What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningOctocrylene
UV Absorber
Glycerin
Humectant
Ethylhexyl Salicylate
UV Absorber
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid
UV Absorber
Triheptanoin
Skin ConditioningSaccharomyces Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Tromethamine
BufferingGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientPropanediol
Solvent
C9-12 Alkane
SolventDilinoleic Acid/Butanediol Copolymer
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingDimethicone
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Hectorite
AbsorbentLauroyl Lysine
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylhydroxamic Acid
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingOryza Sativa Hull Extract
MoisturisingCastor Oil/Ipdi Copolymer
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Polyglutamic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Ipomoea Batatas Root Extract
Skin ConditioningHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Saccharomyces Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Water, Octocrylene, Glycerin, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid, Triheptanoin, Saccharomyces Ferment, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Tromethamine, Glyceryl Caprylate, Propanediol, C9-12 Alkane, Dilinoleic Acid/Butanediol Copolymer, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Dimethicone, Squalane, Hectorite, Lauroyl Lysine, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Dimethiconol, Polysorbate 60, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Oryza Sativa Hull Extract, Castor Oil/Ipdi Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Polyglutamic Acid, Sorbitan Isostearate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Ipomoea Batatas Root Extract, Hydroxyacetophenone, Sodium Benzoate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Saccharomyces Lysate
Homosalate 8%
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%
UV Absorber
Octocrylene 5%
UV Absorber
Zinc Oxide 7%
Cosmetic Colorant
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Butyloctyl Salicylate
Skin Conditioning
Steareth-20
CleansingC12-22 Alkyl Acrylate/Hydroxyethylacrylate Copolymer
StabilisingEthylhexyl Methoxycrylene
Skin Conditioning
Oryza Sativa Cera
Skin ConditioningOryza Sativa Bran Wax
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Steareth-2
EmulsifyingBisabolol
Antioxidant
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Polyhydroxystearic Acid
Emulsifying
Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate
Skin ProtectingChlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCitric Acid
Buffering
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTriethoxycaprylylsilane
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-8
Skin Conditioning
Dextran
Homosalate 8%, Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%, Octocrylene 5%, Zinc Oxide 7%, Water, Glycerin, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Propanediol, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Steareth-20, C12-22 Alkyl Acrylate/Hydroxyethylacrylate Copolymer, Ethylhexyl Methoxycrylene, Oryza Sativa Cera, Oryza Sativa Bran Wax, Butylene Glycol, Steareth-2, Bisabolol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate, Chlorphenesin, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sorbitan Isostearate, Polysorbate 60, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-8, Dextran
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylyl 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 GlycolCoco-Caprylate/Caprate is a lightweight ester created from coconut oil fatty acids, caprylic acid, and capric acid.
It is an emollient that helps soften skin and reduce transepidermal water loss (TEWL). What sets it apart from heavier emollients is its ultralight, non-greasy feel.
Once applied, this ingredient dries down quickly and leaves a dry, silky finish behind. This also helps improve spreadability and texture.
This ingredient has an excellent safety-record and is non-irritating.
Typical concentrations for cosmetics range from 0.5-62%.
Research on Malassezia growth found no growth on fatty acid esters with chain lengths shorter than 12 carbons (it prefers C11-24).
Since Coco-Caprylate/Caprate is built on C8 and C10 fatty acids, it is out of the range that Malassezia metabolizes, and therefore safe for fungal acne.
Learn more about Coco-Caprylate/CaprateEthylhexyl 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 GlycerinHydroxyacetophenone is antioxidant with skin conditioning and soothing properties. It also boosts the efficiency of preservatives.
Though naturally occuring in Norwegian spruce needles, this ingredient is usually synthetically created.
This ingredient is not irritating or sensitizing. Recent research also suggests it may have skin-brightening effects through tyrosinase inhibition.
Learn more about HydroxyacetophenoneThis is a synthetic polymer. It helps improve the texture of products by adding thickness and gel-like feel.
It is also an emulsifer, meaning it prevents ingredients such as oil and water from separating. It also helps evenly disperse other ingredients.
Octocrylene 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 OctocrylenePolysorbate 60 is used to help stabilize products. It is a surfactant and emulsifier. These properties help keep ingredients together in a product. Surfactants help reduce surface tension between ingredients with different states, such as liquids and solids. Emulsifiers help prevent oils and waters from separating.
Polysorbate 60 is sorbitol-based and created from the ethoxylation of sorbitan. Ethoxylation is a chemical reaction used to add ethylene oxide. Sorbitan is a the dehydrated version of sorbitol, a sugar found in fruits.
In this case, the 60 comes from reacting 60 units of ethylene oxide with sorbitan.
Polysorbates are commonly used in medicine and foods.
Learn more about Polysorbate 60Propanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.Â
It’s often used to:
Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.
Learn more about PropanediolSorbitan Isostearate is an emulsifer. It is created from isostearic acid and sorbitol.
As an emulsifier, it keeps the water and oil ingredients from separating. This keeps formulas stable and smooth.
In a 24 hour occlusive patch test on 56 subjects, 10% sorbitan isostearate was completely non-irritating. Most formulas use less than 10%.
Because it's a fatty acid ester, it may not be fungal acne safe since the Malassezia yeast can utilize it as a nutrient source.
Learn more about Sorbitan IsostearateWater. 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
