Skin science article
Rimmel London Match Perfection Foundation Versus The Ordinary Serum Foundation
Rimmel London Match Perfection Foundation Versus The Ordinary Serum Foundation What's inside Key Ingredients Benefits Concerns Ingredients Side-by-side Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate 4% Titanium Dioxide 3% Water Cyclopentasiloxane Talc Glycerin Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1
Rimmel London Match Perfection Foundation Versus The Ordinary Serum Foundation
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate 4%
Titanium Dioxide 3%
Water
Cyclopentasiloxane
Talc
Glycerin
Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone
Isononyl Isononanoate
Phenyl Trimethicone
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene
Silica Dimethyl Silylate
Propylene Glycol
Triethylhexanoin
Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate
Magnesium Sulfate
Sodium Glutamate
Tribehenin
Bis-PEG/PPG-14/14 Dimethicone
Dimethicone
Lecithin
Disteardimonium Hectorite
Diphenyl Dimethicone
Laureth-7
Parfum
Mica
Phenoxyethanol
Methylparaben
Propylparaben
Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer
Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate
Propylene Carbonate
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
Disodium EDTA
Aluminum Hydroxide
Silica
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Sodium Hyaluronate
Thymus Serpyllum Extract
Ceramide Ns
PEG-10 Rapeseed Sterol
Biosaccharide Gum-1
BHT
Lupinus Albus Seed Extract
Sapphire Powder
Butylparaben
Ethylparaben
Palmitoyl Oligopeptide
Tocopherol
Isobutylparaben
CI 77891
Iron Oxides
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate 4%, Titanium Dioxide 3%, Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Talc, Glycerin, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Isononyl Isononanoate, Phenyl Trimethicone, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Propylene Glycol, Triethylhexanoin, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Magnesium Sulfate, Sodium Glutamate, Tribehenin, Bis-PEG/PPG-14/14 Dimethicone, Dimethicone, Lecithin, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Diphenyl Dimethicone, Laureth-7, Parfum, Mica, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Propylene Carbonate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Disodium EDTA, Aluminum Hydroxide, Silica, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Sodium Hyaluronate, Thymus Serpyllum Extract, Ceramide Ns, PEG-10 Rapeseed Sterol, Biosaccharide Gum-1, BHT, Lupinus Albus Seed Extract, Sapphire Powder, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Tocopherol, Isobutylparaben, CI 77891, Iron Oxides
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
Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate
Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate
Hectorite
Sodium Chloride
Hexyl Laurate
Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
PEG-10 Dimethicone
Stearic Acid
Alumina
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Chlorphenesin
Tin Oxide
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.
Aluminum Hydroxide is a form of aluminum. It can be naturally found in nature as the mineral gibbsite. In cosmetics, Aluminum Hydroxide is used as a colorant, pH adjuster, and absorbent.
As a colorant, Aluminum Hydroxide may add opacity, or reduce the transparency. Aluminum hydroxide is contains both basic and acidic properties.
According to manufacturers, this ingredient is an emollient and humectant. This means it helps hydrate the skin.
In medicine, this ingredient is used to help relieve heartburn and help heal ulcers.
There is currently no credible scientific evidence linking aluminum hydroxide in cosmetics to increased cancer risk.
Major health organizations allow the use of aluminum hydroxide in personal care products and have not flagged it as a carcinogenic risk at typical usage levels.
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.
Cyclopentasiloxane (D5) is a lightweight silicone that mostly acts as an emollient and solvent in cosmetics. Its the reason your products feel silky, fast-spreading, and non-greasy.
Since D5 is volatile, it does its thing and then evaporates off the skin quickly.
The safety profile of this ingredient is reassuring; the US CIR Expert Panel concluded D5 is safe as used in cosmetics and Health Canada concluded that D5 is not harmful to human health or the environment as currently used in cosmetics
There's a study that people mention about D5 in a rat study showing tumors. This study is related to long-term inhalation of high D5 levels.
Regulatory bodies have judged this study to be not applicable in topical skincare since skin absorption of D5 is very low and we're not really inhaling huge amounts of D5.
The only restriction for this ingredient is environmental. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) restricted D5 in wash-off cosmetics at or above 0.1% due to their persistence in water.
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.
This ingredient comes as a powder made up of small, porous, microbeads. It is used to add a silky feel to products and also helps absorb oil.
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.
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.
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!
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.