absorbs UVB and short wave UVA II light.
Its real superpower is teamwork: octocrylene is remarkably photostable and is most famous for stabilizing avobenzone (the workhorse UVA filter).
This ingredient is commonly used to enhance both UVB and UVA protection due to its unique property in stabilizing avobenzone. It also pulls double duty by boosting water resistance and giving formulas a smooth, spreadable feel.
The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) has deemed octocrylene to be safe as a UV-filter at concentrations up to 10% (capped at 9% in propellant sprays). The US also permits it up to 10%.
Two things worth knowing:
You'll usually see this ingredient used in concentrations between 2-10% (higher amounts when used as a stabilizer for avobenzone).
Learn more about OctocrylenePvp is a water-soluble synthetic polymer and common hairstyling ingredient. It is a film-forming ingredient and used to "hold" specific shapes of hair.
In cosmetics, PVP helps products like sunscreens and color cosmetics last longer and wear more evenly.
It is less effective in high-humidity. It tends to draw moisture, but this moisture dismantles the structure and "hold".
PVP is generally well tolerated on skin and toxicity studies are negative for dermal irritation.
Learn more about Pvp
