Paula's Choice Resist Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50 Versus Anua Heartleaf Silky Moisture Sun Cream SPF 50+

Paula's Choice Resist Youth-Extending Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 50 Versus Anua Heartleaf Silky Moisture Sun Cream SPF 50+

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

This chemical 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

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

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

Dibutyl Adipate

Propanediol

Ethylhexyl Triazone

Terephthalylidene Dicamphor Sulfonic Acid

Niacinamide

Caprylyl Methicone

Polymethylsilsesquioxane

Tromethamine

1,2-Hexanediol

Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate

Cetearyl Alcohol

Pentylene Glycol

Butylene Glycol

Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate

Polysilicone-15

Houttuynia Cordata Extract

Diospyros Kaki Leaf Extract

Vitis Vinifera Fruit Extract

Carthamus Tinctorius Flower Extract

Coffea Arabica Seed Extract

Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract

Castanea Crenata Shell Extract

Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract

Anastatica Hierochuntica Extract

Panthenol

Glyceryl Stearate

Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine

Potassium Cetyl Phosphate

Methylpropanediol

Carbomer

Glyceryl Stearate Citrate

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

Adenosine

Polyether-1

Biosaccharide Gum-1

Ethylhexylglycerin

Water, Dibutyl Adipate, Propanediol, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Terephthalylidene Dicamphor Sulfonic Acid, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Caprylyl Methicone, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Tromethamine, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Pentylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Polysilicone-15, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Diospyros Kaki Leaf Extract, Vitis Vinifera Fruit Extract, Carthamus Tinctorius Flower Extract, Coffea Arabica Seed Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Castanea Crenata Shell Extract, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Anastatica Hierochuntica Extract, Panthenol, Glyceryl Stearate, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Methylpropanediol, Carbomer, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Adenosine, Polyether-1, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Tocopherol, Ethylhexylglycerin

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.

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (tea extract) is one of the most well-researched plant extracts in skincare with an impressive resume.

Black tea, green tea, and oolong tea are all harvested from the Camellia Sinensis plant.

Studies show green tea extract and its catechins (like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)) help your skin cells product energy more efficiently and reducing the number of free-radicals that can damage your skin from the inside.

In lab-grown skin models, this translated to younger, healthier, and stronger skin.

There's also good sun protection data; researchers saw less DNA damage and redness on human skin when green tea was applied before UVB exposure. And the more they applied, the better the protection.

Needless to say, this ingredient shouldn't replace your sunscreen. But it is a great supportive ingredient that you can already find in many sunscreens and antioxidant serums.

A 2009 study found a 2% green tea lotion was effective for mild-to-moderate acne thanks to its anti-inflammatory and mild antimicrobial activity.

The quality of the extract matters a lot here:

Good extracts contain 50-90% catechins while lower quality ones are mostly there for marketing. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the quality or source of their ingredients.

Human Repeated Insult Patch Testing showed no irritation or sensitization at use concentrations (0.86% in leave-on products and up to 30% as leaf water).

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.

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.

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