CeraVe Ultra-Light Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30 Versus Paula's Choice Hydralight Shine-Free Mineral Complex SPF 30

CeraVe Ultra-Light Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30 Versus Paula's Choice Hydralight Shine-Free Mineral Complex SPF 30

This barrier-repair day moisturizer is formulated around Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer and Ceramide NP to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

This oil-control moisturizer is formulated around Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract and Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract to balance excess oil and calm redness.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%

Homosalate 10%

Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%

Octocrylene 2.7%

Water

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

Glyceryl Stearate Se

Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer

Glycerin

Pentylene Glycol

Ceramide NP

Ceramide AP

Ceramide EOP

Carbomer

Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Crosspolymer

Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate

Sodium Hyaluronate

Cholesterol

Phenoxyethanol

Disodium EDTA

Hydroxyacetophenone

Citric Acid

Phytosphingosine

Xanthan Gum

T-Butyl Alcohol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%, Homosalate 10%, Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%, Octocrylene 2.7%, Water, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Carbomer, Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Crosspolymer, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cholesterol, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium EDTA, Hydroxyacetophenone, Citric Acid, Phytosphingosine, Xanthan Gum, T-Butyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin

Zinc Oxide 6%

Titanium Dioxide 2.32%

Ethylhexyl Palmitate

Cyclomethicone

Dimethicone

Polysorbate 80

Caprylyl Methicone

Glyceryl Stearate

PEG-100 Stearate

Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Isohexadecane

Cetyl Alcohol

Propylene Glycol

Polyglyceryl-6 Isostearate

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract

Algae Extract

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Allantoin

Panthenol

Butylene Glycol

Caprylyl Glycol

Alumina

Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone

Polyhydroxystearic Acid

Triethoxysilylethyl Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Hexyl Dimethicone

Diethylhexyl Carbonate

Triethoxycaprylylsilane

Chlorphenesin

Zinc Oxide 6%, Titanium Dioxide 2.32%, Water, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Cyclomethicone, Dimethicone, Polysorbate 80, Caprylyl Methicone, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Isohexadecane, Cetyl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-6 Isostearate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Algae Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Allantoin, Glycerin, Panthenol, Butylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Alumina, Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Triethoxysilylethyl Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Hexyl Dimethicone, Diethylhexyl Carbonate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Disodium EDTA, 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.

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.

Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.

This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:

On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.

One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).

Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.

You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.

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.

Phenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).

It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.

On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.

Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).

You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.

Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.

Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.

Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.

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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