Supergoop! Glow Stick SPF 50 Versus Summer Fridays ShadeDrops Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Mineral Milk Sunscreen

Supergoop! Glow Stick 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, though its SPF isn't confirmed on file yet.

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%

Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%

Octocrylene 10%

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

Calendula Officinalis Extract

Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Dibutyl Ethylhexanoyl Glutamide

Dibutyl Lauroyl Glutamide

Dicaprylyl Carbonate

Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Isododecane

Isohexadecane

Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil

Mauritia Flexuosa Fruit Oil

Octyldodecanol

Pentaclethra Macroloba Seed Oil

Polyester-8

Tocopherol

Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%, Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%, Octocrylene 10%, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Calendula Officinalis Extract, Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dibutyl Ethylhexanoyl Glutamide, Dibutyl Lauroyl Glutamide, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Isododecane, Isohexadecane, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Mauritia Flexuosa Fruit Oil, Octyldodecanol, Pentaclethra Macroloba Seed Oil, Polyester-8, Tocopherol

Zinc Oxide 9.4%

Water

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

Ethyl Ferulate

Urea

Ethylhexylglycerin

Gluconolactone

Triethoxycaprylylsilane

Dimethicone

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.

Tocopherol 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.

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