What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
No benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Diisostearyl Malate
EmollientOctyldodecanol
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Emulsifying
Polyethylene
Abrasive
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantMicrocrystalline Wax
Emulsion StabilisingHydrogenated Microcrystalline Wax
Emulsion StabilisingSynthetic Wax
Abrasive
Litchi Chinensis Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCarthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Dicalcium Phosphate
Abrasive
Synthetic Fluorphlogopite
Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate
Calcium Sodium Borosilicate
Silica
Abrasive
Tin Oxide
Abrasive
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
CI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantIron Oxides
CI 15850
Cosmetic ColorantCI 45410
Cosmetic ColorantBlue 1 Lake
Cosmetic ColorantCI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantDiisostearyl Malate, Octyldodecanol, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Polyethylene, Mica, Microcrystalline Wax, Hydrogenated Microcrystalline Wax, Synthetic Wax, Litchi Chinensis Fruit Extract, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Silica, Tin Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, CI 77491, CI 77492, Iron Oxides, CI 15850, CI 45410, Blue 1 Lake, CI 19140
Diisostearyl Malate
EmollientOctyldodecanol
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Emulsifying
Polyethylene
Abrasive
Dicalcium Phosphate
Abrasive
Microcrystalline Wax
Emulsion StabilisingMica
Cosmetic ColorantHydrogenated Microcrystalline Wax
Emulsion StabilisingSynthetic Wax
Abrasive
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Tin Oxide
Abrasive
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantIron Oxides
CI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantCI 15850
Cosmetic ColorantIngredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Ci 15850 is the pigment color red. It is an azo dye and created synthetically.
Azo dyes need to be thoroughly purified before use. This allows them to be more stable and longer-lasting.
This ingredient is common in foundations, lipsticks, and blushes. This color is described as brown/orangey red.
It has many secondary names such as Red 6 and Red 7. According to a manufacturer, Red 6 usually contains aluminum.
Learn more about CI 15850This ingredient is a mineral salt of calcium and phosphate. It is mainly used as a mild abrasive and sometimes used to add opacity to a formula.
Diisostearyl Malate is an emollient and most often used in lip products. It comes from isostearyl alcohol, a fatty acid, and malic acid, an AHA.
As an emollient, Diisostearyl Malate helps create a thin film on your skin to trap moisture in. This helps keep your skin soft and smooth.
We don't have a description for Hydrogenated Microcrystalline Wax yet.
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 MicaMicrocrystalline Wax is derived from petroleum through a de-oiling process, then highly refined and purified before use in cosmetics.
In skincare formulations, it is used to improve texture and create a smooth, even consistency. It also helps stabilize products by preventing ingredients from separating.
Octyldodecanol is a fatty alcohol sourced from plant oils like coconut or palm (or made synthetically).
It is:
You'll likely see this in many BHA products because this is the go-to solvent for salicylic acid.
This ingredient is typically used at levels between 2-20%.
Regarding fungal acne:
In 2019, this ingredient was tested against multiple Malassezia species (the yeast that causes fungal acne) and showed no growth.
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate (long name, huh?) is a synthetic antioxidant.
It is used to help stabilize other antioxidants or prevent the color from changing in a product.
As an antioxidant, it helps fight free-radical molecules. Free-radical molecules are capable of damaging our cells and other genetic material. Thus, antioxidants may reduce the signs of aging.
This ingredient is oil-soluble.
Learn more about Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl HydroxyhydrocinnamatePolyethylene is a synthetic ingredient that helps the skin retain moisture. It is a polymer.
It is also typically used within product formulations to help bind solid ingredients together and thicken oil-based ingredients. When added to balms and emulsions, it helps increase the melting point temperature.
Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate is an emulsifer and emollient. It comes from Isostearic Acid and Polyglycerin-3.
As an emulsifier, it helps stabilize products by preventing oils and water from separating.
This ingredient may not be Malassezia folliculitis, or fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Polyglyceryl-3 DiisostearateSynthetic Wax is created from fossil fuels such as natural gas. It is used to enhance texture, adjust pH, and as an occlusive.
It may also be used as an abrasive ingredient to exfoliate the skin.
Synthetic Wax may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Synthetic WaxTin Oxide is an inorganic oxide used to add opacity and volume to a product. In nature, it is already found in mineral form. The main ore of tin is an opaque and shiny mineral called casseterite.
Tin Oxide helps remove translucency in a product, or make it more opaque. Besides adding opacity, tin oxide is used for bulking to add volume.
This 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
