All Functions: 

bulking, cosmetic colorant, skin protecting, uv absorber, uv filter

CAS #: 1314-13-2 | EC #: 215-222-5
Ph. Eur. Name: Zinci Oxidum | Chemical/IUPAC Name: Zinc Oxide (Ci 77947)
Cosmetic Restrictions: IV/144- Not to be used in applications that may lead to exposure of the
end- user's lungs by inhalation VI/30 VI/30a
SCCS Opinions:
 0649/03 - Opinion concerning Zinc oxide
 0932/05 - Statement on Zinc Oxide used in Sunscreens
 1147/07 - Opinion on Safety of Nanomaterials in Cosmetic Products
 1215/09 - Clarification on Opinion SCCNFP/0932/05 on Zinc Oxide
 1489/12 - OPINION ON Zinc oxide - nano form

Details
When it comes to sunscreen agents, Zinc Oxide is pretty much in
a league of its own. It's a physical (or inorganic) sunscreen that has a
lot in common with fellow inorganic sunscreen Titanium
Dioxide (TiO2) but a couple of things make it superior even to TiO2.
If physical sunscreens don't tell you anything, go ahead and read about
the basics here. Most of what we wrote about Titanium Dioxide is also
true for Zinc Oxide so we will focus here on the differences. 
The first main difference is that while TiO2 gives a nice broad spectrum
protection, Zinc Oxide has an even nicer and even broader spectrum
protection. It protects against UVB, UVA II, and UVA I almost
uniformly, and is considered to be the broadest range sunscreen
available today. 
It's also highly stable and non-irritating. So much so that Zinc Oxide
also counts as a skin protectant and anti-irritant. It's also often used to
treat skin irritations such as diaper rash.
As for the disadvantages, Zinc Oxide is also not cosmetically elegant.
It leaves a disturbing whitish tint on the skin, although, according
to a 2000 research paper by Dr. Pinnell, it's slightly less white than
TiO2. Still, it's white and disturbing enough to use Zinc Oxide
nanoparticles more and more often. 
We wrote more about nanoparticles and the concerns around them here,
but the gist is that if nanoparticles were absorbed into the skin that
would be a reason for legitimate health concerns. But luckily, so far
research shows that sunscreen nanoparticles are not absorbed but remain
on the surface of the skin or in the uppermost (dead) layer of the skin.
This seems to be true even if the skin is damaged, for example,
sunburnt. 
All in all, if you've found a Zinc Oxide sunscreen that you are happy to
use every single day, that's fantastic and we suggest you stick with it. It's
definitely one of the best, or probably even the best option out there for
sun protection available worldwide. 

