Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Sunscreen SPF 50 Versus Paula's Choice Resist Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Sunscreen SPF 50 Versus Paula's Choice Resist Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50

This hybrid sunscreen covers the full UV range and blocks ~98% of UVB at SPF 50.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Homosalate 8.5%

Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%

Octocrylene 8.5%

Zinc Oxide 12.1%

Water

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Propanediol

Glycerin

Cetearyl Olivate

Polyhydroxystearic Acid

Ethylhexyl Methoxycrylene

Potassium Cetyl Phosphate

Lauroyl Lysine

Phenyl Trimethicone

Dimethicone

Sorbitan Olivate

Inulin Lauryl Carbamate

Xanthan Gum

Triethoxycaprylylsilane

1,2-Hexanediol

Caprylyl Glycol

Hydroxyacetophenone

Polyester-8

Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate

Cetearyl Alcohol

Menthone Glycerin Acetal

Lactic Acid

Arachidyl Alcohol

Chlorphenesin

Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract

Niacinamide

Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate

Coco-Glucoside

Behenyl Alcohol

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Silica

Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Arachidyl Glucoside

Sodium Citrate

Parfum

Sodium Hyaluronate

Magnesium Aspartate

Zinc Gluconate

Phenoxyethanol

Copper Gluconate

Homosalate 8.5%, Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%, Octocrylene 8.5%, Zinc Oxide 12.1%, Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Propanediol, Glycerin, Cetearyl Olivate, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Ethylhexyl Methoxycrylene, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Lauroyl Lysine, Phenyl Trimethicone, Dimethicone, Sorbitan Olivate, Inulin Lauryl Carbamate, Xanthan Gum, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Polyester-8, Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Menthone Glycerin Acetal, Lactic Acid, Arachidyl Alcohol, Chlorphenesin, Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract, Niacinamide, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Coco-Glucoside, Behenyl Alcohol, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Silica, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Arachidyl Glucoside, Sodium Citrate, Parfum, Sodium Hyaluronate, Magnesium Aspartate, Zinc Gluconate, Phenoxyethanol, Copper Gluconate

Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 2%

Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate 7.5%

Octocrylene 2%

Tocopherol

Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract

Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract

Peucedanum Graveolens Extract

Sambucus Nigra Fruit Extract

Avena Sativa Bran Extract

Punica Granatum Extract

Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Titanium Dioxide

Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Sodium Carbomer

Benzyl Alcohol

Sodium Benzoate

Potassium Sorbate

Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 2%, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate 7.5%, Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%, Octocrylene 2%, Water, Glycerin, Silica, Dimethicone, Tocopherol, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Peucedanum Graveolens Extract, Sambucus Nigra Fruit Extract, Avena Sativa Bran Extract, Punica Granatum Extract, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Titanium Dioxide, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Carbomer, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, 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.

Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate (DESM) is a photostabilizer, antioxidant, and SPF booster.

One of DESM's main roles is stabilizing UV filters, especially avobenzone. Avobenzone is notoriously unstable when exposed to sunlight. By enhancing the stability of these filters, DESM helps maintain the sunscreen's effectivess through wear. It also helps improve protection against long-wave UVA rays by increasing the wavelength of the formula.

Besides enhancing UVA protection, DESM can boost the SPF of high-SPF formulations by up to 5 units.

DESM also preserves the color integrity of cosmetic products and helps reduce the chance of yellowing of fading due to light exposure.

This ingredient is typically found in concentrations between 0.3% - 0.5%. There are currently no maximum usage limits by regulatory bodies.

Though this ingredient is a chemical UV filter, it can often be found in "100% mineral" sunscreens. This is due to regulatory loopholes.

Dimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.

What it does:

Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:

Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.

Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.

This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.

Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.

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.

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.

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).

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.

Silica, also known as silicon dioxide, is a naturally occurring mineral. It is used as a fine, spherical, and porous powder in cosmetics.

Though it has exfoliant properties, the function of silica varies depending on the product.

The unique structure of silica enhances the spreadability and adds smoothness, making it a great texture enhancer.

It is also used as an active carrier, emulsifier, and mattifier due to its ability to absorb excess oil.

In some products, tiny microneedles called spicules are made from silica or hydrolyzed sponge. When you rub them in, they lightly polish away dead skin layers and enhance the penetration of active ingredients.

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!

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.

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