NARS Cosmetics Light Reflecting Loose Setting Powder Versus NARS Cosmetics Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Silica
Abrasive
Dimethicone
Emollient
Lauroyl Lysine
Skin Conditioning
Trimethylsiloxysilicate
Emollient
Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Magnesium Silicate
AbsorbentTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Polysilicone-2
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
CI 77120
Cosmetic ColorantAlumina
Abrasive
Maris Aqua
HumectantChlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
CI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantMica
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantSilica, Dimethicone, Lauroyl Lysine, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract, Glycerin, Magnesium Silicate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Polysilicone-2, Ethylhexylglycerin, Water, Citric Acid, CI 77120, Alumina, Maris Aqua, Chlorphenesin, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, Mica, CI 77891
Water
Skin ConditioningC9-12 Alkane
SolventButylene Glycol
Humectant
Undecane
EmollientTridecane
Perfuming
Isodecyl Neopentanoate
EmollientHydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientPolyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate
Emulsifying
Polyglyceryl-2 Diisostearate
Emulsifying
Disteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingDiisostearyl Malate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Synthetic Wax
Abrasive
Sodium Chloride
MaskingOphiopogon Japonicus Root Extract
Skin ConditioningAscophyllum Nodosum Extract
Skin ConditioningTheobroma Cacao Seed Extract
Antioxidant
Maris Aqua
HumectantMica
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantWater, C9-12 Alkane, Butylene Glycol, Undecane, Tridecane, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate, Polyglyceryl-2 Diisostearate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Diisostearyl Malate, Glycerin, Synthetic Wax, Sodium Chloride, Ophiopogon Japonicus Root Extract, Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract, Theobroma Cacao Seed Extract, Maris Aqua, Mica, 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.
Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract is from brown seaweed that grows in the northern Atlantic Ocean. It is an antioxidant. Antioxidants help fight off free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage our skin cells.
Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract is also used to enhance the texture of products.
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 77891Glycerin (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 GlycerinMaris Aqua is the INCI name for plain old sea water that is filtered and then dropped into a formula.
The name technically covers two slightly different things:
1) Actual sea water pulled from a particular depth and filtered down
2) "Marine spring water" which are fresh-water springs that resurface in the sea
Either way, you're getting water + a cocktail of minerals and trace elements (like magnesium, calcium, potassium sodium, etc).
Officially, COSIng recognizes this ingredient as a humectant that holds and retains moisture, and solvent that helps dissolve other ingredients.
The claims about this ingredient come from its minerals. A 2025 systematic review found that seawater-based therapy showed moderate effectiveness at reducing atopic dermatitis severity and improving skin barrier function.
It also showed favorable safety profile and very minimal adverse effects.
The underlying studies pointed to improvements in stratum corneum hydration, lower transepidermal water loss (TEWL), and a healthier microbial balance.
Much of this benefit is actually attributed to magnesium: a 2005 study found that bathing in a magnesium-rich Dead sea salt solution improved skin barrier function, boosted hydration, and reduced inflammation in atopic dry skin.
It's worth nothing most of this evidence comes from bathing/soaking protocols and mineral-rich waters like the Dead Sea (not necessarily a few drops on an ingredient list).
Overall, this is a gentle, well-tolerated, water-phase ingredient that can offer light hydration and a little mineral boost.
The only caveat is that very high salt concentrations can be drying for already-dry skin.
Learn more about Maris AquaMica is a naturally occurring mineral used to add shimmer and color in cosmetics. It can also help improve the texture of a product or give it an opaque, white/silver color.
Serecite is the name for very fine but ragged grains of mica.
This ingredient is often coated with metal oxides like titanium dioxide. Trace amounts of heavy metals may be found in mica, but these metals are not harmful in our personal products.
Mica has been used since prehistoric times throughout the world. Ancient Egyptian, Indian, Greek, Roman, Aztec, and Chinese civilizations have used mica.
Learn more about MicaWater. 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
