Paula's Choice Resist Super-Light Wrinkle Defense SPF 30 Versus Supergoop! Glowscreen SPF 40 PA+++

Paula's Choice Resist Super-Light Wrinkle Defense SPF 30 Versus Supergoop! Glowscreen SPF 40 PA+++

This mineral sunscreen covers the full UV range and blocks ~97% of UVB at SPF 30.

This hybrid sunscreen covers the full UV range and blocks ~98% of UVB at SPF 40.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Cyclopentasiloxane

Zinc Oxide

PEG-12 Dimethicone

PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone

Lauroyl Lysine

Sodium Chloride

Trihydroxystearin

Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Resveratrol

Quercetin

Epigallocatechin Gallate

Tocopheryl Acetate

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Adenosine

Bisabolol

Salix Nigra Bark Extract

Punica Granatum Extract

Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract

Hydrolyzed Corn Starch

Polysorbate 80

Hydrated Silica

Triethoxycaprylylsilane

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

Isopropyl Titanium Triisostearate

Caprylyl Glycol

Hexylene Glycol

Ethylhexylglycerin

Iron Oxides

Phenoxyethanol

Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Zinc Oxide, PEG-12 Dimethicone, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Lauroyl Lysine, Sodium Chloride, Trihydroxystearin, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Resveratrol, Quercetin, Epigallocatechin Gallate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Adenosine, Bisabolol, Salix Nigra Bark Extract, Punica Granatum Extract, Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract, Hydrolyzed Corn Starch, Polysorbate 80, Hydrated Silica, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Isopropyl Titanium Triisostearate, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Iron Oxides, Phenoxyethanol

Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%

Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%

Octocrylene 10%

Propanediol

Butyloctyl Salicylate

Glycerin

Polymethylsilsesquioxane

Niacinamide

Glyceryl Stearate Citrate

CI 77163

Mica

Titanium Dioxide

Lauryl Lactate

Isododecane

Isodecyl Neopentanoate

Glyceryl Stearate

Diisopropyl Sebacate

Cetyl Phosphate

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Coco-Caprylate

Ethylhexyl Hydroxystearate

Butylene Glycol

Arginine

Hydroxyacetophenone

1,2-Hexanediol

Sodium Hyaluronate

Chlorphenesin

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Phospholipids

Limonium Gerberi Extract

Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate

Theobroma Cacao Seed Extract

Pantothenic Acid

Tocopherol

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Ferulic Acid

Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%, Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5%, Octocrylene 10%, Water, Propanediol, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Glycerin, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Niacinamide, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, CI 77163, Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Lauryl Lactate, Isododecane, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Glyceryl Stearate, Diisopropyl Sebacate, Cetyl Phosphate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Coco-Caprylate, Ethylhexyl Hydroxystearate, Butylene Glycol, Arginine, Hydroxyacetophenone, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Iron Oxides, Sodium Hyaluronate, Chlorphenesin, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Phospholipids, Limonium Gerberi Extract, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Theobroma Cacao Seed Extract, Pantothenic Acid, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Ferulic Acid

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.

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.

Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.

Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.

Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).

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!

This ingredient is a combination of red, black, and yellow iron oxide pigments. This combination of colors is usually found in foundation, because it results in a "skin" color.

The EU typically uses CI numbers for colorants when applicable, such as CI 77489. In the US, iron oxides are regulated as color additives and "iron oxides" is the most commonly used name in US cosmetic practice.

A 2021 paper looked at skincare formulations containing iron oxides and found that they reduced transmission of blue light when measured optically. In simple terms, the pigment particles helped block or scatter part of the visible light spectrum in lab testing and the authors suggest this could translate into better protection against blue-light-related skin effects.

There is also clinical and experimental research showing that tinted products containing iron oxides can reduce visible light-induced pigmentation:

Please note, whether a product reduces visible or blue light depends on things like:

In the EU's CosIng database, iron oxides are only listed as a colorant. CosIng groups ingredients by their main cosmetic role, such as colorant, preservative, or UV filter.

Though studies say iron oxides can "attenuate blue light", they're describing an optical property and not an officially recognized cosmetic function.

So CosIng isn’t contradicting the research. It’s just classifying iron oxides by what they officially are: pigments that add color.

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