Tarte Amazonian Clay BB Tinted Moisturizer Versus Too Faced Born This Way Undetectable Medium-To-Full Coverage Foundation

Tarte Amazonian Clay BB Tinted Moisturizer Versus Too Faced Born This Way Undetectable Medium-To-Full Coverage Foundation

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Cyclopentasiloxane

Octyldodecyl Neopentanoate

Glycerin

PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone

Dimethicone

Aluminum Hydroxide

Stearic Acid

Triethoxycaprylylsilane

Saccharum Officinarum Extract

Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract

Citrus Limon Fruit Extract

Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Panax Ginseng Root Extract

Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract

Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract

Kaolin

Phytantriol

Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate

Retinyl Palmitate

Tocopheryl Acetate

Tocopherol

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Butylene Glycol

Methicone

Octyldodecanol

Boron Nitride

Palmitic Acid

Dextrin Palmitate

Sodium Hyaluronate

Sodium Chloride

Sodium Dehydroacetate

Hexylene Glycol

Caprylyl Glycol

Phenoxyethanol

Mica

Iron Oxides

Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Octyldodecyl Neopentanoate, Glycerin, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Dimethicone, Aluminum Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Kaolin, Phytantriol, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Butylene Glycol, Methicone, Octyldodecanol, Boron Nitride, Palmitic Acid, Dextrin Palmitate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Hexylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Mica, Iron Oxides

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate

Trimethylsiloxysilicate

Phenyl Trimethicone

Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone

Propanediol

Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate

Rhododendron Ferrugineum Extract

Cocos Nucifera Fruit Juice

Cocos Nucifera Liquid Endosperm

Disteardimonium Hectorite

1,2-Hexanediol

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Sodium Benzoate

Potassium Sorbate

CI 77891

CI 77491

CI 77492

CI 77499

Water, Dimethicone, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Phenyl Trimethicone, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Propanediol, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Glycerin, Mica, Sodium Hyaluronate, Rhododendron Ferrugineum Extract, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Juice, Tocopheryl Acetate, Caprylyl Glycol, Methicone, Cocos Nucifera Liquid Endosperm, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Sodium Chloride, 1,2-Hexanediol, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, CI 77891, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

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).

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.

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.

Methicone is a type of silicone and is a simpler form of dimethicone.

Silicones are used to enhance the texture of products and have emollient properties. Methicone is used to give products a silky texture and improves spreadability.

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.

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.

Sodium Dehydroacetate is a synthetic preservative and sodium salt form of dehydroacetic acid. It stops bacteria, mold, and yeast from growing in your products at low concentrations.

Clinical testing found it to be non-irritating, non-sensitizing, and non-photosensitizing. It's also not significantly absorbed through skin.

There are a very small number of reported cases of contact dermatitis in cases linked to wound-care creams used over compromised skin (rather than skincare).

Overall, this is a well-studied and low-risk preservative just doing its job.

Typical concentrations run up to 0.6%, which is also the maximum amount permitted under both EU CosIng regulations and US FDA guidelines.

Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.

In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.

Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:

Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.

Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.

You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.

Tocopheryl Acetate is a stable, shelf-friendly form of vitamin E.

Formulators love it because plain vitamin E oxidizes quickly once it hits air. This acetate version stays stable and resists going off, helping to extend a product's shelf life.

It's actually inactive on its own and works like a slow-release "storage" form; the enzymes in your skin called esterases gradually convert it into active vitamin E over time.

One in vivo study showed 5% of the acetate in the living layer of the epidermis converted to vitamin E after 5 days of application. This study also found the skin gained protection against UV damage even though the conversion was slow and small.

Once converted, vitamin E acts as a skin's main fat-soluble antioxidant that fights free radicals to protect skin from damage.

Topical vitamin E generally boosts the skin's photoprotection, and it reduced UV-damage in animal models.

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.

Overall, it has a pretty solid safety profile and has been found to be non-irritating and non-comedogenic. Allergic reactions may happen but stay rare due to how widely the ingredient gets used.

The concentration will vary depending on the formula; industry data shows 0.1% in baby lotions, 3% in lipsticks, and 5% in foot powders. You can also find this ingredient at 100% in a pure vitamin E oil.

Most leave-on skincare keeps it at the lower end, often between 0.5-1%.

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!

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