How sheer is your concealer?
Which concealer do you choose? Compare the ingredients of three popular compact concealers and choose your favorite. Will it be NARS Soft Matte Complete, MAC Studio Finish SPF 35 or Hynt Beauty Duet Perfection Concealer?
All three have a nice effect on the skin. They perfectly remove spots and imperfections. But what about the ingredients? Are they healthy for your skin?
Our choice
We do not choose the NARS concealer because it contains a number of ingredients that we do not want to put on the skin. See the ingredients in red in the list below. Many ingredients may make your skin feel smooth, but do nothing to care for your skin at all. If you put something on your skin, it is nice if it also does something for your skin. At least we think so.
The MAC concealer contains much more care for your skin. And an SPF. That in itself is nice, but not with the UV filters used in this concealer. Both UV filter We do not want Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate and nano Titanium Dioxide in our make-up. The MAC concealer is therefore also eliminated.
The Hynt Beauty concealer is our choice. This is packed with nourishing and healing ingredients. Some of the ingredients are also certified organic. It's nice to know that no toxins were used in the cultivation. With this concealer you can hide imperfections such as circles and spots and take care of your skin at the same time.
Pure ingredients?
Below is an overview of the ingredients for each concealer with an explanation. Useful to know: the higher an ingredient is in the list, the more of it is in the product. An ingredient written in red means avoid! We have some doubts about an orange one.
NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer
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Dimethicone |
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Silicone. Is a silicone. Leaves your skin feeling smooth. Can clog pores. May cause skin irritation. Insoluble in water - more difficult to remove. Harmful to the environment. |
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Water |
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Helps transport ingredients in a cosmetic product. |
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Glycerin |
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Fatty matter. Softens the skin. |
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Butylene Glycol |
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Organic soft alcohol. As a solvent or skin improver. Fine. |
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Nylon-12 |
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Synthetic polyamide. Made from petroleum. The question is whether it is degradable in the environment. |
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Paraffin |
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Fat from the oil industry. Leaves your skin feeling smooth. Can close off the skin, so that it can no longer properly perform its own protective function. |
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Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer |
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A silicone powder that makes cosmetics feel silky soft. Said to be safe to use in cosmetics according to Cosmetic Ingredient Review Panel. Molecules too large to penetrate the skin. |
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Dicaprylyl Carbonate |
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Makes product feel pleasant on the skin. Can be from natural raw materials or synthetic. |
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Zinc Oxide |
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Natural SPF. Fine. |
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PEG-10 Dimethicone |
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Derivative of dimethicone (silicone). May irritate the skin. |
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PEG-400 |
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May possibly irritate the skin. And possibly cause organ damage. |
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Sorbitan Sesquiisostearate |
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Seems fine. Ensures an even product. Does nothing else for your skin. |
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Microcrystalline wax |
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Petroleum-derived wax. Bad for the Environment. |
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Phenoxyethanol |
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Can irritate the skin with regular contact with the skin (contained in many products, so the risk of regular contact is high. Negative effect on eczema. Possibly harmful to organs. |
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Polysilicone-2 |
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According to the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Panel, it is safe when used to coat small metal particles (I suspect so that they cannot penetrate the skin). But data are insufficient to determine the safety of the ingredient when used 'loose' in cosmetics. |
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Silica |
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Important for skin, hair and nails. Promotes firmness. Essential for the production of collagen and elastin. |
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Barium Sulfate |
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Natural or synthetic artificial white dye. May irritate the skin and eyes with regular use. When inhaled, possible stacking effect in your body. |
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Dextrin Palmitate |
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White or yellowish powder, used to bind ingredients, as an emulsifier or anti-caking agent. Made from palm acid (from palm oil) and dextrin. |
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Distearyldimonium Chloride |
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An ammonium salt. May irritate skin, lungs and eyes. Possibly a disruptor of the endocrine organs. |
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Aluminum Hydroxide |
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Pigment. Occurs in nature. |
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Palmitic Acid |
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Palm acid. Natural fatty acid. |
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Hydrogen Dimethicone |
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Shape of Silicone. Often used as a binder for mica, zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Can put a film on your skin. So that fine lines and wrinkles are less visible. |
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Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 |
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Synthetically made protein from lysine and vasine. Can prevent collagen breakdown. Seems safe. |
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Ascorbic Acid |
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Vitamin C. Improves the skin barrier, helps against pigmentation, anti-inflammatory. Reduces oxidation of cosmetics product. |
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Retinyl Palmitate |
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Most stable form of retinol. Stored in the skin. And if necessary converted into vitamin A. Anti-aging ingredient. Protect skin well against UV radiation when using |
