What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%
UV Absorber
Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%
UV Absorber
Octocrylene 10%
UV Absorber
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialCalendula Officinalis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil
Antimicrobial
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Dibutyl Ethylhexanoyl Glutamide
Skin ConditioningDibutyl Lauroyl Glutamide
Skin ConditioningDicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientDiethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate
Skin ProtectingHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Isododecane
EmollientIsohexadecane
EmollientLimnanthes Alba Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Mauritia Flexuosa Fruit Oil
Skin Conditioning
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Pentaclethra Macroloba Seed Oil
Emollient
Polyester-8
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%, Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%, Octocrylene 10%, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Calendula Officinalis Extract, Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dibutyl Ethylhexanoyl Glutamide, Dibutyl Lauroyl Glutamide, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Isododecane, Isohexadecane, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Mauritia Flexuosa Fruit Oil, Octyldodecanol, Pentaclethra Macroloba Seed Oil, Polyester-8, Tocopherol
Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
EmollientDimethicone
Emollient
Silica
Abrasive
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
UV Absorber
Polyethylene
Abrasive
Butyloctyl Salicylate
Skin Conditioning
Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer
Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientEthylhexyl Salicylate
UV Absorber
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientTriethylhexanoin
MaskingParaffin
Skin ConditioningDiethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate
UV Filter
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Octocrylene
UV Absorber
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Microcrystalline Wax
Emulsion StabilisingGlycyrrhiza Uralensis Extract
EmollientCaesalpinia Spinosa Fruit Extract
Skin ProtectingBacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Candida/Garcinia Cambogia Ferment
Kappaphycus Alvarezii Extract
Skin ConditioningOryza Sativa Germ Oil
Emollient
Schisandra Chinensis Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Emollient
Lithospermum Erythrorhizon Root Extract
Skin ConditioningCurcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Phytosteryl/Isostearyl/Cetyl/Stearyl/Behenyl Dimer Dilinoleate
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientEthylhexyl Hydroxystearate
Emollient
Disteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingPropylene Carbonate
SolventCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientAdenosine
Skin Conditioning
Aluminum Hydroxide
EmollientTriethoxycaprylylsilane
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Soluble Proteoglycan
Skin ConditioningSodium Dna
Skin Conditioning
Parfum
Masking
Butylparaben
Masking
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Benzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
Hydroxycitronellal
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
CI 77163
Cosmetic Colorant
Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Dimethicone, Silica, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Polyethylene, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Triethylhexanoin, Paraffin, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Octocrylene, Sorbitan Isostearate, Microcrystalline Wax, Glycyrrhiza Uralensis Extract, Caesalpinia Spinosa Fruit Extract, Bacillus Ferment, Candida/Garcinia Cambogia Ferment, Kappaphycus Alvarezii Extract, Oryza Sativa Germ Oil, Schisandra Chinensis Fruit Extract, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Lithospermum Erythrorhizon Root Extract, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Phytosteryl/Isostearyl/Cetyl/Stearyl/Behenyl Dimer Dilinoleate, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Ethylhexyl Hydroxystearate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Propylene Carbonate, Caprylyl Glycol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Adenosine, Aluminum Hydroxide, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Tocopherol, Water, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Soluble Proteoglycan, Sodium Dna, Parfum, Butylparaben, Hexyl Cinnamal, Benzyl Salicylate, Hydroxycitronellal, Citronellol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Linalool, Titanium Dioxide, CI 77163, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Dicaprylyl Carbonate comes from carbonic acid and caprylyl alcohol, a fatty alcohol. It is an emollient and gives skin a velvet feel. The sources of Dicaprylyl Carbonate may be synthetic or from animals.
As an emollient, Dicaprylyl Carbonate creates a film on the skin. This film traps moisture in, keeping your skin soft and hydrated.
Ethylhexyl 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 SalicylateOctocrylene is an oil-soluble organic UV filter that mainly absorbs UVB and short wave UVA II light.
Its real superpower is teamwork: octocrylene is remarkably photostable and is most famous for stabilizing avobenzone (the workhorse UVA filter).
This ingredient is commonly used to enhance both UVB and UVA protection due to its unique property in stabilizing avobenzone. It also pulls double duty by boosting water resistance and giving formulas a smooth, spreadable feel.
The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) has deemed octocrylene to be safe as a UV-filter at concentrations up to 10% (capped at 9% in propellant sprays). The US also permits it up to 10%.
Two things worth knowing:
You'll usually see this ingredient used in concentrations between 2-10% (higher amounts when used as a stabilizer for avobenzone).
Learn more about OctocryleneTocopherol 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 Tocopherol
