What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Dimethicone
Emollient
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Nylon-12
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Paraffin
Perfuming
Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientPEG-10 Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Sorbitan Sesquiisostearate
Emulsifying
PEG-400
Emulsion StabilisingSilica
Abrasive
Aluminum Hydroxide
EmollientPolysilicone-2
Cera Microcristallina
Emulsion StabilisingCI 77120
Cosmetic ColorantDistearyldimonium Chloride
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Hydrogen Dimethicone
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Alumina
Abrasive
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
CI 77163
Cosmetic Colorant
Iron Oxides
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantDimethicone, Water, Glycerin, Nylon-12, Butylene Glycol, Paraffin, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Sorbitan Sesquiisostearate, PEG-400, Silica, Aluminum Hydroxide, Polysilicone-2, Cera Microcristallina, CI 77120, Distearyldimonium Chloride, Palmitic Acid, Hydrogen Dimethicone, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ascorbic Acid, Retinyl Palmitate, Alumina, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, CI 77163, Iron Oxides, 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.
Alumina is another name for the compound aluminum oxide. It is a white powder used as a thickener, absorbent, and abrasive.
As an absorbent, alumina can give a mattifying effect. It is used in mineral sunscreens to help coat nano-sized filters, such as titanium dioxide. By increasing the size of the UV filters, these ingredients stay on the skin for a longer time. By coating small sized ingredients, alumina helps thicken a product.
Alumina may be used as an abrasive, or exfoliant.
Alumina is naturally occurring in the mineral corundum. Certain varieties of corundum create rubies and sapphires. Corundum is also the crystalline form of alumina.
Learn more about AluminaSilica, also known as silicon dioxide, is a naturally occurring mineral. It is used as a fine, spherical, and porous powder in cosmetics.
Though it has exfoliant properties, the function of silica varies depending on the product.
The unique structure of silica enhances the spreadability and adds smoothness, making it a great texture enhancer.
It is also used as an active carrier, emulsifier, and mattifier due to its ability to absorb excess oil.
In some products, tiny microneedles called spicules are made from silica or hydrolyzed sponge. When you rub them in, they lightly polish away dead skin layers and enhance the penetration of active ingredients.
Learn more about SilicaTocopherol 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 TocopherolThis 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
