What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 2.5%
UV Absorber
Homosalate 8%
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%
UV Absorber
Water
Skin ConditioningCarthamus Tinctorius Oleosomes
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialPolyester-7
Skin ConditioningAmmonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate
EmollientCarthamus Tinctorius Seedcake Extract
Skin ProtectingAphanizomenon Flos-Aquae Extract
HumectantInulin Lauryl Carbamate
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingBiosaccharide Gum-4
Skin Conditioning
Cerium Oxide
Platinum Powder
Abrasive
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenethyl Alcohol
MaskingChlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 2.5%, Homosalate 8%, Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%, Water, Carthamus Tinctorius Oleosomes, Glycerin, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Polyester-7, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Carthamus Tinctorius Seedcake Extract, Aphanizomenon Flos-Aquae Extract, Inulin Lauryl Carbamate, Xanthan Gum, Biosaccharide Gum-4, Cerium Oxide, Platinum Powder, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenethyl Alcohol, Chlorphenesin
Zinc Oxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Water
Skin ConditioningC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialIsopentyldiol
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Bis-Octyldodecyl Dimer Dilinoleate/Propanediol Copolymer
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Polyhydroxystearic Acid
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sucrose Stearate
EmollientCeramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide Ng
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide As
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Carnosine
Skin Conditioning
Phytosterols
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Dimethicone
Emollient
Triethoxycaprylylsilane
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-11
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Zinc Oxide, Water, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Isopentyldiol, Squalane, Glycerin, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Bis-Octyldodecyl Dimer Dilinoleate/Propanediol Copolymer, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sucrose Stearate, Ceramide EOP, Ceramide Ng, Ceramide NP, Ceramide As, Ceramide AP, Carnosine, Phytosterols, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Dimethicone, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-11, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
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 BenzoateGlycerin (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