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Tocopheryl Acetate |
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Form of vitamin E. Antioxidant. |
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Alumina |
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Aluminium. A natural element in nature. In compact product okay. If used as small loose particles, it can cause lung damage if inhaled. |
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Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate |
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Moisturizing. |
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Tocoperhol |
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Antioxidant. Protects your skin against damage. |
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Mica |
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Natural mineral |
MAC Studio Finish SPF 35
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Octyldodecanol |
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Vegetable 'fatty' (soft) alcohol. May irritate the skin. But score 1 EWG. So seems okay. |
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Synthetic Beeswax |
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Mostly vegetable. But not always vegan! Resembles real beeswax in properties. Possibly harmful to the environment. However, real beeswax will always contain more complex compounds than a synthetic imitation. |
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Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax\Cera Carnauba\Cire De Carnauba |
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Caring vegetable wax. |
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Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate |
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UV filter. Do not use! Disrupts the hormone system. Number of studies show skin irritation/allergic reaction. Risk of damage to embryo development and fertility. |
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Silica |
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Important for skin, hair and nails. Promotes firmness. Essential for the production of collagen and elastin. |
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Hydrogenated Polyisobutene |
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Synthetic polymer. Softens the skin. |
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Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil |
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Jojoba oil. Caring for your skin. |
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Titanium Dioxide (Nano) |
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Not okay in nano form. Titanium Dioxide is a UV filter. In non-nano form it's okay. Harmful in nano form. |
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Tocopherol |
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Antioxidant. Protects your skin against damage. |
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Ascorbyl Palmitate |
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Vitamin C. Improves the skin barrier, helps against pigmentation, anti-inflammatory. |
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Polybutene |
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Polymer to improve product structure. Can be harmful to your organs. |
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Pvp/Hexadecene Copolymer |
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A copolymer. Could be microplastic. May irritate skin. Or cause allergic reaction. |
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Alumina |
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Aluminium. A natural element in nature. In compact product okay. If used as small loose particles, it can cause lung damage if inhaled. |
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Stearic Acid |
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Skin-identical fatty acid. Found in almost all natural fats (also from the skin.) |
Hynt Duet Perfecting Concealer
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Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride |
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A combination of 2 fatty acid esters. Which are found in palm and coconut oil, among others. Cares for the skin. And has a soothing effect. |
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Tri-Isostearlyl Citrate |
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Tri-ester of citric acid and stearyl alcohol. Takes care of your skin. Let your skin breathe. Most edible oils and fats are triesters. |
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Acacia Decurrens/Jojoba/Sunflower seed wax* |
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Natural waxes. Take care of your skin. *= organic |
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Hydrogenated Jojoba Oil* |
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Caring for your skin. Keeps your skin hydrated. And protects. Hydrogenation makes the oil more stable and lasts longer. |
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Ricinus Communis (Castor) seed oil* |
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Caring for your skin. Protects your skin against moisture loss, |
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Stearalkonium Hectorite |
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Made of hectorite. A natural mineral. Part of bentonite clay. Thickener. |
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Propylene Carbonate |
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Solvent. Safe according to the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Panel. Can irritate the skin at a very high dose. |
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Tocopherol |
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Antioxidant. Protects your skin against damage. |
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Tocopheryl Acetate |
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Form of vitamin E. Antioxidant. |
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Oleic Acid |
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Natural fatty acid. Softens and hydrates the skin. |
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Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf extract |
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Aloe Vera Leaf Extract. Soothing, caring and healing for the skin. Anti-inflammatory. Blocks part of UV radiation. |
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Persea Gratissima (Avocado) oil* |
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Brings balance, soothes and softens sensitive, irritated or dry skin. Power fruit, packed with provitamin A, vitamin D and E. |
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Boron Nitride |
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Increases product adhesion and absorbs oil. |
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Theobroma Grandiflorum (Cupuacu) Seed butter*. |
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Superfruit from the Amazome region. The white pulp of the rainforest tree has super moisturizing properties. |
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May contain: Titanium Dioxide |
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Not nano. Okay if they are larger particles. |
*organic certified ingredient