Titanium Dioxide
Goodie
WHAT-IT-DOES: sunscreen, colorant

Details
Titanium Dioxide is one of the two members of the elite sunscreen
group called physical sunscreens (or inorganic sunscreens if you’re a
science geek and want to be precise).
Traditionally, UV-filters are categorized as either chemical or physical.
The big difference is supposed to be that chemical agents absorb UV-
light while physical agents reflect it like a bunch of mini umbrellas on
top of the skin. While this categorization is easy and logical it turns out
it's not true. A recent, 2016 study shows that inorganic sunscreens work
mostly by absorption, just like chemical filters, and only a little bit by
reflection (they do reflect the light in the visible spectrum, but mostly
absorb in the UV spectrum).
Anyway, it doesn't matter if it reflects or absorbs, Titanium Dioxide is a
pretty awesome sunscreen agent for two main reasons: it gives a nice
broad spectrum coverage and it's highly stable. Its protection is very
good between 290 - 350 nm (UVB and UVA II range), and less good at
350-400 nm (UVA I) range. Regular sized Titanium Dioxide also has
a great safety profile, it's non-irritating and is pretty much free from
any health concerns (like estrogenic effect worries with some chemical
filters).
The disadvantage of Titanium Dioxide is that it's not cosmetically
elegant, meaning it's a white, "unspreadable" mess. Sunscreens
containing Titanium Dioxide are often hard to spread on the skin and
they leave a disturbing whitish tint. The cosmetic industry is, of course,
really trying to solve this problem and the best solution so far is
using nanoparticles. The itsy-bitsy Nano-sized particles improve both
spreadability and reduce the whitish tint a lot, but unfortunately, it also
introduces new health concerns. 
The main concern with nanoparticles is that they are so tiny that they are
absorbed into the skin more than we want them (ideally sunscreen
should remain on the surface of the skin). Once absorbed they might
form unwanted complexes with proteins and they might promote the
formation of evil free radicals. But do not panic, these are concerns
under investigation. A 2009 review article about the safety of
nanoparticles summarizes this, "to date, in-vivo and in-vitro studies have
not demonstrated percutaneous penetration of nanosized particles in
titanium dioxide and zinc oxide sunscreens". The English translation is,
so far it looks like sunscreens with nanoparticles do stay on the
surface of the skin where they should be.  
All in all, Titanium Dioxide is a famous sunscreen agent and for good
reason, it gives broad spectrum UV protection (best at UVB and UVA
II), it's highly stable, and it has a good safety profile. It's definitely one
of the best UV-filter agents we have today, especially in the US
where new-generation Tinosorb filters are not (yet) approved. 
4-Methylbenzylidene Camphor
Icky
ALSO-CALLED-LIKE-THIS:  Enzacamene
WHAT-IT-DOES: sunscreen

Details
4-Methylbenzylidene Camphor is a chemical sunscreen agent that
protects in the UVB range (290-320 nm) with a peak absorbance at 301
nm. It is an oil-soluble powder that is slightly photo-unstable (it takes 65
minutes to lose 10% of its protecting power and 345 minutes to lose half
of it), but it can still help to stabilize the famously unstable UVA
filter, avobenzone. 
Regarding its safety, we do not have the best news. Two possible
concerns are that it absorbs into the body and might have some
estrogenic activity there. But do not panic, the latter one was only shown
in rats and is probably not the case in humans, and  4-Methylbenzylidene
Camphor is considered safe as used. It is legally approved both in the
EU and  Australia up to 4%, however, it is not approved in the US and in
Japan. 
Overall, we think there are better UVB filter choices out there than this
guy, but if your favorite sunscreen contains it, you should probably just
continue to use it. 
Benzophenone-3
Icky
ALSO-CALLED-LIKE-THIS:  Oxybenzone
WHAT-IT-DOES: sunscreen
 
IRRITANCY: 0
COMEDOGENICITY: 0 
A chemical sunscreen agent that absorbs UVB and short UVA rays
(280-350nm) with its peak protection at 288 nm. Unlike many other
chemical sunscreens, it is highly stable but its UV absorbing abilities
are weak so it always has to be combined with other sunscreen agents
for proper protection. More often than not, it's used as
a photostabilizerrather than a proper sunscreen agent as it can protect
formulas nicely from UV damage.
Regarding safety, BP-3 is somewhat controversial. First, its molecules
are small (228 Da) and very lipophilic (oil loving) and these properties
result in very good absorption. The problem is that you want
sunscreens on the top of your skin and not in your bloodstream, so for
BP-3 this is a problem. In fact, it absorbs so well that 4 hours after
application of a sunscreen product with BP-3, it can be detected in
urine. 
Another concern of BP-3 is that it shows some estrogenic activity,
though it's probably not relevant when applied topically to the skin.
Estrogenic activity was confirmed only in-vitro (in test tubes) and when
taken orally by lab animals, and not when used topically as you would
normally. In fact, a 2004 follow-up study to examine the estrogenic
effect of sunscreens when used topically on the whole body found that
"the endogenous levels of reproductive hormones were unaffected"
(even though BP-3 could be detected both in plasma and urine, so its
absorption is no doubt too good).
If that was not enough, Wikipedia claims that BP-3 is nowadays
the most common allergen found in sunscreens, and the always-
trustworthy smartskincare writes that "[benzophenones] have been
shown in some studies to promote the generation of potentially harmful
free radicals".
On the up side, sunscreens are pretty well regulated in several parts of
the world, and BP-3 is considered "safe as used" and is an allowed
sunscreen agent everywhere. It can be used in concentrations of up to
10% in the EU and up to 6% in the US.
Overall, BP-3 is probably our least favorite sunscreen agent and we
prefer sunscreens without it. However, if you find a formula that you
love and contains BP-3, we do not think that you should throw it away.
A sunscreen with BP-3 is definitely better than no sunscreen. 

