What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 2.7%
UV Absorber
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate 6.99%
UV Absorber
Octocrylene 2%
UV Absorber
Water
Skin ConditioningCarthamus Tinctorius Oleosomes
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialMethyl Gluceth-20
Humectant
Glycolic Acid
Buffering
Polyacrylamide
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Cyclohexasiloxane
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingC13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Polysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Laureth-7
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
Buffering
Parfum
Masking
CI 77163
Cosmetic Colorant
Mandelic Acid
Antimicrobial
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Synthetic Fluorphlogopite
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Gluconic Acid
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
BHT
Antioxidant
Evodia Rutaecarpa Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Bicarbonate
Abrasive
Yeast Extract
Skin ConditioningMagnesium Stearate
Cosmetic ColorantOpuntia Coccinellifera Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningSilica Dimethyl Silylate
EmollientCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Silanetriol
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingButyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 2.7%, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate 6.99%, Octocrylene 2%, Water, Carthamus Tinctorius Oleosomes, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Methyl Gluceth-20, Glycolic Acid, Polyacrylamide, Cyclopentasiloxane, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Cyclohexasiloxane, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Cetyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 80, Laureth-7, Citric Acid, Parfum, CI 77163, Mandelic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Disodium EDTA, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Propanediol, Gluconic Acid, Adenosine, Sodium Benzoate, BHT, Evodia Rutaecarpa Fruit Extract, Sodium Bicarbonate, Yeast Extract, Magnesium Stearate, Opuntia Coccinellifera Flower Extract, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hyaluronic Acid, Silanetriol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sorbic Acid, Hexylene Glycol
Colloidal Oatmeal 0.5%
Absorbent
Water
Skin ConditioningStearic Acid
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingTetrasodium EDTA
Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil
Perfuming
Colloidal Oatmeal 0.5%, Water, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Squalane, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Allantoin, Sodium Hydroxide, Tetrasodium EDTA, Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Ceramide NP, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
C12-15 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 BenzoateCaprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolGlycerin (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 PhenoxyethanolSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideWater. 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
