What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
UV Absorber
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Dimethicone
Emollient
Ethylhexyl Salicylate
UV Absorber
Cellulose Acetate
Octocrylene
UV Absorber
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-2
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Cellulose Acetate Butyrate
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPhospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Propylene Glycol Stearate
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Water, Butylene Glycol, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Dimethicone, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Cellulose Acetate, Octocrylene, Titanium Dioxide, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-2, Phenoxyethanol, Cellulose Acetate Butyrate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Phospholipids, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum, Propylene Glycol Stearate, Glycerin, Caprylyl Glycol
Water
Skin ConditioningEthylhexyl Salicylate
UV Absorber
Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate
UV Filter
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Coco-Caprylate
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientEthylhexyl Triazone
UV Absorber
Dibutyl Adipate
EmollientTriacontanyl Pvp
HumectantPoloxamer 407
EmulsifyingGlycerin
Humectant
Illite
Abrasive
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Acrylates/C12-22 Alkyl Methacrylate Copolymer
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingSodium Carboxymethyl Beta-Glucan
CleansingCarnosine
Skin Conditioning
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
PPG-12/Smdi Copolymer
EmollientSodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Arginine
Masking
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate
CleansingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Water, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Coco-Caprylate, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Dibutyl Adipate, Triacontanyl Pvp, Poloxamer 407, Glycerin, Illite, Niacinamide, Acrylates/C12-22 Alkyl Methacrylate Copolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Sodium Carboxymethyl Beta-Glucan, Carnosine, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, PPG-12/Smdi Copolymer, Sodium Polyacrylate, Panthenol, Allantoin, Arginine, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Coco-Glucoside, Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate, Pentylene Glycol, Tocopherol, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
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 GlycolCaprylyl 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 GlycolDimethicone 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 DimethiconeEthylhexyl 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 SalicylateGlycerin (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
