What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAlcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Ethylhexyl Salicylate
UV Absorber
Ethylhexyl Triazone
UV Absorber
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Diisopropyl Adipate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid
UV Absorber
Dicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Triethanolamine
BufferingC12-22 Alkyl Acrylate/Hydroxyethylacrylate Copolymer
StabilisingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Drometrizole Trisiloxane
UV Absorber
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Vitreoscilla Ferment
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Water, Alcohol Denat., Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Diisopropyl Adipate, Glycerin, Propanediol, Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid, Dicaprylyl Ether, Triethanolamine, C12-22 Alkyl Acrylate/Hydroxyethylacrylate Copolymer, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Drometrizole Trisiloxane, Hydroxyacetophenone, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Polyacrylate, Tocopherol, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Vitreoscilla Ferment, Parfum
Homosalate 10.72%
Skin Conditioning
Octocrylene 6%
UV Absorber
Benzophenone-3 3.86%
UV Absorber
Ethylhexyl Salicylate 3.21%
UV Absorber
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%
UV Absorber
Drometrizole Trisiloxane 0.5%
UV Absorber
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer
Acrylates/Dimethicone Copolymer
Skin Conditioning
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Menthyl Lactate
MaskingPEG-8 Laurate
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Silica
Abrasive
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Homosalate 10.72%, Octocrylene 6%, Benzophenone-3 3.86%, Ethylhexyl Salicylate 3.21%, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%, Drometrizole Trisiloxane 0.5%, Water, Dimethicone, Alcohol Denat., Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Acrylates/Dimethicone Copolymer, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Menthyl Lactate, PEG-8 Laurate, Phenoxyethanol, Silica, Sodium Polyacrylate, Tocopherol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer is a synthetic polymer. It is used to thicken and improve the texture of products. Due to its properties, it can prevent water and oil ingredients from separating.
Alcohol Denat. is an alcohol with a denaturant property. It is created by mixing ethanol with other additives.
This ingredient gets a bad rep because it is irritating and drying - mostly due to its astringent property. Astringents draw out natural oils in tissue, constricting pores and leaving your skin dried out.
However, alcohol denat. is not all that bad.
Due to its low molecular weight, alcohol denat. tends to evaporate quickly. One study on pig skin found half of applied alcohol evaporated in 10 seconds and less than 3% stayed on skin.
This also helps other ingredients become better absorbed upon application.
Studies are conflicted about whether this ingredient causes skin dehydration. One study from 2005 found adding emollients to propanol-based sanitizer decreased skin dryness and irritation. Another study found irritation only occurs if your skin is already damaged.
Small amounts of alcohol are generally tolerated by oily skin or people who live in humid environments.
The rule of thumb is if this alcohol is near the end of an ingredients list, it will probably not affect your skin much.
Also...
This ingredient has antimicrobial and solvent properties.
The antimicrobial property helps preserve products and increase their shelf life. As a solvent, it helps dissolve other ingredients.
Other types of astringent alcohols include:
Learn more about Alcohol Denat.Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant and emollient, meaning it attracts and preserves moisture.
It is a common ingredient in many products, especially those designed to hydrate skin. The primary benefits are retaining moisture, skin softening, and promoting a healthy skin barrier.
Though Caprylyl Glycol is an alcohol derived from fatty acids, it is not the kind that can dry out skin.
This ingredient is also used as a preservative to extend the life of products. It has slight antimicrobial properties.
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolDrometrizole Trisiloxane is a UV filter that provides both UV-A (344 nm) and UV-B (303 nm) protection.
This ingredient is photostable and studies show it to be generally safe and effective. The compound Meroxyl XL is owned by L'Oreal while Drometrizole trisiloxane can be found in other sunscreen brands.
It is currently approved for use in the EU, Canada, Australia, and Japan. However, it is not yet approved for use in the US.
This ingredient is often used with other sunscreen ingredients, such as Ecamsule.
Learn more about Drometrizole TrisiloxaneEthylhexyl Salicylate is an organic compound used to block UV rays. It primarily absorbs UVB rays but offers a small amount of UVA protection as well.
Commonly found in sunscreens, Ethylhexyl Salicylate is created from salicylic acid and 2-ethylhexanol. You might know salicylic acid as the effective acne fighter ingredient and BHA.
The ethylhexanol in this ingredient is a fatty alcohol and helps hydrate your skin, similar to oils. It is an emollient, which means it traps moisture into the skin.
According to manufacturers, Ethylhexyl Salicylate absorbs UV wavelength of 295-315 nm, with a peak absorption at 307-310 nm. UVA rays are linked to long term skin damage, such as hyperpigmentation. UVB rays emit more energy and are capable of damaging our DNA. UVB rays cause sunburn.
Learn more about Ethylhexyl SalicylateSodium Polyacrylate is the sodium salt of polyacrylic acid. It is used as an absorber, emollient, and stabilizer.
This ingredient is a super-absorbent polymer - meaning it can absorb 100 to 1000 times its mass in water. As an emollient, Sodium Polyacrylate helps soften and soothe skin. Emollients work by creating a barrier to trap moisture in. This helps keep your skin hydrated.
Tocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.
Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.
You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.
There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.
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. Stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water
