Clinique Acne Solutions Liquid Makeup Foundation Versus The Ordinary Serum Foundation

Clinique Acne Solutions Liquid Makeup Foundation Versus The Ordinary Serum Foundation

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Methyl Trimethicone

Nylon-12

Butylene Glycol

Alcohol Denat.

PEG-10 Dimethicone

Dimethicone

Silica

Trimethylsiloxysilicate

Hamamelis Virginiana Water

Trehalose

Calcium Stearate

Salicylic Acid

Zinc PCA

Algae Extract

Lactobacillus Ferment

Laminaria Saccharina Extract

Glycyrrhetinic Acid

Glycerin

Caffeine

Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Methicone

Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone

Isohexadecane

10-Hydroxydecanoic Acid

Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer

Sodium Chloride

Dipropylene Glycol

Tromethamine

Lecithin

Sorbitan Sesquioleate

Propylene Carbonate

Disteardimonium Hectorite

Tocopherol

Sodium Citrate

Disodium EDTA

Phenoxyethanol

Benzoic Acid

Potassium Sorbate

Mica

CI 77891

CI 77491

CI 77492

CI 77499

Water, Methyl Trimethicone, Nylon-12, Butylene Glycol, Alcohol Denat., PEG-10 Dimethicone, Dimethicone, Silica, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Trehalose, Calcium Stearate, Salicylic Acid, Zinc PCA, Algae Extract, Lactobacillus Ferment, Laminaria Saccharina Extract, Glycyrrhetinic Acid, Glycerin, Caffeine, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Methicone, Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Isohexadecane, 10-Hydroxydecanoic Acid, Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer, Sodium Chloride, Dipropylene Glycol, Tromethamine, Lecithin, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Propylene Carbonate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Tocopherol, Sodium Citrate, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Benzoic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Mica, CI 77891, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499

Cyclopentasiloxane

Caprylyl Methicone

Coconut Alkanes

PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate

Cetyl Diglyceryl Tris(Trimethylsiloxy)Silylethyl Dimethicone

Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate

Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate

Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate

Hectorite

Hexyl Laurate

Stearic Acid

Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer

Alumina

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Chlorphenesin

Iron Oxides

Tin Oxide

Aluminum Hydroxide

CI 77163

Magnesium Stearate

Triethoxycaprylylsilane

Cyclopentasiloxane, Water, Caprylyl Methicone, Coconut Alkanes, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer, Cetyl Diglyceryl Tris(Trimethylsiloxy)Silylethyl Dimethicone, Dipropylene Glycol, Tocopherol, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Hectorite, Sodium Chloride, Hexyl Laurate, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Stearic Acid, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Alumina, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, CI 77891, Iron Oxides, Tin Oxide, Aluminum Hydroxide, CI 77163, Mica, Magnesium Stearate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Ci 77891 is a white pigment from Titanium dioxide. It is naturally found in minerals such as rutile and ilmenite.

It's main function is to add a white color to cosmetics. It can also be mixed with other colors to create different shades.

Ci 77891 is commonly found in sunscreens due to its ability to block UV rays.

This is a silicone-based ingredient that helps create a smooth, silky, "bouncy" texture. It also acts as an emulsifier that prevents ingredients from separating in a formula.

Due to its large molecule size and water-insolubility, this ingredient is unlikely to be absorbed into skin. Irritation and sensitization tests have found reactions to silicones are considered very rare.

You'll likely see this ingredient in leave-on products at concentrations of 0.03%-3%.

This ingredient is a silicone elastomer that works as a texture enhancer, adds a silky slip, and also helps absorb excess oil.

Because it's a large macromolecule that's insoluble in water and chemically inert, it's not expected to penetrate or be absorbed into skin.

Human patch tests with a facial lotion containing 1% of this ingredient found no sensitization.

Dipropylene Glycol is a synthetically created humectant, stabilizer, and solvent.

This ingredient helps:

Dipropylene glycol is technically an alcohol, but it belongs to the glycol family (often considered part of the ‘good’ alcohols). This means it is hydrating and gentle on skin unlike drying solvent alcohols like denatured alcohol.

As a masking agent, Dipropylene Glycol can be used to cover the smell of other ingredients. However, it does not have a scent.

Studies show Dipropylene Glycol is considered safe to use in skincare.

Disteardimonium Hectorite comes from the clay mineral named hectorite. It is used to add thickness to a product.

It can also help stabilize a product by helping to disperse other ingredients.

Hectorite is a rare, white clay mineral.

Mica is a naturally occurring mineral used to add shimmer and color in cosmetics. It can also help improve the texture of a product or give it an opaque, white/silver color.

Serecite is the name for very fine but ragged grains of mica.

This ingredient is often coated with metal oxides like titanium dioxide. Trace amounts of heavy metals may be found in mica, but these metals are not harmful in our personal products.

Mica has been used since prehistoric times throughout the world. Ancient Egyptian, Indian, Greek, Roman, Aztec, and Chinese civilizations have used mica.

Peg-10 Dimethicone is silicone with conditioner and emulsifier properties. It mostly acts as an emollient in skincare and and humectant in haircare.

According to the manufacturer, acidic formulations decrease the stability of this ingredient. It works best in neutral or near neutral formulations.

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.

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.

This silicone is an emollient. Emollients create a thin film on the skin to prevent moisture from escaping.

It is not soluble in water and helps increase water-resistance in products.

According to a manufacturer, it can blend seamlessly with silicone oils, such as Cyclopentasiloxane.

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!

Similar Comparisons