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
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butyloctyl Salicylate
Skin Conditioning
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Cocoglycerides
Emollient
Isododecane
EmollientCetyl Esters
Emollient
Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingDiisopropyl Sebacate
EmollientIsodecyl Neopentanoate
EmollientLauryl Lactate
EmollientArginine
Masking
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Polymethylsilsesquioxane
Raphanus Sativus Seed Oil
Emollient
Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate
Skin ProtectingHelianthus Annuus Seed Wax
Skin Conditioning
Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingChlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil
Masking
Plantago Lanceolata Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialGlycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Oil
Masking
Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Oil
Skin Protecting
Elettaria Cardamomum Seed Oil
Masking
Eugenia Caryophyllus Leaf Oil
Masking
Cinnamomum Cassia Leaf Oil
Masking
Vanillin
Masking
Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil
Perfuming
Lavandula Hybrida Grosso Herb Oil
Perfuming
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%, Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%, Octocrylene 10%, Water, Glycerin, Butyloctyl Salicylate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Propanediol, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Cocoglycerides, Isododecane, Cetyl Esters, Cetyl Phosphate, Diisopropyl Sebacate, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Lauryl Lactate, Arginine, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Raphanus Sativus Seed Oil, Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Wax, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Chlorphenesin, Xanthan Gum, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil, Plantago Lanceolata Leaf Extract, Glycine Soja Oil, Tocopherol, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Oil, Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Oil, Elettaria Cardamomum Seed Oil, Eugenia Caryophyllus Leaf Oil, Cinnamomum Cassia Leaf Oil, Vanillin, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Lavandula Hybrida Grosso Herb Oil
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Olus Oil
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Distarch Phosphate
AbsorbentHydrogenated Canola Oil
Skin Conditioning
Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol
UV Filter
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Ethylhexyl Salicylate
UV Absorber
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides
Emollient
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialDiethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate
UV Filter
Acrylates Copolymer
Ethylhexyl Triazone
UV Absorber
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
C8-22 Alkyl Acrylates/Methacrylic Acid Crosspolymer
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Squalane
Emollient
Hydrogenated Phosphatidylcholine
Emulsifying
Cocoglycerides
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Silica
Abrasive
Propyl Alcohol
Solvent
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingCanola Oil
Emollient
Lecithin
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil
Emollient
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Potassium Phosphate
BufferingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Disodium Phosphate
BufferingBetula Alba Bark Extract
Masking
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Olus Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Distarch Phosphate, Hydrogenated Canola Oil, Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol, Titanium Dioxide, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Acrylates Copolymer, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Palmitic Acid, C8-22 Alkyl Acrylates/Methacrylic Acid Crosspolymer, Stearic Acid, Squalane, Hydrogenated Phosphatidylcholine, Cocoglycerides, Tocopheryl Acetate, Niacinamide, Panthenol, Alcohol, Sodium Hydroxide, Decyl Glucoside, Silica, Propyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum, Cetyl Phosphate, Canola Oil, Lecithin, Xanthan Gum, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil, Propylene Glycol, Potassium Phosphate, Tocopherol, Citric Acid, Disodium Phosphate, Betula Alba Bark Extract, Ceramide NP
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 BenzoateCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.
Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.
In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.
While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.
Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.
This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.
This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideCetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
It plays several roles in a formula:
Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholWe don't have a description for Cetyl Phosphate yet.
Cocoglycerides is made from the mono, di and triglycerides of coconut oil. It is an emollient and emulsifer.
Emollients are a type of moisturizer. They create a thin film on top of the skin. This film prevents moisture from escaping, keeping the skin hydrated.
Emulsifiers prevent ingredients from separating. Examples of this include oils and water, which naturally do not mix. Emulsifiers helps elongate the shelf life of a product. They also help the product stay consistent in texture.
Learn more about CocoglyceridesEthylhexyl 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 GlycerinTocopherol 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 TocopherolWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
