Every active ingredient in the Glow Table, with what it does for your skin, its evidence tier, and where you'll most commonly find it. Filter by function, product type, or evidence strength, or search by name, INCI label, or alias.
Showing 19 of 129 ingredients.
Zinc Oxide
A physical sunscreen that sits on top of your skin and blocks UV. Broad-spectrum and gentle enough for sensitive or rosacea-prone skin.
Titanium Dioxide
Another physical sunscreen that blocks UV. Often paired with zinc oxide for full sun protection.
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
A polyphenol from green tea that calms UV-triggered redness and reinforces your sunscreen as a second line of antioxidant defense.
Polypodium Leucotomos Leaf Extract
A supplement (and topical) that adds an internal layer of sun protection on top of your sunscreen, popular for melasma and easily-burned skin. Not a sunscreen replacement, but a real adjunct.
Tocotrienols
Vitamin E's more potent cousin, better at chasing down free radicals and shielding skin from UV-driven aging. A systematic review concluded it protects against inflammation, UV damage, and pigmentation; pairs naturally with vitamin C.
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
The most widely used chemical UVA filter in Western sunscreens, critical for blocking the longer wavelengths that drive photoaging, pigmentation, and deeper DNA damage. Always look for it paired with a photostabiliser such as octocrylene so it doesn't degrade and leave you unprotected mid-day.
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
The UVB workhorse behind most chemical sunscreens: effective, well-tolerated, and found in over 90% of chemical-filter formulas in the US. Important caveat: it covers UVB only, so it always needs a UVA partner (typically avobenzone). Also banned in Hawaii and reef-sensitive areas due to coral toxicity, so check the label if environmental impact matters to you.
Homosalate
A supporting UVB filter in many lightweight chemical sunscreens. It helps a formula reach its labeled SPF, but it needs UVA partners such as avobenzone for broad-spectrum coverage.
Ethylhexyl Salicylate
A supporting UVB filter that improves both protection and formula feel. It is rarely the star of a sunscreen, but it helps the complete filter blend deliver the SPF printed on the bottle.
Octocrylene
A UVB filter and formula stabilizer commonly paired with avobenzone. It helps broad-spectrum sunscreen keep working in sunlight, though people with a history of sunscreen photoallergy may prefer an alternative filter system.
Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid
A water-soluble UVB filter used in lighter sunscreen emulsions. It supports the labeled SPF without adding as much oil, but it is not broad-spectrum by itself and must be paired with UVA filters.
Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate
A modern UVA filter common in Korean and European sunscreens. It fills the long-wave UVA gap that UVB-focused filters cannot cover and is valued for remaining stable during sun exposure.
Ethylhexyl Triazone
A high-efficiency UVB filter behind many elegant high-SPF Korean and European formulas. It contributes strong burn protection without requiring the heavier filter load of less efficient UVB absorbers.
Polysilicone-15
A polymeric UVB filter used to build lightweight, silky sunscreen textures. It supports SPF while its silicone backbone helps the formula spread into an even protective film.
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
A modern broad-spectrum filter that covers both UVA and UVB and stays stable in sunlight. It is one reason many Korean and European sunscreens can combine high protection with a lighter feel.
Terephthalylidene Dicamphor Sulfonic Acid
A UVA filter best known as Mexoryl SX. It adds protection against the wavelengths associated with photosensitivity, pigmentation, and photoaging, but it works as one member of a broader filter blend.
Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol
A modern broad-spectrum filter known as Tinosorb M. It adds stable UVA and UVB coverage; because it is particulate, some formulas may show a slight cast depending on filter size and the rest of the base.
Diethylhexyl Butamido Triazone
A high-efficiency UVB and short-UVA filter used in modern Korean and European sunscreens. It supports high protection with less filter weight, which can help a formula feel lighter.
Benzophenone-3
An older UV filter that covers UVB and part of the UVA range. It can contribute to broad-spectrum protection, though people with sunscreen sensitivity may prefer a formula that uses a different filter system.
Every ingredient in this list traces back to peer-reviewed sources. See our methodology for how we evaluate, cite, and verify research from PubMed, the Korean Citation Index, J-Stage, and the MFDS regulatory record.