mCaffeine Water Light Gel Oil-Free Coffee Moisturizer Versus mCaffeine Green Tea Sunscreen SPF 50 PA++ with Niacinamide
This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Sodium Hyaluronate and Caffeine to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.
This chemical sunscreen covers most of the UV range, lighter on the deep UVA that drives aging.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Diheptyl Succinate
EmollientCapryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer
Lecithin
Emollient
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Coffea Arabica Seed Extract
Masking
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide Ns
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide As
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Phytosterols
Skin Conditioning
Oleic Acid
Emollient
Linolenic Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningHydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Retinoyl Hyaluronate
Zinc Hydrolyzed Hyaluronate
HumectantSodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Dimethylsilanol Hyaluronate
Humectant
Ascorbylpropyl Hydrolyzed Hyaluronate
HumectantAscorbyl Propyl Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Laminaria Digitata Extract
Skin Protecting
Cetyl-Pg Hydroxyethyl Palmitamide
Skin ConditioningSodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingHydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientTrideceth-10
CleansingTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
CI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantCI 16035
Cosmetic ColorantCI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Diheptyl Succinate, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Glycerin, Propanediol, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Lecithin, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Caffeine, Coffea Arabica Seed Extract, Ceramide EOP, Ceramide Ns, Ceramide NP, Ceramide As, Ceramide AP, Phytosterols, Oleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Potassium Hyaluronate, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Pentylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Retinoyl Hyaluronate, Zinc Hydrolyzed Hyaluronate, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Dimethylsilanol Hyaluronate, Ascorbylpropyl Hydrolyzed Hyaluronate, Ascorbyl Propyl Hyaluronate, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Cetyl-Pg Hydroxyethyl Palmitamide, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Trideceth-10, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Benzoate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, CI 19140, CI 16035, CI 42090
Water
Skin ConditioningDiisopropyl Adipate
EmollientPropylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
EmollientC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialDiisopropyl Sebacate
EmollientEthylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
UV Absorber
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Octocrylene
UV Absorber
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientMethylpropanediol
SolventMethyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningOctenidine Hcl
AntimicrobialPolyacrylate-13
Polyisobutene
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningAcacia Senegal Gum
MaskingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingLecithin
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Parfum
Masking
Colostrum
Skin Conditioning
Water, Diisopropyl Adipate, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Diisopropyl Sebacate, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Octocrylene, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Methylpropanediol, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Caffeine, Hyaluronic Acid, Niacinamide, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Octenidine Hcl, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Polysorbate 20, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Gluconate, Acacia Senegal Gum, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hydroxide, Lecithin, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Parfum, Colostrum
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 BenzoateCaffeine is a naturally occurring plant compound found in coffee beans, tea leaves, cocoa pods, and guarana.
As an antioxidant, caffeine protects your skin from free radical damage caused by UV exposure and envionrmnetal stressors.
Early research also shows that caffeine can help calm redness, soothe irritated skin, and support hair growth by stimulating microcirculation in the scalp.
You might have seen eye creams marketing caffeine as a depuffing ingredient. This is because it is a vasoconstrictor meaning it can temporarily constrict blood vessels, though clinical evidence for this specific use is still limited.
Most skincare products contain this ingredient at concentrations between 1-6%. It is able to penetrate skin easily regardless of skin type or thickness.
Just so you know, a very small number of case reports describe caffeine-induced allergy. This ingredient is generally well-tolerated, non-irritating, and non-sensitizing for the majority of people.
Learn more about CaffeineEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinLecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of phospholipids.
Thanks to its amphiphilic structure (water-loving head and oil-loving tail), it is a true multitasker:
It plays well with most ingredients and is typically used at 0.1-1%. However, concentrations up to 50% have been reported in moisturizers.
Learn more about LecithinPhenoxyethanol 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 PhenoxyethanolWater. 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
