What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningEthylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
UV Absorber
Ethylhexyl Salicylate
UV Absorber
Homosalate
Skin Conditioning
Benzophenone-3
UV Absorber
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Melanin
Skin ProtectingGlycerin
Humectant
Sorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Butylparaben
Masking
Ethylparaben
Preservative
Propylparaben
Preservative
Methylal
SolventCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingWater
Skin ConditioningOctocrylene
UV Absorber
Ethylhexyl Salicylate
UV Absorber
Propanediol
Solvent
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Polymethyl Methacrylate
Dimethicone
Emollient
Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid
UV Absorber
Polysilicone-15
UV Filter
Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
EmollientTromethamine
BufferingBis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Silica
Abrasive
Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
PEG-10 Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Disodium EDTA
PEG-8
HumectantTocopherol
Antioxidant
Tropolone
Skin ConditioningAscorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Octocrylene, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Propanediol, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Dimethicone, Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid, Polysilicone-15, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Tromethamine, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Silica, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polysorbate 60, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Xanthan Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Parfum, Disodium EDTA, PEG-8, Tocopherol, Tropolone, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Ascorbic Acid, Citric Acid
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Also known as Avobenzone, this ingredient is an oil-soluble used to absorb the full spectrum of UVA rays (peak 357 nm).
It's one of the most effective UVA filters available but has a major caveat of photostability: avobenzone is susceptible to photodegradation.
This means it can lose efficacy when exposed to sunlight without the help of a stabilizing agent.
Studies show antioxidants (like vitamin E or vitamin C) and some UV filters (like octocrylene and Tinosorb S) can meaningfully improve its stability in a formulation.
The maximum allowable concentration according to regulation is 3% in the US + Canada, and 5% in the EU, Australia, China, Korea, and ASEAN countries.
It has a well-support safety profile: a comprehensive 2025 review found minimal toxicity with no evidence of carcinogenicity.
Overall, avobenzone is a safe and regulated ingredient used in sunscreen for over 40 years.
Learn more about Butyl MethoxydibenzoylmethaneEthylhexyl 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 SalicylatePolysorbate 60 is used to help stabilize products. It is a surfactant and emulsifier. These properties help keep ingredients together in a product. Surfactants help reduce surface tension between ingredients with different states, such as liquids and solids. Emulsifiers help prevent oils and waters from separating.
Polysorbate 60 is sorbitol-based and created from the ethoxylation of sorbitan. Ethoxylation is a chemical reaction used to add ethylene oxide. Sorbitan is a the dehydrated version of sorbitol, a sugar found in fruits.
In this case, the 60 comes from reacting 60 units of ethylene oxide with sorbitan.
Polysorbates are commonly used in medicine and foods.
Learn more about Polysorbate 60Water. 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
