What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 5%
UV Absorber
Ethylhexyl Triazone 5%
UV Absorber
Octocrylene 3%
UV Absorber
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine 1%
Skin Conditioning
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Magnesium Aluminum Silicate
Absorbent
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dibutyl Adipate
EmollientDimethicone
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
CI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Emulsifying
Water
Skin ConditioningOryza Sativa Bran Wax
Skin Conditioning
Silica
Abrasive
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Triethanolamine
BufferingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingButyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 5%, Ethylhexyl Triazone 5%, Octocrylene 3%, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine 1%, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dibutyl Adipate, Dimethicone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Disodium EDTA, Hydroxyacetophenone, CI 77491, CI 77492, Phenoxyethanol, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Water, Oryza Sativa Bran Wax, Silica, Sodium Hyaluronate, Stearic Acid, Triethanolamine, Xanthan Gum
Water
Skin ConditioningC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialSilica
Abrasive
Glycerin
Humectant
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Ethylhexyl Methoxycrylene
Skin Conditioning
Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate
UV Filter
Diisopropyl Sebacate
EmollientLauroyl Lysine
Skin Conditioning
Propanediol
Solvent
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
Emollient1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingMaltooligosyl Glucoside
Skin ConditioningGlycyrrhetinic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Arginine
Masking
Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate
Humectant1-Methylhydantoin-2-Imide
Skin ConditioningHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Ectoin
Skin Conditioning
Mannitol
Humectant
Sodium Phytate
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingXylitol
Humectant
Rhamnose
HumectantO-Cymen-5-Ol
Antimicrobial
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Silica, Glycerin, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Ethylhexyl Methoxycrylene, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Diisopropyl Sebacate, Lauroyl Lysine, Propanediol, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polysorbate 60, Cetyl Phosphate, Maltooligosyl Glucoside, Glycyrrhetinic Acid, Arginine, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, 1-Methylhydantoin-2-Imide, Hydroxyacetophenone, Citric Acid, Ectoin, Mannitol, Sodium Phytate, Xanthan Gum, Xylitol, Rhamnose, O-Cymen-5-Ol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
This ingredient is better known as bemotrizinol or Tinosorb S and is one of the best broad-spectrum UV filters in modern sunscreen.
It works by absorbing UV light across a whole range (280-400 nm) with peaks around 310 nm (UVB) and 340-345 nm (UVA). This means it covers UVB plus the deeper UVA wavelengths that drive photoaging and pigmentation.
Another pro?
It's exceptionally photostable, barely degrades in sunlight, and acts as a "bodyguard" for less stable filters.
That's why you'll see it paired with avobenzone or octinoxate; this team up ensures they keep working through sun exposure.
Safety reviews have been reassuring across the board. This ingredient shows low absorption through the skin, rarely irritates, and lab studies found it doesn't act like a hormone in the body (a concern that's been raised about some older sunscreen filters).
On maximum concentrations:
In 2026, the US F.D.A finally added it as an OTC sunscreen ingredient at concentrations up to 6% for adults / children 6 months and older
Learn more about Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl TriazineAlso 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 MethoxydibenzoylmethaneC12-15 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 BenzoateHydroxyacetophenone is a small phenolic molecule that earns its place in a formulas as an antioxidant and preservative booster.
As a phenol, it is able to neutralize free radicals to protect both the product and the skin from oxidative stress.
Though it can't kill microbes on its own, it works as a good supporting agent when combined with other preservatives like Phenoxyethanol or 1,2-Hexanediol.
This ingredient naturally occurs as piceol in Norwegian spruce needles (~0.4-1.1% dry weight and in cloudberries). Though the cosmetic-grade material is synthesized for purity and consistency.
You'll usually see it used at low levels and suppliers recommend up to 1% added to a water phase.
Safety testing was done at concentrations like 0.05% in SPF products and 0.5% in a Human Repeated Insult Patch Test. The safety evidence is assuring; this ingredient is safe for cosmetics in current use and also holds safety status as a food flavoring as well.
An honest caveat: the "soothing" and "anti-inflammatory" claims come mostly from supplier marketing rather than published clinical trials. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review's own literature search found no useful efficacy studies on this ingredient.
So the antioxidant and preservative-boosting roles are the well supported ones while the calming benefit is plausible but thinly evidenced.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-irritation multitasker that quietly helps a formula stay fresh and stable.
Learn more about HydroxyacetophenoneSilica, 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 SilicaSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
