What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Homosalate
Skin ConditioningEthylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
UV AbsorberEthylhexyl Salicylate
UV AbsorberZinc Oxide
Cosmetic ColorantAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningAmodimethicone
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
HumectantButyloctyl Salicylate
Skin ConditioningC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialCamellia Sinensis Extract
AntioxidantCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCitric Acid
BufferingCitrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCeramide Ng
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Betaine
CleansingColloidal Oatmeal
AbsorbentCyclopentasiloxane
EmollientCyclotetrasiloxane
EmollientDaucus Carota Sativa Extract
PerfumingFerulic Acid
AntimicrobialGlycerin
HumectantGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientGlyceryl Undecylenate
EmollientHyaluronic Acid
HumectantHydrogenated Methyl Abietate
Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin
MaskingLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
AntimicrobialMelaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
AntioxidantNiacinamide
SmoothingPalmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Tripeptide-38
Skin ConditioningPolysorbate 20
EmulsifyingTerminalia Ferdinandiana Seed Oil
AntioxidantThymus Vulgaris Extract
PerfumingHomosalate, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Zinc Oxide, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Amodimethicone, Water, Butylene Glycol, Butyloctyl Salicylate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Camellia Sinensis Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Carbomer, Citric Acid, Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract, Ceramide Ng, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Colloidal Oatmeal, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclotetrasiloxane, Daucus Carota Sativa Extract, Ferulic Acid, Glycerin, Glyceryl Caprylate, Glyceryl Stearate, Glyceryl Undecylenate, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrogenated Methyl Abietate, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Niacinamide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Polysorbate 20, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Seed Oil, Thymus Vulgaris Extract
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%
UV AbsorberHomosalate 7%
Skin ConditioningEthylhexyl Salicylate 5%
UV AbsorberOctocrylene 5%
UV AbsorberWater
Skin ConditioningButyloctyl Salicylate
Skin ConditioningCoco-Caprylate/Caprate
EmollientCoco-Caprylate
EmollientPropanediol
SolventDiethylhexyl Carbonate
EmollientEthylhexyl Methoxycrylene
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
SmoothingPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningPolyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate
EmulsifyingSilica
AbrasivePolymethylsilsesquioxane
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPolyglyceryl-4 Diisostearate/Polyhydroxystearate/Sebacate
EmulsifyingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningCaramel
Cosmetic ColorantPolyglyceryl-4 Isostearate
EmulsifyingTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantGlycerin
HumectantHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantEugenia Caryophyllus Bud Extract
PerfumingSolidago Virgaurea Extract
Skin ConditioningDisteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingSclareolide
MaskingSclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingBisabolol
AntioxidantCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAgave Tequilana Leaf Extract
AstringentCereus Grandiflorus Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningZingiber Officinale Root Extract
MaskingButyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%, Homosalate 7%, Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%, Octocrylene 5%, Water, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Coco-Caprylate, Propanediol, Diethylhexyl Carbonate, Ethylhexyl Methoxycrylene, Niacinamide, Pentylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Silica, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Sodium Chloride, Polyglyceryl-4 Diisostearate/Polyhydroxystearate/Sebacate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Caramel, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycerin, Hydroxyacetophenone, Eugenia Caryophyllus Bud Extract, Solidago Virgaurea Extract, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Sclareolide, Sclerotium Gum, Bisabolol, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Xanthan Gum, Agave Tequilana Leaf Extract, Cereus Grandiflorus Flower Extract, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice comes from leaves of the aloe plant. Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice is best known for helping to soothe sunburns. It is also anti-inflammatory, moisturizing, antiseptic, and can help heal wounds.
Aloe is packed with good stuff including Vitamins A, C, and E. These vitamins are antioxidants, which help fight free-radicals and the damage they may cause. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells, such as pollution.
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice also contains sugars. These sugars come in the form of monosaccharides and polysaccharides, folic acid, and choline. These sugars are able to help bind moisture to skin.
It also contains minerals such as calcium, 12 anthraquinones, fatty acids, amino acids, and Vitamin B12.
Learn more about Aloe Barbadensis Leaf JuiceButyloctyl Salicylate is a chemical UV filter structurally similar to octisalate. It is a photostabilizer, SPF booster, emollient and solvent. This ingredient helps evenly spread out ingredients.
According to a manufacturer, it is suitable for pairing with micro Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, and pigments.
Photostabilizers help stabilize UV-filters and prevents them from degrading quickly.
Learn more about Butyloctyl SalicylateEthylhexyl 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 GlycerinHomosalate is a chemical sunscreen filter that provides protection in the UV-B range (280nm - 320 nm), with a peak protection at 306 nm. It is internationally approved for use in sunscreens.
Homosalate is not photo-stable, meaning it's strength as a UV filter degrades over time with exposure to the sun. Because of this, it's often used in combination with other chemical sunscreen filters as avobenzone (which protects from the UV-A range). Homosalate also helps act as a solvent for harder-to-dissolve UV filters.
(Part of the reason that sunscreens need to be frequently re-applied is due to the photo instability of many chemical sunscreen filters)
Currently, homosalate is approved in concentrations up to 10% in the EU and 15% in the US. The FDA is currently doing further research on the effects of homosalate, and it is possible that these approved concentrations will change in the future.
Learn more about HomosalateNiacinamide is a multitasking form of vitamin B3 that strengthens the skin barrier, reduces pores and dark spots, regulates oil, and improves signs of aging.
And the best part? It's gentle and well-tolerated by most skin types, including sensitive and reactive skin.
You might have heard of "niacin flush", or the reddening of skin that causes itchiness. Niacinamide has not been found to cause this.
In very rare cases, some individuals may not be able to tolerate niacinamide at all or experience an allergic reaction to it.
If you are experiencing flaking, irritation, and dryness with this ingredient, be sure to double check all your products as this ingredient can be found in all categories of skincare.
When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.
When you apply niacinamide to your skin, your body converts it into nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). NAD is an essential coenzyme that is already found in your cells as "fuel" and powers countless biological processes.
In your skin, NAD helps repair cell damage, produce new healthy cells, support collagen production, strengthen the skin barrier, and fight environmental stressors (like UV and pollution).
Our natural NAD levels start to decline with age, leading to slower skin repair, visible aging, and a weaker skin barrier. By providing your skin niacinamide, you're recharging your skin's NAD levels. This leads to stronger, healthier, and younger looking skin.
Another name for vitamin B3 is nicotinamide. This vitamin is water-soluble and our bodies don't store it. We obtain Vitamin B3 from either food or skincare. Meat, fish, wheat, yeast, and leafy greens contain vitamin B3.
The type of niacinamide used in skincare is synthetically created.
Learn more about NiacinamideWater. 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