What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPhenylisopropyl Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Isododecane
EmollientTrimethylsiloxysilicate
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Coconut Alkanes
Emollient
PEG-10 Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSqualane
Emollient
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Aluminum Dimyristate
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingDisteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingSaccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Triethoxycaprylylsilane
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantIron Oxides
CI 77163
Cosmetic Colorant
Water, Phenylisopropyl Dimethicone, Isododecane, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Coconut Alkanes, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Chloride, Squalane, Caffeine, Tocopherol, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Aluminum Dimyristate, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Saccharide Isomerate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, CI 77891, Iron Oxides, CI 77163
Water
Skin ConditioningCyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Cyclohexasiloxane
Emollient
Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer
PEG-10 Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Trimethylsiloxysilicate
Emollient
Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Sodium Chloride
MaskingDisteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingTriethoxycaprylylsilane
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Propylene Carbonate
SolventBiosaccharide Gum-4
Skin Conditioning
Alumina
Abrasive
Magnesium Oxide
AbsorbentAlpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide
Cleansing
Propanediol
Solvent
Algin
MaskingPentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
CI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantCI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77007
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77163
Cosmetic Colorant
CI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Cyclopentasiloxane, Butylene Glycol, Cyclohexasiloxane, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Sodium Chloride, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Propylene Carbonate, Biosaccharide Gum-4, Alumina, Magnesium Oxide, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Propanediol, Algin, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, CI 19140, CI 42090, CI 77007, CI 77163, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, CI 77891
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 GlycolThis ingredient is a silicone-based emulsifer that helps the water and oil phases play nicely together.
It's pretty effective because one end of the molecule loves oil and the other one loves water.
Besides holding formulas together, it also leaves a silky and lightweight feel on skin without the greasiness. A manufacturer also claims it can help with the controlled release of active ingredients.
The CIR Expert Panel found this ingredient to not be sensitizing in concentrations up to 15% in human maximazation testing and dimethicone-based compounds were not comedogenic.
It has a high molecular weight well above 1,000 g/mol which means it limits meaningful skin penetration.
A 2019 study specifically tested this ingredient and found no observable Malassezia growth in its presence.
Learn more about Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 DimethiconeCI 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 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 77891This 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 CrosspolymerDisteardimonium Hectorite comes from the clay mineral named hectorite. It is used to add thickness to a product.
It can also help stabilize a product by helping to disperse other ingredients.
Hectorite is a rare, white clay mineral.
Learn more about Disteardimonium HectoriteThis ingredient comes as a powder made up of small, porous, microbeads. It is used to add a silky feel to products and also helps absorb oil.
Peg-10 Dimethicone is silicone with conditioner and emulsifier properties. It mostly acts as an emollient in skincare and and humectant in haircare.
According to the manufacturer, acidic formulations decrease the stability of this ingredient. It works best in neutral or near neutral formulations.
Pentaerythrityl 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 HydroxyhydrocinnamatePhenoxyethanol 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 PhenoxyethanolChances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideTriethoxycaprylylsilane is a silicon-based surface modifier that makes sunscreens feel silky and makeup stay put.
Its main job is to coat mineral particles like titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, and color pigments in a thin, oily layer so they spread smoothly, don't clump, and stick to skin better.
This ingredient is typically used at low levels (up to 2.5% in eyeshadow and 1% in lipstick).
Learn more about TriethoxycaprylylsilaneThis silicone is an emollient. Emollients create a thin film on the skin to prevent moisture from escaping.
It is not soluble in water and helps increase water-resistance in products.
According to a manufacturer, it can blend seamlessly with silicone oils, such as Cyclopentasiloxane.
Learn more about TrimethylsiloxysilicateWater. 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
