What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%
UV Absorber
Homosalate 12%
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%
UV Absorber
Octocrylene 2.35%
UV Absorber
Benzophenone-3 6%
UV Absorber
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Diethylhexyl 2,6-Naphthalate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Trisiloxane
Skin Conditioning
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Caprylyl Methicone
Skin Conditioning
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningMethylparaben
Preservative
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPropylparaben
Preservative
Disodium EDTA
BHT
Antioxidant
Methylisothiazolinone
Preservative
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%, Homosalate 12%, Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%, Octocrylene 2.35%, Benzophenone-3 6%, Water, Dimethicone, Diethylhexyl 2,6-Naphthalate, Glycerin, Trisiloxane, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Methicone, Behenyl Alcohol, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Benzyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Methylparaben, Cetearyl Glucoside, Xanthan Gum, Propylparaben, Disodium EDTA, BHT, Methylisothiazolinone
Zinc Oxide 15%
Cosmetic Colorant
Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%
UV Absorber
Water
Skin ConditioningIsododecane
EmollientCyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer
Glycerin
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Octyldodecyl Neopentanoate
EmollientBehenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Rosa Multiflora Fruit Extract
MaskingEriobotrya Japonica Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningStearyl Glycyrrhetinate
Skin ConditioningGlycyrrhiza Inflata Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Pistacia Lentiscus Gum
MaskingSericin
Skin ConditioningAlgae Extract
EmollientLecithin
Emollient
Inositol
Humectant
Polyhydroxystearic Acid
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Tristearate
EmulsifyingSodium Dilauramidoglutamide Lysine
HumectantSilica
Abrasive
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Beheneth-20
EmulsifyingSodium Acrylate/Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Dimethylacrylamide Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPolymethylsilsesquioxane
Methicone
Emollient
Trimethylsiloxysilicate
Emollient
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Parfum
Masking
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAlcohol
Antimicrobial
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
CI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantMica
Cosmetic ColorantZinc Oxide 15%, Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%, Water, Isododecane, Cyclopentasiloxane, Propanediol, Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Octyldodecyl Neopentanoate, Behenyl Alcohol, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Rosa Multiflora Fruit Extract, Eriobotrya Japonica Leaf Extract, Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate, Glycyrrhiza Inflata Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Pistacia Lentiscus Gum, Sericin, Algae Extract, Lecithin, Inositol, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Sorbitan Tristearate, Sodium Dilauramidoglutamide Lysine, Silica, Potassium Sorbate, Beheneth-20, Sodium Acrylate/Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Dimethylacrylamide Crosspolymer, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Methicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Dimethiconol, Disodium EDTA, Parfum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, CI 77491, CI 77891, 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.
Behenyl Alcohol is a type of fatty alcohol (these are different from the drying, solvent alcohols).
Fatty Alcohols have hydrating properties and are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product. They are usually derived from natural fats and oils; behenyl alcohol is derived from the fats of vegetable oils.
Emollients help keep your skin soft and hydrated by creating a film that traps moisture in.
In 2000, Behenyl Alcohol was approved by the US as medicine to reduce the duration of cold sores.
Learn more about Behenyl AlcoholDimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
What it does:
Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.
Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.
Learn more about DimethiconeDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAEthylhexyl 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 SalicylateEthylhexylglycerin 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 EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinWater. 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
