What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%
UV Absorber
Homosalate 5%
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%
UV Absorber
Octocrylene 7.2%
UV Absorber
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Silica
Abrasive
Propanediol
Solvent
Dimethicone
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantTranexamic Acid
Astringent
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingSqualane
Emollient
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientSteareth-100
Gel FormingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Synthetic Fluorphlogopite
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Tin Oxide
Abrasive
Mineral Salts
Skin ConditioningButyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%, Homosalate 5%, Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%, Octocrylene 7.2%, Water, Glycerin, Silica, Propanediol, Dimethicone, Niacinamide, Alcohol Denat., Titanium Dioxide, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Mica, Tranexamic Acid, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Squalane, Hydroxyacetophenone, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Steareth-100, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Citric Acid, Butylene Glycol, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Tocopherol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Myristic Acid, Tin Oxide, Mineral Salts
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientIsohexadecane
EmollientEthylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
UV Absorber
Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate
UV Filter
Ethylhexyl Salicylate
UV Absorber
Ethylhexyl Triazone
UV Absorber
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientParfum
Masking
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate
Antioxidant
BHT
Antioxidant
Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Isohexadecane, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Parfum, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, BHT
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 MethoxydibenzoylmethaneDicaprylyl Carbonate comes from carbonic acid and caprylyl alcohol, a fatty alcohol. It is an emollient and gives skin a velvet feel. The sources of Dicaprylyl Carbonate may be synthetic or from animals.
As an emollient, Dicaprylyl Carbonate creates a film on the skin. This film traps moisture in, keeping your skin soft and hydrated.
Ethylhexyl 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 SalicylateTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about Tocopherol
