What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialOctocrylene
UV Absorber
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol
UV Filter
Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Tribehenin
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Diethylhexyl Butamido Triazone
UV Absorber
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Parfum
Masking
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingMethylparaben
Preservative
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Ethylhexyl Salicylate
UV Absorber
Actinidia Chinensis Fruit Water
MaskingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Ethylparaben
Preservative
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Hydrolyzed Rice Protein
Skin ConditioningPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingAlcohol
Antimicrobial
Tetrasodium EDTA
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Medicago Sativa Extract
TonicSorbitan Laurate
Emulsifying
Panax Ginseng Extract
Antioxidant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingDipropylene Glycol
HumectantPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Morus Alba Extract
AstringentSophora Angustifolia Root Extract
Skin ConditioningHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingAcetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningMethyl Benzoate
Perfuming
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantWater, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Octocrylene, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Butylene Glycol, Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Tribehenin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Diethylhexyl Butamido Triazone, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Decyl Glucoside, Parfum, Mica, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Methylparaben, Xanthan Gum, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Actinidia Chinensis Fruit Water, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ethylparaben, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Potassium Hydroxide, Alcohol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Retinyl Palmitate, Medicago Sativa Extract, Sorbitan Laurate, Panax Ginseng Extract, Carbomer, Dipropylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Morus Alba Extract, Sophora Angustifolia Root Extract, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester, Sodium Benzoate, Ascorbic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Methyl Benzoate, Tocopherol, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, CI 77891
Water
Skin ConditioningC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialTitanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Propanediol
Solvent
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Acrylates Copolymer
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate
Emollient1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Aluminum Stearate
Cosmetic ColorantPolyhydroxystearic Acid
Emulsifying
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Polymethylsilsesquioxane
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Pinus Pinaster Bark Extract
Antioxidant
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Ficus Carica Fruit Extract
Humectant
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Silica
Abrasive
Alumina
Abrasive
Glycerin
Humectant
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose Stearoxy Ether
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingPolyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Astaxanthin
Skin Conditioning
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Ascorbyl Propyl Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingT-Butyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Titanium Dioxide, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Acrylates Copolymer, Niacinamide, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Aluminum Stearate, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Pentylene Glycol, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Pinus Pinaster Bark Extract, Ceramide NP, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Ficus Carica Fruit Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Silica, Alumina, Glycerin, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Stearic Acid, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose Stearoxy Ether, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Tocopherol, Astaxanthin, Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Ascorbyl Propyl Hyaluronate, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Adenosine, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, T-Butyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 BenzoateEthylhexylglycerin 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 GlycerinSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateTocopherol 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 TocopherolWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
