What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialGlycerin
Humectant
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Dimethicone
Emollient
Ethylhexyl Triazone
UV Absorber
Drometrizole Trisiloxane
UV Absorber
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer
Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate
Emollient
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Diisopropyl Sebacate
EmollientStearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Talc
Abrasive
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Nylon-12
Synthetic Wax
Abrasive
Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester
Skin Conditioning
Aluminum Hydroxide
EmollientAmmonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Steareth-8 Methacrylate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingAmmonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Emulsion Stabilising
Disodium EDTA
Glyceryl Isostearate
Emollient
Isopropyl Lauroyl Sarcosinate
Skin ConditioningPEG-8 Laurate
Emulsifying
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingScutellaria Baicalensis Extract
AntimicrobialScutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract
Astringent
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
T-Butyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Terephthalylidene Dicamphor Sulfonic Acid
UV Absorber
Toluene Sulfonic Acid
SurfactantTriethanolamine
BufferingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingWater, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Glycerin, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Alcohol Denat., Dimethicone, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Drometrizole Trisiloxane, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Titanium Dioxide, Propylene Glycol, Diisopropyl Sebacate, Stearyl Alcohol, Talc, Tocopherol, Nylon-12, Synthetic Wax, Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester, Aluminum Hydroxide, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Steareth-8 Methacrylate Copolymer, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Caprylyl Glycol, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Disodium EDTA, Glyceryl Isostearate, Isopropyl Lauroyl Sarcosinate, PEG-8 Laurate, Pentylene Glycol, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Scutellaria Baicalensis Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Stearic Acid, T-Butyl Alcohol, Terephthalylidene Dicamphor Sulfonic Acid, Toluene Sulfonic Acid, Triethanolamine, Xanthan Gum
4-Methylbenzylidene Camphor
UV Absorber
Ethylhexyl Triazone
UV Absorber
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Octocrylene
UV Absorber
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Caprylic Acid
CleansingWater
Skin ConditioningC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialCera Alba
Emollient
Silica
Abrasive
PEG-15 Cocamine
EmulsifyingAmmonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
PEG-40 Stearate
Emulsifying
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
CI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCaprylhydroxamic Acid
Glycerin
Humectant
CI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Citrate
BufferingCI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
4-Methylbenzylidene Camphor, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Octocrylene, Caprylyl Glycol, Caprylic Acid, Water, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Cera Alba, Silica, PEG-15 Cocamine, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, PEG-40 Stearate, Saccharide Isomerate, CI 77491, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Glycerin, CI 77492, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Panthenol, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, CI 77499, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Tocopheryl Acetate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Also 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 BenzoateCaprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolEthylhexyl Triazone (aka Octyl Triazone) is an oil-soluble organic UVB filter. It has peak absorption around 314 nm, right in the middle of the UVB range.
This ingredient is described as one of the most effective UVB filters available and small concentrations are enough to deliver a high SPF thanks to its strong UV absorbing power.
Formulators love it for its stability; its ability to filter UV stays practically unchanged even under intense radiation and it can also help boost the photostability of less stable filters like avobenzone.
It's also a great pick for water resistant products because it's insoluble in water and has a good affinity for keratin.
Because it's a big, heavy molecule, the European Scientific Committee has found to to have very low dermal penetration and negative results for allergenicity.
In vitro testing also showed a low absorption rate and clean results on irritation.
Typical use levels are 1-5% with 5% being the maximum in the EU, Japan, and other markets that allow it. However, this ingredient is not approved yet in the US or Canada.
Learn more about Ethylhexyl TriazoneGlycerin (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 GlycerinWater. 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 Water
