What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
EDTA
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialOctocrylene
UV Absorber
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Benzophenone-3
UV Absorber
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingSorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid
UV Absorber
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, EDTA, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Octocrylene, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Benzophenone-3, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Sorbitan Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Tocopherol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Ethylhexylglycerin
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Ethylhexyl Triazone
UV Absorber
Homosalate
Skin Conditioning
Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol
UV Filter
Octocrylene
UV Absorber
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Acrylates Copolymer
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Caramel
Cosmetic ColorantCitric Acid
Buffering
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Decylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningDibutyl Adipate
EmollientDisodium EDTA
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Parfum
Masking
Glyceryl Hydroxystearate
Emollient
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantNiacinamide
Smoothing
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Ponceau Sx
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningSaccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Sodium Citrate
BufferingCI 15985
Cosmetic ColorantTitanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Triethanolamine
BufferingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingBis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Homosalate, Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol, Octocrylene, 1,2-Hexanediol, Butylene Glycol, Acrylates Copolymer, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylyl Glycol, Caramel, Citric Acid, Decyl Glucoside, Decylene Glycol, Dibutyl Adipate, Disodium EDTA, Tocopheryl Acetate, Parfum, Glyceryl Hydroxystearate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Mica, Niacinamide, Phenoxyethanol, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Ponceau Sx, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Propylene Glycol, Water, Saccharide Isomerate, Sodium Citrate, CI 15985, Titanium Dioxide, Triethanolamine, 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.
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 MethoxydibenzoylmethaneC12-15 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 BenzoateOctocrylene 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 OctocrylenePhenoxyethanol 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 PhenoxyethanolPotassium Cetyl Phosphate is the potassium salt of a mixture. This mixture consists of the esters from phosphoricacid and cetyl alcohol.
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate is an emulsifier and cleansing agent. Emulsifiers help stabilize a product. It does this by preventing certain ingredients from separating.
As a cleansing agent, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate helps gather oils, dirts, and pollutants from your skin. This makes it easier to rinse them away with water.
Learn more about Potassium Cetyl PhosphateWater. 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
