Allies of Skin The One SPF 50 Invisible Sunscreen Gel Versus Vacation Crystal SPF 50 Invisible Face Gel

Allies of Skin The One SPF 50 Invisible Sunscreen Gel Versus Vacation Crystal SPF 50 Invisible Face Gel

This chemical sunscreen covers most of the UV range, lighter on the deep UVA that drives aging.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Extract

Niacinamide

Rubus Idaeus Seed Oil

Isododecane

Dimethicone/Bis-Isobutyl PPG-20 Crosspolymer

Butyloctyl Salicylate

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Tridecyl Salicylate

Camellia Sinensis Extract

Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract

Daucus Carota Sativa Extract

Helianthus Annuus Flower

Punica Granatum Extract

Rosmarinus Officinalis Extract

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Tocopherol

Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane

Homosalate

Octocrylene

Ethylhexyl Salicylate

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Extract, Niacinamide, Rubus Idaeus Seed Oil, Isododecane, Dimethicone/Bis-Isobutyl PPG-20 Crosspolymer, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Tridecyl Salicylate, Camellia Sinensis Extract, Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract, Daucus Carota Sativa Extract, Helianthus Annuus Flower, Punica Granatum Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Extract, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Tocopherol, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Homosalate, Octocrylene, Ethylhexyl Salicylate

Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%

Homosalate 7.3%

Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%

Octocrylene 9%

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Bisabolol

Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract

Ceramide NP

Cereus Grandiflorus Flower Extract

Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Ethyl Ferulate

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Hyaluronic Acid

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

Polyamide-3

Propanediol

Squalane

Trimethylpentanediol/Adipic Acid/Glycerin Crosspolymer

Vp/Hexadecene Copolymer

Water

Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%, Homosalate 7.3%, Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%, Octocrylene 9%, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Bisabolol, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Ceramide NP, Cereus Grandiflorus Flower Extract, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Dimethicone/Bis-Isobutyl PPG-20 Crosspolymer, Ethyl Ferulate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Hyaluronic Acid, Isododecane, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Polyamide-3, Propanediol, Squalane, Trimethylpentanediol/Adipic Acid/Glycerin Crosspolymer, Vp/Hexadecene Copolymer, Water

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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.

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.

Butyloctyl Salicylate is a chemical UV filter structurally similar to octisalate. It is a photostabilizer, SPF booster, emollient and solvent. This ingredient helps evenly spread out ingredients.

According to a manufacturer, it is suitable for pairing with micro Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, and pigments.

Photostabilizers help stabilize UV-filters and prevents them from degrading quickly.

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.

Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.

In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.

While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.

Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.

This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.

This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.

Dimethicone/Bis-Isobutyl PPG-20 Crosspolymer is a type of silicone.

Ethylhexyl 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.

Homosalate is an oil-soluble organic UVB filter that has been a sunscreen staple for decades. Its job is to absorb UVB rays (~295-315 nm) and protect your skin against sunburn,

This is one of the more photostable organic UV filters; it holds up pretty well under UV and a 2022 quantum-chemistry study found it stays stable in sunlight.

It's actually so reliable that formulators often pair it with shakier ingredients like oxybenzone and avobenzone. Formulators also use it to help dissolve the other UV filters into the oil phase.

One thing to keep in mind: "stable" isn't the same as "strong". On its own, homosalate is actually a pretty weak UV filter so it's better off as a helpful team player that helps boost overall SPF protection.

The safety picture is a bit nuanced but not scary.

This ingredient has a long track record of being gentle and regulators agree it isn't an irritant; EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety found that homosalate is not considered a skin irritant and doesn't raise eye-irritation flags either.

There's talk about homosalate because your skin absorbs a little bit of it into your bloodstream. A 2020 FDA-backed study found homosalate showed up in people's blood levels at the level where the FDA decides to double check.

The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) also found small amounts in blood and breast milk. They estimated that about 5% of what you apply gets absorbed through the skin.

Due to the debate about whether it might mess with hormones, the SCCS recommended a maximum limit of 0.5% in most products of 7.3% in face creams/pump sprays.

One important thing to keep in mind: in the US, Homosalate is currently labeled "non-GRASE" by the FDA. This sounds alarming but really just means the FDA wants more data to confirm it's safe. It's not confidently saying this ingredient is harmful.

As of now, homosalate is still completely legal and widely used while that research gets done.

The current maximum limits are:

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.

The chemical name for this ingredient is 2,2,4,6,6-PENTAMETHYLHEPTANE.

Octocrylene is an oil-soluble organic UV filter that mainly absorbs UVB and short wave UVA II light.

Its real superpower is teamwork: octocrylene is remarkably photostable and is most famous for stabilizing avobenzone (the workhorse UVA filter).

This ingredient is commonly used to enhance both UVB and UVA protection due to its unique property in stabilizing avobenzone. It also pulls double duty by boosting water resistance and giving formulas a smooth, spreadable feel.

The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) has deemed octocrylene to be safe as a UV-filter at concentrations up to 10% (capped at 9% in propellant sprays). The US also permits it up to 10%.

Two things worth knowing:

You'll usually see this ingredient used in concentrations between 2-10% (higher amounts when used as a stabilizer for avobenzone).

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