What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningIsohexadecane
EmollientIsododecane
EmollientDimethicone
Emollient
Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Trimethylsiloxysilicate
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
C13-15 Alkane
SolventGlycerin
Humectant
Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
PEG-10 Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Chloride
MaskingDisteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingTriethoxycaprylylsilane
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Tribehenin
Emollient
Polysilicone-11
Sorbitan Sesquioleate
Emulsifying
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Polymethyl Methacrylate
Punica Granatum Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningPropylene Carbonate
SolventAlpinia Galanga Extract
Skin ConditioningPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Trisodium EDTA
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantIron Oxides
Water, Isohexadecane, Isododecane, Dimethicone, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Butylene Glycol, C13-15 Alkane, Glycerin, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Sodium Chloride, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Phenoxyethanol, Tribehenin, Polysilicone-11, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Maltodextrin, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Punica Granatum Seed Extract, Propylene Carbonate, Alpinia Galanga Extract, Pentylene Glycol, Trisodium EDTA, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hyaluronate, CI 77891, Iron Oxides
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
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 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 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
