What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate
UV Filter
Homosalate
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexyl Salicylate
UV Absorber
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialDiisopropyl Sebacate
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Silica
Abrasive
Glycerin
Humectant
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingTitanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Terephthalylidene Dicamphor Sulfonic Acid
UV Absorber
Phenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Dibutyl Adipate
Emollient1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Tromethamine
BufferingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Limonene
Perfuming
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingAluminum Stearate
Cosmetic ColorantPolymethyl Methacrylate
Polyhydroxystearic Acid
Emulsifying
Parfum
Masking
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid 0.1%
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientThymol Trimethoxycinnamate
Antioxidant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Alumina
Abrasive
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Disodium EDTA
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
C12-15 Alcohols
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Linalool
Perfuming
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Citral
Perfuming
T-Butyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Water, Butylene Glycol, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Homosalate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Diisopropyl Sebacate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Silica, Glycerin, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Titanium Dioxide, Terephthalylidene Dicamphor Sulfonic Acid, Phenyl Trimethicone, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Dibutyl Adipate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Tromethamine, Panthenol, Limonene, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Aluminum Stearate, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Parfum, Xanthan Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid 0.1%, Glyceryl Caprylate, Thymol Trimethoxycinnamate, Glyceryl Stearate, Alumina, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Disodium EDTA, Stearic Acid, C12-15 Alcohols, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Palmitic Acid, Linalool, Ceramide NP, Citral, T-Butyl Alcohol, Geraniol, Myristic Acid, Lauric Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningZinc Oxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Propanediol
Solvent
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientButylene Glycol
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Benzotriazolyl Dodecyl P-Cresol
UV AbsorberCentella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate
Emulsifying
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Caprylyl Methicone
Skin Conditioning
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Portulaca Oleracea Extract
Skin Conditioning
Houttuynia Cordata Extract
Skin Conditioning
Polyhydroxystearic Acid
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingTriethoxycaprylylsilane
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingMethylpropanediol
SolventEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAdenosine
Skin Conditioning
Polyether-1
T-Butyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Biosaccharide Gum-1
Humectant
Madecassic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Asiaticoside
Antioxidant
Asiatic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Water, Zinc Oxide, Propanediol, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Butylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Benzotriazolyl Dodecyl P-Cresol, Centella Asiatica Extract, Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate, Niacinamide, Caprylyl Methicone, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Methylpropanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Adenosine, Polyether-1, T-Butyl Alcohol, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Madecassic Acid, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolC12-15 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 BenzoateCetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
It plays several roles in a formula:
Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearatePolyacrylate Crosspolymer-6 is a texture enhancer and pH adjuster.
It is be used to thicken water-based products and create a gel-texture with a velvet feel.
One manufacturer claims this ingredient to have a pH range of 2-8 and to be biodegradable.
This ingredient is also known as Sepimax Zen.
Learn more about Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6Polyhydroxystearic 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 AcidT-Butyl Alcohol (aka tert-butanol) is a small, clear, camphor-smelling alcohol.
It has two main jobs:
On the safety side, it's well-studied and has a solid track record. Human repeat-insult patch testing showed no skin irritation or sensitization even at 100%.
Typical use levels are pretty tiny, usually less than 1%.
You might see some fear-mongering around this ingredient:
Studies in male rats showed kidney effects but that's because of a rat-specific protein that humans don't make. So this study isn't really relevant to humans.
Though it's not a typical fragrance like parfum, it does have a natural scent. That's why the official COSIng database lists it as 'perfuming' ingredient. It can be used to modify the scent of a formula.
Learn more about T-Butyl AlcoholWater. 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
