Educational guide
Supergoop! Every. Single. Face. Watery Lotion SPF 50 Versus Summer Fridays ShadeDrops Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Mineral Milk Sunscreen
Supergoop! Every. Single. Face. Watery Lotion SPF 50 Versus Summer Fridays ShadeDrops Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Mineral Milk Sunscreen This chemical sunscreen covers most of the UV range, lighter on the deep UVA that drives aging. This hybrid sunscreen covers the
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Supergoop! Every. Single. Face. Watery Lotion SPF 50 Versus Summer Fridays ShadeDrops Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Mineral Milk Sunscreen
This chemical sunscreen covers most of the UV range, lighter on the deep UVA that drives aging.
This hybrid sunscreen covers the full UV range and blocks ~97% of UVB at SPF 30.
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%
Homosalate 9%
Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%
Octocrylene 9%
Water
Alcohol
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
Propanediol
Dimethicone
Glycerin
Acrylates/Polytrimethylsiloxymethacrylate Copolymer
Maltodextrin
Triethyl Citrate
Hydroxyacetophenone
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
1,2-Hexanediol
Caprylyl Glycol
Pullulan
Sodium Polyacrylate
Betaine
Lavandula Angustifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Hedychium Coronarium Root Extract
Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum
Linalool
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract
Amyl Cinnamal
Glyceryl Caprylate
Glyceryl Undecylenate
Sodium Carboxymethyl Beta-Glucan
Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
Rubus Idaeus Leaf Extract
Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract
Lepidium Sativum Sprout Extract
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%, Homosalate 9%, Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%, Octocrylene 9%, Water, Alcohol, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Propanediol, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Acrylates/Polytrimethylsiloxymethacrylate Copolymer, Maltodextrin, Triethyl Citrate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Pullulan, Sodium Polyacrylate, Betaine, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Hedychium Coronarium Root Extract, Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum, Linalool, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract, Amyl Cinnamal, Glyceryl Caprylate, Glyceryl Undecylenate, Sodium Carboxymethyl Beta-Glucan, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Rubus Idaeus Leaf Extract, Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract, Lepidium Sativum Sprout Extract
Zinc Oxide 9.4%
Sorbitan Oleate Decylglucoside Crosspolymer
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Tocopheryl Acetate
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Caramel
Polyester-5
Squalane
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Extract
Bisabolol
Phospholipids
Tocopherol
Ethyl Ferulate
Urea
Ethylhexylglycerin
Gluconolactone
Triethoxycaprylylsilane
Sodium Chloride
Benzyl Alcohol
Sodium Benzoate
Sorbic Acid
Chlorphenesin
Phenoxyethanol
Zinc Oxide 9.4%, Water, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Sorbitan Oleate Decylglucoside Crosspolymer, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Glycerin, Caramel, Polyester-5, Squalane, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Extract, Bisabolol, Phospholipids, Tocopherol, Ethyl Ferulate, Urea, Ethylhexylglycerin, Gluconolactone, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Dimethicone, Sodium Chloride, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Benzoate, Sorbic Acid, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethanol
Reviews
Alternatives
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate is a lightweight emollient made by combinig benzoic acid with fatty alcohols that are 12-15 carbons long.
In cosmetics, it plays several roles:
The Cosmetic Review Expert Panel has concluded the alkyl benzoate group to be safe as used in cosmetics; it wasn't found to be a skin irritant and unlikely to be absorbed due to its low water solubility.
This report recorded almost 1000 reported uses with concentrations up to 59% in leave-on products but your cosmetics will typically use 0.5-15% depending on the product.
It's often called a "SPF booster": this is because it keeps UV filters properly dissolved and evenly distributed to support a sunscreen's performance. It doesn't actually raise SPF on its own.
Overall, this ingredient is well tolerated.
This ingredient is fungal acne safe because it is an ester of benzoic acid.
Think of this ingredient as two parts stuck together: an oily part and an acid part. Malassezia only gets a meal when it can snip off a fatty acid to eat. With C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, the acid part is benzoic acid, which isn't a fatty acid and which the yeast can't use as food.
Benzoic acid is actually used as a preservative to stop yeast from growing.
The oily part is a blend of C12-15 fatty alcohols but fatty alcohols in this size range can support only a little Malassezia growth (mostly for one species of Malassezia as well).
In the ingredient, those alcohols stay locked inside the molecule. The yeast can only reach them by snipping the benzoate bond, and that type of bond is harder for it to cut than a normal fatty bond.
So not much gets released. And whatever does get snipped comes packaged with benzoic acid, which discourages yeast growth.
Dimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
What it does:
Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.
Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.
Glycerin (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.
Water. 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!