What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Caprylic/Capric/Succinic Triglyceride
EmollientVinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer
Synthetic Wax
Abrasive
Octocrylene
UV Absorber
Silica
Abrasive
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
UV Absorber
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialDiethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate
UV Filter
Ethylhexyl Salicylate
UV Absorber
Diethylhexyl Carbonate
EmollientPhenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Polyisobutene
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Microcrystalline Wax
Emulsion Stabilising1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Sorbitan Sesquioleate
Emulsifying
Caprylic/Capric Glycerides
EmollientParfum
Masking
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Water
Masking
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningLavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract
Cleansing
Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningRosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialOriganum Majorana Leaf Extract
AntiseborrhoeicChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract
CleansingThymus Vulgaris Leaf Extract
Skin ProtectingNiacinamide
Smoothing
Calluna Vulgaris Extract
Skin ConditioningPotentilla Anserina Extract
Skin ConditioningSilybum Marianum Extract
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric/Succinic Triglyceride, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Synthetic Wax, Octocrylene, Silica, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Diethylhexyl Carbonate, Phenyl Trimethicone, Polyisobutene, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Microcrystalline Wax, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Parfum, Cetyl Alcohol, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Water, Butylene Glycol, Water, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract, Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Origanum Majorana Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract, Thymus Vulgaris Leaf Extract, Niacinamide, Calluna Vulgaris Extract, Potentilla Anserina Extract, Silybum Marianum Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin
Homosalate 9.5%
Skin Conditioning
Octocrylene 5%
UV Absorber
Ethylhexyl Salicylate 4.5%
UV Absorber
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%
UV Absorber
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
EmollientDibutyl Lauroyl Glutamide
Skin ConditioningDiisostearyl Malate
EmollientDibutyl Ethylhexanoyl Glutamide
Skin ConditioningButyloctyl Salicylate
Skin Conditioning
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialDextrin Palmitate
Emulsifying
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil
Antimicrobial
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
Skin ConditioningMaltodextrin
Absorbent
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Candida Bombicola/Glucose/Methyl Rapeseedate Ferment
AntimicrobialCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Humectant
Copper Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Homosalate 9.5%, Octocrylene 5%, Ethylhexyl Salicylate 4.5%, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%, Octyldodecanol, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Dibutyl Lauroyl Glutamide, Diisostearyl Malate, Dibutyl Ethylhexanoyl Glutamide, Butyloctyl Salicylate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Dextrin Palmitate, Water, Sodium Hyaluronate, Squalane, Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Maltodextrin, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, 1,2-Hexanediol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Centella Asiatica Extract, Candida Bombicola/Glucose/Methyl Rapeseedate Ferment, Ceramide NP, Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopherol, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Copper Tripeptide-1
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
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 GlycolC12-15 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 BenzoateEthylhexyl Salicylate (also called Octisalate or Octyl Salicylate) is an oil-soluble organic UV filter that's been used in sunscreen since the 1950's.
It absorbs UVB light in the 280-320 nm range with a peak absorbance around 306 nm.
You'll often see it paired with other UV filters to boost overall SPF because octisalate is a fairly week filter on its own.
The reason you'll see it so often is because it can help solubilize and stabilize the trickier filters like oxybenzone and avobenzone.
Unlike these filters, octisalate has pretty good photostability and doesn't create skin-damaging free radicals when exposed to sunlight.
The fatty-alcohol part of the molecule also gives it a light, emollient feel so it doubles as a nice texture enhancer.
Usage levels vary around the world:
Safety-wise, this ingredient has a pretty reassuring track record. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Products (SCCP) found very low skin penetration in human skin tests and negative results for irritation, phototoxicity, and photoallergy.
The real-world allergy risk is pretty low too; a 2012 European study of 1,031 people recorded only 2 reactions to it (a rate of 0.19%).
You might have seen scary headlines about sunscreen getting into your blood.
In 2019, the FDA found that several chemical filters can absorb through the skin and show up in the bloodstream at small but measurable levels.
Here's the important part: these tiny levels are just a cutoff the FDA uses to decide which ingredients need more testing and doesn't mean anything harmful was found.
The researchers were clear that the results are no reason to stop wearing sunscreen.
Learn more about Ethylhexyl SalicylateOctocrylene is an oil-soluble organic UV filter that mainly absorbs UVB and short wave UVA II light.
Its real superpower is teamwork: octocrylene is remarkably photostable and is most famous for stabilizing avobenzone (the workhorse UVA filter).
This ingredient is commonly used to enhance both UVB and UVA protection due to its unique property in stabilizing avobenzone. It also pulls double duty by boosting water resistance and giving formulas a smooth, spreadable feel.
The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) has deemed octocrylene to be safe as a UV-filter at concentrations up to 10% (capped at 9% in propellant sprays). The US also permits it up to 10%.
Two things worth knowing:
You'll usually see this ingredient used in concentrations between 2-10% (higher amounts when used as a stabilizer for avobenzone).
Learn more about OctocryleneWater. 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
