What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Isododecane
EmollientCalcium Sodium Borosilicate
Dimethicone
Emollient
Polyethylene
Abrasive
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientQuaternium-90 Bentonite
Dimethicone Silylate
Silica
Abrasive
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Lecithin
Emollient
Trihydroxystearin
Skin Conditioning
Copernicia Cerifera Cera
Emollient
Propylene Carbonate
SolventTriethoxycaprylylsilane
Tin Oxide
Abrasive
Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77000
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77163
Cosmetic Colorant
CI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77400
Cosmetic ColorantCI 75470
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77289
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77288
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77510
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77742
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77007
Cosmetic ColorantCI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantIsododecane, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Dimethicone, Polyethylene, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Quaternium-90 Bentonite, Dimethicone Silylate, Silica, Octyldodecanol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Lecithin, Trihydroxystearin, Copernicia Cerifera Cera, Propylene Carbonate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Tin Oxide, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Mica, CI 77891, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, CI 77000, CI 77163, CI 42090, CI 77400, CI 75470, CI 77289, CI 77288, CI 77510, CI 77742, CI 77007, CI 19140
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Aluminum Distearate
Emulsion StabilisingOctyldodecanol
Emollient
Ceresin
Emulsion StabilisingZinc Stearate
Cosmetic ColorantDimethicone
Emollient
Microcrystalline Wax
Emulsion StabilisingHydrated Silica
Abrasive
CI 77163
Cosmetic Colorant
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantMica
Cosmetic ColorantIron Oxides
CI 77742
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77288
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77007
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77510
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77289
Cosmetic ColorantCI 75470
Cosmetic ColorantAlternatives
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Ci 75470 is a bright-red pigment. It is AKA carmine.
Carmine is derived from insects such as the cochineal beetle. This ingredient has been used as a natural dye for over 2000 years.
This pigment is called Ultramarine blue lazurite. It gives a saturated blue color, but can be used to create other colors as well.
According to the manufacturer, it is usually made from kaolin, sodium sulfate, sodium carbonate, sulfur, and charcoal.
CI 77163 is the color-index name for Bismuth Oxychloride, a lab-made white powder that acts as a pearl pigment.
It's what gives a lot of pressed powders, eyeshadows, highlighteres, and mineral foundations that soft pearly glow.
Due to its structure as flat, plate-like crystals that stack like tiles, it feels silky and sticks to skin well. This also makes it very chemically stable and insoluble under normal skin conditions (this just means it sits on top of skin rather than going into it).
It has an interesting quirk: it slowly goes gray in sunlight and the graying is partly reversible in the dark.
At this time, there's no legal cap on how much a brand can use. Both the FDA and the EU permit it without restriction so real-world concentration levels come down to formulation:
Allergy risk is low as well since it's insoluble and doesn't release free metal ions into skin. True allergic contact dermatitis to it is rare enough that there's very little published cases.
However, mineral makeup users do report itching or stinging. The leading explanation for this is irritation from those stiff platelet crystals rubbing on skin (also more likely with heavy, high-percentage loose mineral powders) rather than an immune reaction.
This ingredient shows up on a lot of "pore-clogging" lists but there's no real evidence behind that. It doesn't even have a comedogenic rating from an actual study; the numbers you'll find online come from blogs citing other blogs.
Some people still find it breaks them out. So if that's you, definitely trust your skin.
Learn more about CI 77163Ci 77288 is used to add green pigment to products.
We don't have a description for CI 77289 yet.
This ingredient is used to impart a blue color. It is not water-soluble.
It goes by two different names:
1. Ferric Ferrocyanide: a synthetic dark blue pigment
2. Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide: a synthetic blue pigment, also called Prussian blue
In the EU, both of these colors must be labeled as 'CI 77510'.
Learn more about CI 77510This ingredient is used to add a violet color to cosmetics.
It is created by reacting phosphoric acid, ammonium dihydrogen orthophosphate, and manganese dioxide.
Ci 77891 is a white pigment from Titanium dioxide. It is naturally found in minerals such as rutile and ilmenite.
It's main function is to add a white color to cosmetics. It can also be mixed with other colors to create different shades.
Ci 77891 is commonly found in sunscreens due to its ability to block UV rays.
Learn more about CI 77891Dimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
What it does:
Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.
Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.
Learn more about DimethiconeMica 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 MicaOctyldodecanol is a fatty alcohol sourced from plant oils like coconut or palm (or made synthetically).
It is:
You'll likely see this in many BHA products because this is the go-to solvent for salicylic acid.
This ingredient is typically used at levels between 2-20%.
Regarding fungal acne:
In 2019, this ingredient was tested against multiple Malassezia species (the yeast that causes fungal acne) and showed no growth.
