What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%
UV Absorber
Homosalate 6.8%
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%
UV Absorber
Octocrylene 10%
UV Absorber
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Butyloctyl Salicylate
Skin Conditioning
Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer
Dimethicone/Divinyldimethicone/Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantPolyamide-5
Skin ConditioningSteareth-21
CleansingArgania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialPetasites Japonicus Root Extract
Skin ConditioningTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingPropylene Glycol Stearate
Skin Conditioning
Melanin
Skin ProtectingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Antioxidant
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Ethyl Linoleate
Emollient
Oleyl Alcohol
Emollient
Acrylates Crosspolymer-4
Emulsion StabilisingDimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Magnesium Stearate
Cosmetic ColorantPanthenyl Triacetate
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
PEG-8 Laurate
Emulsifying
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Steareth-2
EmulsifyingPolymethyl Methacrylate
Cellulose Acetate
Acrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer
Simethicone
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingEthyl Ferulate
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningEthylene Brassylate
MaskingParfum
Masking
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
CI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantIron Oxides
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%, Homosalate 6.8%, Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%, Octocrylene 10%, Water, Dimethicone, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Dimethicone/Divinyldimethicone/Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Butylene Glycol, Mica, Polyamide-5, Steareth-21, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Petasites Japonicus Root Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Ascorbic Acid, Retinyl Palmitate, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol Stearate, Melanin, Pentylene Glycol, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Beta-Glucan, Glycerin, Ethyl Linoleate, Oleyl Alcohol, Acrylates Crosspolymer-4, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Magnesium Stearate, Panthenyl Triacetate, Cetearyl Alcohol, PEG-8 Laurate, Coco-Glucoside, Steareth-2, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Cellulose Acetate, Acrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer, Simethicone, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Ethyl Ferulate, Phenoxyethanol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Potassium Sorbate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Ethylene Brassylate, Parfum, Titanium Dioxide, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, CI 77891, Iron Oxides
Water
Skin ConditioningDiisopropyl Sebacate
EmollientAlcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Ethylhexyl Salicylate
UV Absorber
Ethylhexyl Triazone
UV Absorber
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Diisopropyl Adipate
EmollientPEG-8
HumectantDipropylene Glycol
HumectantC12-22 Alkyl Acrylate/Hydroxyethylacrylate Copolymer
StabilisingGlycerin
Humectant
Drometrizole Trisiloxane
UV Absorber
Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate
Absorbent
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Methoxypropylamino Cyclohexenylidene Ethoxyethylcyanoacetate
Stabilising
Silica
Abrasive
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate
UV Filter
Acrylates Copolymer
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Terephthalylidene Dicamphor Sulfonic Acid
UV Absorber
Triethanolamine
BufferingTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Water, Diisopropyl Sebacate, Alcohol Denat., Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Diisopropyl Adipate, PEG-8, Dipropylene Glycol, C12-22 Alkyl Acrylate/Hydroxyethylacrylate Copolymer, Glycerin, Drometrizole Trisiloxane, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Methoxypropylamino Cyclohexenylidene Ethoxyethylcyanoacetate, Silica, Tocopherol, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Acrylates Copolymer, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Sodium Polyacrylate, Terephthalylidene Dicamphor Sulfonic Acid, Triethanolamine, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
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 MethoxydibenzoylmethaneCaprylyl 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 GlycolEthylhexyl 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 GlycerinTocopherol 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 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. Remember to stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water
