What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Octocrylene 10%
UV Absorber
Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%
UV Absorber
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%
UV Absorber
Water
Skin ConditioningCI 77163
Cosmetic Colorant
Propanediol
Solvent
Butyloctyl Salicylate
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialPolyglyceryl-6 Stearate
Emollient
Isododecane
EmollientTerminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Pullulan
Lysolecithin
EmulsifyingTetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Sclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingHydrated Silica
Abrasive
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Polyglyceryl-6 Behenate
Emulsion Stabilising
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Iron Oxides
Octocrylene 10%, Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%, Water, CI 77163, Propanediol, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Glycerin, Mica, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate, Isododecane, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Tocopherol, Pullulan, Lysolecithin, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Sclerotium Gum, Xanthan Gum, Hydrated Silica, Titanium Dioxide, Polyglyceryl-6 Behenate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citric Acid, Iron Oxides
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%
UV Absorber
Homosalate 7.3%
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%
UV Absorber
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Butyloctyl Salicylate
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexyl Methoxycrylene
Skin Conditioning
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantBetaine
Humectant
Shorea Stenoptera Seed Butter
Emollient
Vp/Hexadecene Copolymer
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Arginine
Masking
Serine
Masking
Alanine
Masking
Glycine
Buffering
Threonine
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Valine
MaskingHistidine
Humectant
Isoleucine
Skin ConditioningPhenylalanine
Masking
Aspartic Acid
Masking
Spirodela Polyrhiza Extract
Skin ConditioningPCA
Humectant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Dibutyl Lauroyl Glutamide
Skin ConditioningDibutyl Ethylhexanoyl Glutamide
Skin ConditioningGlycolipids
Skin ConditioningDipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Tromethamine
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%, Homosalate 7.3%, Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%, Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Ethylhexyl Methoxycrylene, Dipropylene Glycol, Betaine, Shorea Stenoptera Seed Butter, Vp/Hexadecene Copolymer, Ceramide NP, Arginine, Serine, Alanine, Glycine, Threonine, Proline, Valine, Histidine, Isoleucine, Phenylalanine, Aspartic Acid, Spirodela Polyrhiza Extract, PCA, Sodium PCA, Bisabolol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Dibutyl Lauroyl Glutamide, Dibutyl Ethylhexanoyl Glutamide, Glycolipids, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Sodium Lactate, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Carbomer, Pentylene Glycol, Tromethamine, Phenoxyethanol
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 MethoxydibenzoylmethaneButyloctyl Salicylate is a chemical UV filter structurally similar to octisalate. It is a photostabilizer, SPF booster, emollient and solvent. This ingredient helps evenly spread out ingredients.
According to a manufacturer, it is suitable for pairing with micro Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, and pigments.
Photostabilizers help stabilize UV-filters and prevents them from degrading quickly.
Learn more about Butyloctyl SalicylateEthylhexyl 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 SalicylatePhenoxyethanol 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 PhenoxyethanolWater. 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
