Undefined Beauty R&R Sun Serum SPF 50 PA++++ Versus Summer Fridays ShadeDrops Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Mineral Milk Sunscreen

Undefined Beauty R&R Sun Serum SPF 50 PA++++ Versus Summer Fridays ShadeDrops Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Mineral Milk Sunscreen

This barrier-repair serum is formulated around Niacinamide and Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract to strengthen the skin barrier and calm redness.

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

Water

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

Propanediol

Tridecyl Salicylate

Polyglyceryl-4 Diisostearate/Polyhydroxystearate/Sebacate

Methylheptyl Isostearate

Jojoba Esters

Niacinamide

Nylon-12

Methylpropanediol

Silica

Rubus Idaeus Seed Oil

Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract

Allantoin

Bisabolol

Oryza Sativa Bran Extract

Helianthus Annuus Extract

Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract

Tocopherol

Coco-Caprylate

Caprylyl Glycol

Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Lecithin

Phenylpropanol

Sodium Chloride

Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate

Sodium Hydroxide

Iron Oxides

Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Propanediol, Tridecyl Salicylate, Polyglyceryl-4 Diisostearate/Polyhydroxystearate/Sebacate, Methylheptyl Isostearate, Jojoba Esters, Niacinamide, Nylon-12, Methylpropanediol, Silica, Rubus Idaeus Seed Oil, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract, Allantoin, Bisabolol, Oryza Sativa Bran Extract, Helianthus Annuus Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Coco-Caprylate, Caprylyl Glycol, Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Lecithin, Phenylpropanol, Sodium Chloride, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Sodium Hydroxide, Iron Oxides

Zinc Oxide 9.4%

Sorbitan Oleate Decylglucoside Crosspolymer

Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil

Tocopheryl Acetate

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

Glycerin

Caramel

Polyester-5

Squalane

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Extract

Phospholipids

Ethyl Ferulate

Urea

Ethylhexylglycerin

Gluconolactone

Triethoxycaprylylsilane

Dimethicone

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

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Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Bisabolol is a gentle skin conditioner, antioxidant, and soothing ingredient.

It's primary claim to fame is soothing and research shows topically applied bisabolol can quiet the chemical messengers that cause your skin to become inflamed, helping to sooth any irritation.

A clinical study found that applying 0.5% bisabolol daily for 8 weeks produced an average 9% decrease in skin pigmentation. Researchers found it can also suppress the process that leads to excess melanin production in skin.

In vitro studies found that bisabolol combined with propylene glycol significantly increased skin permeability by increasing lipid fluidity in the stratum corneum.

You'll likely see use concentrations quite low, usually 0.1-0.2%.

Overall, this is a well-tolerated ingredient that works well in formulas designed for sensitive, reactive, or post-procedure skin.

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.

Chances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.

You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.

You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.

You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.

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.

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!

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