What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Ozokerite
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Magnesium Sulfate
Disteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingDisodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingMethylparaben
Preservative
Acrylates Crosspolymer
AbsorbentAlumina
Abrasive
Butylparaben
Masking
Aluminum Hydroxide
EmollientTocopherol
Antioxidant
Silica
Abrasive
Chamomilla Recutita Extract
Skin Conditioning
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantIron Oxides
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Cyclopentasiloxane, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Glycerin, Sorbitan Isostearate, Propylene Glycol, Titanium Dioxide, Ozokerite, Phenoxyethanol, Magnesium Sulfate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Methylparaben, Acrylates Crosspolymer, Alumina, Butylparaben, Aluminum Hydroxide, Tocopherol, Silica, Chamomilla Recutita Extract, CI 77891, Iron Oxides, Mica
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Methicone
Skin Conditioning
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientUndecane
EmollientPolyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Tridecane
Perfuming
Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate
Emulsifying
Saccharomyces Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Albizia Julibrissin Bark Extract
MaskingShorea Robusta Resin
TonicSodium Chloride
MaskingPolyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Emulsifying
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract
Skin Conditioning
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Stearalkonium Hectorite
Gel FormingDimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Triethoxysilylethyl Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Hexyl Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Disteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Propylene Carbonate
SolventLauroyl Lysine
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Citrate
BufferingIron Oxides
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Caprylyl Methicone, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Undecane, Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Glycerin, Propanediol, Tridecane, Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate, Saccharomyces Ferment, Albizia Julibrissin Bark Extract, Shorea Robusta Resin, Sodium Chloride, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract, Octyldodecanol, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Triethoxysilylethyl Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Hexyl Dimethicone, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Propylene Carbonate, Lauroyl Lysine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Benzoate, Tocopherol, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Iron Oxides, 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.
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 77891Disteardimonium 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 HectoriteGlycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.
Topically, glycerin does several things at once:
Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.
Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.
This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.
Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
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 TocopherolWater. 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 WaterThis 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
