What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Homosalate 10%
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%
UV Absorber
Octocrylene 4%
UV Absorber
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%
UV Absorber
Isododecane
EmollientDimethicone
Emollient
Butyloctyl Salicylate
Skin Conditioning
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialCaprylyl Methicone
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantTitanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Silica
Abrasive
Tin Oxide
Abrasive
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Homosalate 10%, Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%, Octocrylene 4%, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%, Isododecane, Dimethicone, Butyloctyl Salicylate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylyl Methicone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Tocopheryl Acetate, Silica, Tin Oxide, Tocopherol
Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%
UV Absorber
Octocrylene 10%
UV Absorber
Zinc Oxide 15%
Cosmetic Colorant
Water
Skin ConditioningButyloctyl Salicylate
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate
Emulsifying
Propanediol
Solvent
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantNiacinamide
Smoothing
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Mentha Viridis Leaf Oil
Astringent
Citrus Aurantifolia Oil
Cleansing
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Styrene/Ma Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTriethyl Citrate
Masking
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingMaltol
MaskingDimethylheptenal
Perfuming
Gamma-Decalactone
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Geranyl Acetate
Perfuming
3,6-Nonadienol
Perfuming
Terpineol
Masking
Hexyl Acetate
Masking
Ethyl Butyrate
Perfuming
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Citrus Aurantium Peel Oil
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingTin Oxide
Abrasive
Sodium Ferrocyanide
Iron Oxides
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantEthylhexyl Salicylate 5%, Octocrylene 10%, Zinc Oxide 15%, Water, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Propanediol, Sodium Chloride, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Mica, Niacinamide, Sodium Hyaluronate, Panthenol, Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Mentha Viridis Leaf Oil, Citrus Aurantifolia Oil, Tocopherol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Styrene/Ma Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Triethyl Citrate, Xanthan Gum, Maltol, Dimethylheptenal, Gamma-Decalactone, Geraniol, Geranyl Acetate, 3,6-Nonadienol, Terpineol, Hexyl Acetate, Ethyl Butyrate, Benzyl Alcohol, Limonene, Citrus Aurantium Peel Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Tin Oxide, Sodium Ferrocyanide, Iron Oxides, CI 77891, CI 77491, CI 77499
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butyloctyl 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 SalicylateCaprylic/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 TriglycerideEthylhexyl 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 SalicylateMica 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 MicaOctocrylene 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 OctocryleneTin 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.
Tocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about Tocopherol
