Laura Geller Baked Balance-N-Brighten Color Correcting Foundation Versus Physician's Formula Murumuru Butter Bronzer
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantTalc
Abrasive
Dimethicone
Emollient
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Magnesium Aluminum Silicate
Absorbent
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
UV Absorber
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
EmollientLauroyl Lysine
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Dehydroacetate
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
BHT
Antioxidant
Nylon-12
Tin Oxide
Abrasive
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantIron Oxides
CI 77288
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77742
Cosmetic ColorantMica, Talc, Dimethicone, Isopropyl Palmitate, Polysorbate 20, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Tocopherol, Centella Asiatica Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Lauroyl Lysine, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Phenoxyethanol, BHT, Nylon-12, Tin Oxide, CI 77891, Iron Oxides, CI 77288, CI 77742
Talc
Abrasive
Synthetic Sapphire
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantDimethiconol Stearate
EmollientIsostearyl Neopentanoate
Emollient
Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate
Emollient
Astrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Astrocaryum Tucuma Seed Butter
Emollient
Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Lauroyl Lysine
Skin Conditioning
Lecithin
Emollient
Polybutene
Tin Oxide
Abrasive
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Aluminum Hydroxide
EmollientCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Iron Oxides
CI 15850
Cosmetic ColorantTitanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Talc, Synthetic Sapphire, Mica, Dimethiconol Stearate, Isostearyl Neopentanoate, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Astrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter, Parfum, Astrocaryum Tucuma Seed Butter, Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Citric Acid, Glyceryl Oleate, Glyceryl Stearate, Lauroyl Lysine, Lecithin, Polybutene, Tin Oxide, Tocopherol, Aluminum Hydroxide, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Iron Oxides, CI 15850, Titanium Dioxide
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
This ingredient comes from a fatty acid (lauric acid) and amino acid (lysine). It is used to add a silky feel to cosmetics.
According to a manufacturer, its fatty acid base leaves a silky feeling on the skin. It also has emollient properties because of this. Emollients help soften skin by preventing water from evaporating.
Lauroyl lysine is barely soluble in water.
Learn more about Lauroyl LysineMica 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 MicaPhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolTalc is a clay mineral. It helps absorb moisture and improve the texture of products. Like other types of clay, Talc can have a slight exfoliating effect on skin. Talc can be added to increase the volume of products.
Some Baby powders are made by combining talc with corn starch. The word "talc" comes from Latin and originates from Arabic. Talc is a mineral commonly found throughout the world.
If you have any concerns about using talc, we recommend checking out the FDA's official page.
Learn more about TalcTin 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 TocopherolThis 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
