What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Polyhydroxystearic Acid
Emulsifying
Tribehenin
Emollient
Polyurethane-62
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPolyglyceryl-4 Isostearate
Emulsifying
Hexyl Laurate
Emollient
Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAluminum Stearate
Cosmetic ColorantPanthenyl Triacetate
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Ethyl Linoleate
Emollient
Asiaticoside
Antioxidant
Asiatic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Madecassic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Alumina
Abrasive
Olea Europaea Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Sorbitol/Sebacic Acid Copolymer Behenate
Skin ConditioningMagnesium Aluminum Silicate
Absorbent
Trideceth-6
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Oleyl Alcohol
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Isostearic Acid
Cleansing
Disodium EDTA
Polyquaternium-7
Iron Oxides
Water, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Tocopherol, Sorbitan Stearate, Pentylene Glycol, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Tribehenin, Polyurethane-62, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Hexyl Laurate, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Aluminum Stearate, Panthenyl Triacetate, Propylene Glycol, Ethyl Linoleate, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid, Madecassic Acid, Alumina, Olea Europaea Leaf Extract, Sorbitol/Sebacic Acid Copolymer Behenate, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Trideceth-6, Phenoxyethanol, Oleyl Alcohol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Isostearic Acid, Disodium EDTA, Polyquaternium-7, Iron Oxides
Titanium Dioxide 3.5%
Cosmetic Colorant
Zinc Oxide 10%
Cosmetic Colorant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Acrylates/Dimethicone Copolymer
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Alumina
Abrasive
Bis-Vinyl Dimethicone/Dimethicone Copolymer
Emulsion Stabilising
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Butyloctyl Salicylate
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract
AstringentCapparis Spinosa Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Cerium Oxide
Cetyl Dimethicone
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Disteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingGlycerin
Humectant
Himanthalia Elongata Extract
Skin Protecting
Iron Oxides
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantNiacinamide
Smoothing
Olea Europaea Fruit Extract
BleachingOlea Europaea Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Phenethyl Alcohol
MaskingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Phenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Plankton Extract
Skin ConditioningPolyglyceryl-3 Sorbityl Linseedate
Emulsifying
Polyglyceryl-4 Oleate
Emulsifying
Polygonum Aviculare Extract
EmollientPolyhydroxystearic Acid
Emulsifying
Polymethyl Methacrylate
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Silica
Abrasive
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSqualane
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Triethyl Citrate
Masking
Tropolone
Skin ConditioningUbiquinone
Antioxidant
Water
Skin ConditioningZea Mays Starch
Absorbent
Zingiber Officinale Root Extract
Masking
Titanium Dioxide 3.5%, Zinc Oxide 10%, 1,2-Hexanediol, Acrylates/Dimethicone Copolymer, Allantoin, Alumina, Bis-Vinyl Dimethicone/Dimethicone Copolymer, Bisabolol, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Capparis Spinosa Fruit Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Caprylyl Glycol, Cerium Oxide, Cetyl Dimethicone, Dimethicone, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Glycerin, Himanthalia Elongata Extract, Iron Oxides, Mica, Niacinamide, Olea Europaea Fruit Extract, Olea Europaea Leaf Extract, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract, Panthenol, Phenethyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Phenyl Trimethicone, Plankton Extract, Polyglyceryl-3 Sorbityl Linseedate, Polyglyceryl-4 Oleate, Polygonum Aviculare Extract, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Potassium Sorbate, Silica, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Chloride, Squalane, Stearic Acid, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Triethyl Citrate, Tropolone, Ubiquinone, Water, Zea Mays Starch, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Alumina is another name for the compound aluminum oxide. It is a white powder used as a thickener, absorbent, and abrasive.
As an absorbent, alumina can give a mattifying effect. It is used in mineral sunscreens to help coat nano-sized filters, such as titanium dioxide. By increasing the size of the UV filters, these ingredients stay on the skin for a longer time. By coating small sized ingredients, alumina helps thicken a product.
Alumina may be used as an abrasive, or exfoliant.
Alumina is naturally occurring in the mineral corundum. Certain varieties of corundum create rubies and sapphires. Corundum is also the crystalline form of alumina.
Learn more about AluminaCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.
Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.
In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.
While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.
Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.
This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.
This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideGlycerin (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 GlycerinOlive tree leaves contain more antioxidants than olive fruit.
This is due to its rich flavonoid and polyphenol content. However, the antioxidant content varies depending on plant variety, harvesting method, leaf maturity, and extraction method.
This ingredient also has a natural fragrance. Read more about fragrance in cosmetics here.
Learn more about Olea Europaea Leaf ExtractPhenoxyethanol 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.
Polyhydroxystearic Acid is a vegetable-derived soft wax made from castor oil. It's an emulsion stabilizer, thickener, and film former.
You'll likely see it in sunscreens because it helps disperse pigments and UV-reflecting minerals like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide evenly.
Depending on the concentration, it can drastically change the texture of a product from pasty solid (like lipstick) to sprayable liquid.
The CIR Expert Panel for Cosmetic Ingredient Safety has concluded this ingredient to be safe in cosmetics. The highest reported use concentration is 14.2% in lipsticks.
Learn more about Polyhydroxystearic AcidWater. 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
