What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDiisopropyl Adipate
EmollientDiethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate
UV Filter
Dicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Silica
Abrasive
Ethylhexyl Triazone
UV Absorber
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
Emollient
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialDiethylhexyl Butamido Triazone
UV Absorber
Ceteareth-20
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Acrylates/C12-22 Alkyl Methacrylate Copolymer
Polyester-7
Skin Conditioning1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate
EmollientTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingParfum
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Arginine
Masking
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCoco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate
CleansingPolysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Lecithin
Emollient
Lepidium Sativum Sprout Extract
Skin ConditioningWater, Diisopropyl Adipate, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Dicaprylyl Ether, Silica, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Diethylhexyl Butamido Triazone, Ceteareth-20, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Acrylates/C12-22 Alkyl Methacrylate Copolymer, Polyester-7, 1,2-Hexanediol, Niacinamide, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Parfum, Tocopherol, Caprylyl Glycol, Arginine, Xanthan Gum, Coco-Glucoside, Glycine Soja Oil, Citric Acid, Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Lecithin, Lepidium Sativum Sprout Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningTitanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Isodecyl Neopentanoate
EmollientTriethylhexanoin
MaskingC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialGlycerin
Humectant
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate
Emulsifying
Alumina
Abrasive
Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Hexyl Laurate
Emollient
C30-45 Alkyl Methicone
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
C30-45 Olefin
Skin ConditioningCyclohexasiloxane
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
CI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantOctyldodecanol
Emollient
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Silica Dimethyl Silylate
EmollientSilk Amino Acids
HumectantSodium Chloride
MaskingSorbic Acid
Preservative
Talc
Abrasive
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantTocopheryl Glucoside
EmollientXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingWater, Titanium Dioxide, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Triethylhexanoin, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Glycerin, Cyclopentasiloxane, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Alumina, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Hexyl Laurate, C30-45 Alkyl Methicone, Stearic Acid, C30-45 Olefin, Cyclohexasiloxane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Caprylyl Glycol, Disodium EDTA, CI 77492, Octyldodecanol, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Silk Amino Acids, Sodium Chloride, Sorbic Acid, Talc, CI 77891, Tocopheryl Glucoside, Xanthan Gum
Reviews
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 BenzoateCaprylyl 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 GlycolGlycerin (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 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
