What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Ozokerite
Emulsion StabilisingPolyethylene
Abrasive
Polymethyl Methacrylate
Dicalcium Phosphate
Abrasive
Polyglyceryl-2 Diisostearate
Emulsifying
Polymethylsilsesquioxane
Dipentaerythrityl Hexahydroxystearate
EmulsifyingOctyldodecanol
Emollient
Triethoxycaprylylsilane
Laureth-4
Emulsifying
Disteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingAlcohol
Antimicrobial
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Water
Skin ConditioningC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Ozokerite, Polyethylene, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Polyglyceryl-2 Diisostearate, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Dipentaerythrityl Hexahydroxystearate, Octyldodecanol, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Laureth-4, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Alcohol, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Water
Diisostearyl Malate
EmollientDimethicone
Emollient
Polybutene
Caprylyl Methicone
Skin Conditioning
Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer
Synthetic Wax
Abrasive
Polyethylene
Abrasive
Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2
Emollient
Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Kaolin
Abrasive
Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate
Absorbent
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialSilica
Abrasive
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantDiisostearyl Malate, Dimethicone, Polybutene, Caprylyl Methicone, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Synthetic Wax, Polyethylene, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Kaolin, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Silica, Tocopheryl Acetate, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Hexylene Glycol, CI 77891, CI 77491, CI 77492, 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.
C12-15 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 BenzoateThis ingredient is a silicone elastomer that works as a texture enhancer, adds a silky slip, and also helps absorb excess oil.
Because it's a large macromolecule that's insoluble in water and chemically inert, it's not expected to penetrate or be absorbed into skin.
Human patch tests with a facial lotion containing 1% of this ingredient found no sensitization.
Learn more about Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone CrosspolymerPentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate (long name, huh?) is a synthetic antioxidant.
It is used to help stabilize other antioxidants or prevent the color from changing in a product.
As an antioxidant, it helps fight free-radical molecules. Free-radical molecules are capable of damaging our cells and other genetic material. Thus, antioxidants may reduce the signs of aging.
This ingredient is oil-soluble.
Learn more about Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl HydroxyhydrocinnamatePolyethylene is a synthetic ingredient that helps the skin retain moisture. It is a polymer.
It is also typically used within product formulations to help bind solid ingredients together and thicken oil-based ingredients. When added to balms and emulsions, it helps increase the melting point temperature.
