Yves Saint Laurent Matt Touch Oil-Free Primer
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Yves Saint Laurent Matt Touch Oil-Free Primer

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Overview

What it is

Face primer with 13 ingredients that contains exfoliants and Vitamin E

Cool Features

It is fungal acne (malassezia) safe

Suited For

It has ingredients that are good for fighting acne, dry skin and sensitive skin

Free From

It doesn't contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, oils, parabens or sulfates

Fun facts

Yves Saint Laurent is from France.

We independently verify ingredients and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Does this product need an update? Let us know.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Explained

Emollient, Skin Conditioning, Solvent

Cyclopentasiloxane, or D5, is a silicone used to improve texture of products and trap moisture.

D5 is considered lightweight and volatile. Volatile means it evaporates quickly after application. Once evaporated, D5 leaves a thin barrier that helps keep skin hydrated.

It is also an emollient. Emollients help soften the skin and prevent water loss. Silicones create a silky texture in products. D5 helps other ingredients become more spreadable.

Studies show D5 is safe to use in skincare products. We recommend speaking with a skincare professional if you have concerns.

Learn more about Cyclopentasiloxane

We don't have a description for Polymethyl Methacrylate yet.

Emollient, Skin Conditioning, Solvent

Cyclomethicone is a class of silicones used to improve the texture of products.

Their cyclic or circular structure decreases stability. This causes quick evaporation when applied to skin. Cyclomethicones are often used as a carrier for other ingredients. Once it evaporates, it leaves a silky barrier on the skin.

The most popular types of cyclomethicones include D5 and D6.

Learn more about Cyclomethicone
Emollient, Solvent

Isododecane is a fragrance, emollient, and solvent.

As an emollient, it helps your skin stay soft and hydrated. Emollients help trap moisture into your skin.

Isododecane's role as a solvent makes it a great texture enhancer. It spreads smoothly on skin and does not leave a sticky feeling behind. Isododecane also helps prevent color transfer in makeup products.

Isododecane is not absorbed into skin.

Learn more about Isododecane
Emulsion Stabilising

Dimethicone Crosspolymer is a silicone created by modifying dimethicone with hydrocarbon side chains. Due to its large size, it does not penetrate skin. It is considered non-occlusive.

Dimethicone Crosspolymer is used to stabilize and thicken products. It also helps give products a silky feel.

We don't have a description for Polyvinylalcohol Crosspolymer yet.

Cosmetic Colorant

Mica refers to a group of silicate minerals. Mica crystals are easily split to give products a shimmer. These crystals are able to reflect light to temporarily give your skin a glowy look.

Mica is found to be safe. Trace amounts of heavy metals may be found in mica, but these metals are not harmful in our personal products.

Mica has been used since prehistoric times throughout the world. Ancient Egyptian, Indian, Greek, Roman, Aztec, and Chinese civilizations have used mica.

Mica can be naturally found throughout the world. However, some sources of mica may be controversial. In 2016, mica mined in the Jharkhand state in India was found to be using child labor. However, companies are able to source ethical mica affiliated with international organizations that monitor the mica supply chain.

Learn more about Mica
Emollient, Humectant, Skin Conditioning

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 Glycol
Antioxidant, Skin Conditioning

Tocopheryl Acetate is AKA Vitamin E. It is an antioxidant and protects your skin from free radicals. Free radicals damage the skin by breaking down collagen.

One study found using Tocopheryl Acetate with Vitamin C decreased the number of sunburned cells.

Tocopheryl Acetate is commonly found in both skincare and dietary supplements.

Learn more about Tocopheryl Acetate
Abrasive, Skin Conditioning

Hydroxyapatite is an exfoliant.

Skin Conditioning

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 Juice
Masking, Perfuming

Parfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.

Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.

For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.

The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.

For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.

One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.

Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.

Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.

The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.

Learn more about Parfum
Cosmetic Colorant, Skin Protecting, UV Absorber

Zinc Oxide is a mineral broad-spectrum UV filter; it is the broadest UVA and UVB reflector approved by the FDA. It also has skin protectant and skin soothing properties.

Zinc oxide is one of the most effective broad-spectrum UV filters. It protects against UVB, UVAII, and UVAI. In comparison to its counterpart titanium dioxide, zinc oxide provides uniform and extended UVA protection.

Another great benefit? This ingredient is highly photostable so it won't degrade easily under sunlight.

A common myth is that mineral UV filters are widely believed to primarily reflect UV light.

However, modern research shows titanium dioxide absorbs UV radiation like chemical filters (~95% absorption & 5% reflection).

Zinc oxide has great skin soothing properties so you'll likely find this in sunscreens formulated for sensitive skin or babies/children. It is unlikely to cause "eye sting" like other sunscreen ingredients.
Regulatory agencies consider zinc oxide to be non-toxic and safe. It has also been shown to not penetrate the skin.

Unfortunately, this ingredient does leave a visible white cast. This is why mineral sunscreens are often less cosmetically elegant than chemical or hybrid ones.

In cosmetics, zinc oxide can be found in both non-nano and nano-sized forms. The nano version is used to reduce white cast and improve the texture of sunscreen formulas.

There are ongoing concerns surrounding nano-zinc oxide's impact on marine ecosystems and whether it can be absorbed into skin.

Regarding marine ecosystems and coral reefs, there is no conclusive evidence that any form of zinc oxide (or any other sunscreen ingredients) will cause harm. The science is still developing but many consumers are keeping a close eye on this issue.

Please note, many destinations have reef-safety sunscreen rules. For instance, the U.S. Virgin Islands advises all visitors to use non-nano mineral sunscreens.

There has also been some stir about whether micronized or nano zinc oxide has potential photoxicity and absorption through the skin/lungs.

An in-vitro (done in a test tube or petri dish) study demonstrated micronized zinc oxide to have potential phototoxicity. There's no need to fret; the EU Commission's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety has stated, "The relevance of these findings needs to be clarified by appropriate investigations in vivo." Or in other words, further studies done on living organisms are needed to prove this.

Current research shows zinc oxide nanoparticles do not penetrate intact or sunburned skin. They either remain on the surface or in the outermost layer of dead skin (stratum corneum).

Zinc oxide is one of only two classified mineral UV filters with titanium dioxide being the other one.

Fun fact: Zinc has been used throughout history as an ingredient in paint and medicine. An Indian text from 500BC is believed to list zinc oxide as a salve for open wound. The Ancient Greek physician Dioscorides has also mentioned the use of zinc as an ointment in 1AD.

Learn more about Zinc Oxide

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Where it's from

Yves Saint Laurent is a French brand

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· Published July 30, 2025 Added by BlackCat808