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 ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Trimethylsiloxysilicate
Emollient
Isododecane
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Phenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
PEG-10 Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Triethoxycaprylylsilane
Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate
Absorbent
Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Emulsifying
Polypropylene
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Disteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingHydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientMagnesium Sulfate
Sorbitan Sesquiisostearate
Emulsifying
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPropylene Carbonate
SolventPolysilicone-11
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Kaolin
Abrasive
Squalane
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Mangifera Indica Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Opuntia Vulgaris Extract
Skin ConditioningPanax Ginseng Root Extract
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Ferrocyanide
Chromium Oxide Greens
Iron Oxides
Water, Dimethicone, Propanediol, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Isododecane, Glycerin, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Polypropylene, Phenoxyethanol, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Magnesium Sulfate, Sorbitan Sesquiisostearate, Sodium Chloride, Propylene Carbonate, Polysilicone-11, Ethylhexylglycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Kaolin, Squalane, Tocopheryl Acetate, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Tocopherol, Centella Asiatica Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Opuntia Vulgaris Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citric Acid, Sodium Ferrocyanide, Chromium Oxide Greens, Iron Oxides
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Disteardimonium 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 GlycerinHydrogenated Polyisobutene is a synthetic polymer. Polymers are compounds with high molecular weight. Hydrogenated Polyisobutene is an emollient and texture enhancer.
In one study, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene showed better skin hydration levels than Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride. As an emollient, it helps keep your skin soft and hydrated by trapping moisture in.
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene is often used as a mineral oil replacement.
Learn more about Hydrogenated PolyisobuteneMagnesium Sulfate is a salt. More specifically, it is an epsom salt, or the bath salt used to help relieve muscle aches.
Despite having ‘sulfate’ in the name, it isn’t a surfactant or cleansing agent like sodium lauryl sulfate. Unlike those sulfates, magnesium sulfate doesn’t have the same cleansing or foaming properties (it's simply a type of salt).
In cosmetics, Magnesium Sulfate is used to thicken a product or help dilute other solids. It is a non-reactive and non-irritating ingredient.
One study shows magnesium deficiency may lead to inflammation of the skin. Applying magnesium topically may help reduce inflammation.
You can find this ingredient in sea water or mineral deposits.
Learn more about Magnesium SulfatePhenoxyethanol 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