Benzophenone-4
ALSO-CALLED-LIKE-THIS:  Sulisobenzone
WHAT-IT-DOES: sunscreen

Details
A water-soluble, chemical sunscreen agent that is a secondary UVB
absorber with some activity in the short UVA range as well. Being a
secondary UV absorber means that its protection is weak and it has to be
combined with other sunscreen filters for proper sun protection. 
More often than not, Benzophenone-4 is not used as a sunscreen agent
but as a photoprotectant to extend product shelf life, or as a color-
protectant for products in clear packages. 
A Contact Dermatitis article from 2007 names BP-4 as an emerging
allergen, as it was the most frequently positive chemical UV filter and
third most frequently positive ingredient overall among the 35
substances patch tested in the study (13 positives of 1693 people tested).
Benzophenone-5
ALSO-CALLED-LIKE-THIS:  Sodium Sulisobenzone
Details
Benzophenone-5 is the sodium salt brother of Benzophenone-4, and just
like that guy, this one also works mainly as a photoprotectant to
extend product shelf life, or as a color-protectant for products in clear
packages.

Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol
Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Goodie
ALSO-CALLED-LIKE-THIS:  Tinosorb S, Bemotrizinol

Its INCI name is a bit of a mouthful, but Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol

Methoxyphenyl Triazine is worth recognizing it as it is one of the best
sunscreen agents known today. Unfortunately, it's not FDA-approved
so you will not find it in sunscreens coming from the US (not because
it's not good, but because US regulations make it impossible for newer
sunscreen agents to get approved), but it is widely available in other
parts of the world like Europe, Australia or Asia. 
It is a broad-spectrum (covers the whole UVB and UVA range, 280-
400 nm) chemical sunscreen agent with peak protections at about 310
and 345 nm and unlike older UV filters, it's very photostable. It
hardly deteriorates in the presence of UV light and it's also useful in
stabilizing other less stable sunscreen agents, like the famous UVA
protector, avobenzone.
It's a new generation sunscreen agent that was specifically designed
for high SPF and good UVA protection and based on a 2007 study
that compared 18 sunscreen agents available in the EU it really had
the best SPF protection (they used the highest concentration allowed
by EU regulations from each 18 sunscreens and Trinosorb S gave an
SPF 20 all by itself). 
It is an oil-soluble, slightly yellowish powder that is not absorbed into
the skin too much. This is good news for a sunscreen agent as it needs to
be on the surface of the skin to do its job properly. Regarding Bis-
Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine side effects, we have
good news here as well: it has a great safety profile and unlike a couple
of other chemical sunscreens, Trinosorb S (and M) does not
show estrogenic activity. 
Overall, we think Trinosorb S is one of the best sunscreen
optionsavailable today.
Are you into sunscreen agents? We have shiny explanations (along with
product lists) about others as well:
o  Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol, aka
Tinosorb M, the good buddy of our current molecule Tinosorb S
o Tris-Biphenyl Triazine, aka Tinosorb A2B, the newest addition to
the Tinosorb family that protects strongly in an in-between
wavelength that most other filters miss 
o Ethylhexyl Triazone, aka Uvinul T 150, another new generation
sunscreen agent with super-high UVB protection
o Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, aka Uvinul A Plus,
a new generation sunscreen for UVA protection 

Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
Details
The famous Avobenzone. It is a special snowflake as it is the only
globally available chemical sunscreen agent that provides proper
UVA protection (in the US, new generation sunscreen agents are not
approved because of impossible FDA regulations). It is the global gold
standard of UVA protection and is the most used UVA sunscreen in the
world. 
It gives very good protection across the whole UVA range (310-400
nm that is both UVA1 and UVA2) with a peak protection at 360 nm.
The problem with it, though, is that it is not photostable and degrades in
the sunlight. Wikipedia says that avobenzone loses 36% of its UV-
absorption capacity after just one hour of sunlight (yep, this is one of the
reasons why sunscreens have to be reapplied after a few hours).
The cosmetic's industry is trying to solve the problem by combining
avobenzone with other UV filters that enhance its stability (like
octocrylene, Tinosorb S or Ensulizole) or by encapsulating it and while
both solutions help, neither is perfect. Interestingly, the combination of
avobenzone with mineral sunscreens (that is titanium dioxide and zinc
oxide) is not a good idea. In the US, it is flat out prohibited as
avobenzone becomes unstable when combined with mineral sunscreens.
As for safety, avobenzone has a pretty good safety profile. It counts as
non-irritating, and unlike some other chemical sunscreens, it shows no
estrogenic effect. The maximum concentration of avobenzone permitted
is 5% in the EU and 3% in the US.

Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl
Hexyl Benzoate
Goodie
ALSO-CALLED-LIKE-THIS:  Uvinul A Plus, DHHB
Details
Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate is a new
generation, chemical sunscreen agent (not available in the US due to
impossible FDA regulations) that's designed for high UVA protection
and high photostability. It gives sun protection in the whole UVA
range (320-400 nm) with peak protection at 354nm. It can be used up to
10% worldwide except for the US and Canada. 

Diethylhexyl Butamido Triazone

ALSO-CALLED-LIKE-THIS:  Iscotrizinol, Uvasorb HEB
Details
A chemical sunscreen agent that's very oil soluble and requires
relatively low concentrations to achieve high SPF values (it gives an
SPF 12.5 at the max allowed concentration of 10%). It protects in the
UVB and UVA II range (but not in UVA I) with a peak protection at 310
nm. It's particularly suitable for water-repellent and water-resistant
formulations.
Regarding photostability, Diethylhexyl Butamido Triazone is super
photostable. It looses 10% of its SPF protection abilities only in 25 (!!)
hours when 2 hours counts already as "photostable" in the world of
chemical sunscreens.
Btw, it is not a FDA-approved sunscreen agent, so you will not find it in
sunscreens coming from the US. It's allowed up to 10% in Europe and
up to 5% in Japan.
Disodium Phenyl Dibenzimidazole
Tetrasulfonate
Goodie
ALSO-CALLED-LIKE-THIS:  Neo Heliopan AP, Bisdisulizole Disodium
Details
This long-named molecule is a chemical sunscreen agent that protects
the skin from the UVA II rays (320-350 nm mainly) with a peak
absorbance at 335 nm. Unlike most other sunscreen filters, it is not oil,
but water-soluble helping formulators to create less greasy sunscreens.
It also has a good safety profile with very low skin penetration and is
approved up to 10% in the EU and pretty much everywhere else except
for the United States (due to old and bad FDA sunscreen regulations). 

Drometrizole Trisiloxane
 Mexoryl XL
ALSO-CALLED-LIKE-THIS:

A L'Oréal-group exclusive sunscreen agent that was invented in 1999

and is commonly called Mexoryl XL. It is an oil-soluble, photostable
chemical sunscreen with both UVB and UVA protection with peak
absorbance at 303 nm (UVB) and at 344 nm (UVA).  
Ethylhexyl Dimethyl PABA
Icky
ALSO-CALLED-LIKE-THIS:  Padimate O, Octyl Dimethyl PABA, Eusolex 6007
Details
Ethylhexyl Dimethyl PABA is a chemical sunscreen agent that protects
in the UVB range (290-320 nm) with a peak absorbance at 312nm. Other
than that, we struggle to write anything positive about this guy, as it is
photo unstable (looses 10% efficacy in 20 mins and 50% in 85 mins),
not an unfrequent allergen in sunscreens and shows some endocrine
effect in animal studies. 
All this does not mean that it is not considered safe as used, it is (and is
approved up to 8% in the EU and US and up to 3% in Japan), but we do
think that there are plenty of other and better UV filters out there. 

Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
ALSO-CALLED-LIKE-THIS:  Octinoxate, Octyl Methoxycinnamate
Details
A clear, oil-soluble, "cosmetically-elegant" liquid that is the most
commonly used chemical sunscreen. It absorbs UVB radiation (at
wavelengths: 280-320 nm) with a peak protection at 310nm. 
It only protects against UVB and not UVA rays (the 320-400 nm range)
– so always choose products that contain other sunscreens too. It is not
very stable either, when exposed to sunlight, it kind of breaks down
and loses its effectiveness (not instantly, but over time - it loses 10% of
its SPF protection ability within 35 mins). To make it more stable it can
be - and should be - combined with other sunscreen agents to give stable
and broad-spectrum protection (the new generation sunscreen
agent, Tinosorb S is a particularly good one for that).
Regarding safety, there are also some concerns around Octinoxate. In
vitro (made in the lab not on real people) and animal studies have shown
that it may produce hormonal (estrogen-like) effects. Do not panic, the
studies were not conducted under real life conditions on real human
people, so it is probably over-cautious to avoid Octinoxate altogether.
However, if you are pregnant or a small child (under 2 yrs. old), choose
a physical (zinc oxide/titanium dioxide) or new-generation
Tinosorb based sunscreen, just to be on the super-safe side. :) 
Overall, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate is an old-school chemical
sunscreen agent. There are plenty of better options for sun protection
today, but it is considered "safe as used" (and sunscreens are pretty well
regulated) and it is available worldwide (can be used up to 10% in the
EU and up to 7.5% in the US).

Ethylhexyl Salicylate
ALSO-CALLED-LIKE-THIS:  Octyl Salicylate, Octisalate
Details
A colorless to light yellowish oily liquid that works as a UVB (280-
320nm) sunscreen filter with a peak absorbance at 306 nm. It's not a
strong filter in itself, it's always used in combination with other
sunscreen agents to further enhance the SPF and to solubilize other
solid UV filters.
It has a good safety profile and is allowed to be used at a max
concentration of 5% both in the US and in Europe (10% is allowed in
Japan).
Ethylhexyl Triazone
Goodie
ALSO-CALLED-LIKE-THIS:  Uvinul T 150, Octyltriazone
Details
Ethylhexyl Triazone is a new generation, chemical sunscreen (not
available in the US due to impossible FDA regulations) that gives
the highest photo-stable absorption of all available UVB filters today.
It protects in the UVB range (280-320nm) with a peak protection of
314nm. It is an oil soluble, odorless, colorless powder that works well in
fragrance-free formulas. It can be used up to 5% worldwide except for
the US and Canada.

Homosalate
Details
An oil-soluble chemical sunscreen agent that protects the skin from
UVB (295-315 nm) with a peak protection at 306 nm. Homosalate is not
a strong UV filter in and of itself (gives only SPF 4.3 protection at max.
allowed 10% concentration) and it is not photostable (looses 10% of its
SPF protection in 45 mins) so it always has to be combined with other
sunscreens for proper protection. Its big advantage, though, is that it is a
liquid and is excellent for dissolving other hard to solubilize powder
sunscreen agents, like the famous Avobenzone.
Regarding Homosalate's safety profile, we do not have the best news. In-
vitro (made in the labs) studies have shown that it might have some
estrogenic activity. Do not panic, these studies were not conducted on
real humans under real world conditions. Still, if you are a 'better safe
than sorry' type, be careful when using Homosalate containing
sunscreens long-term and full-body.
As of 2020, Homosalate is permitted to be used up to 10% in the EU and
15% in the US, but the EU is currently considering restricting it to only
1.4% (probably taking effect from 2022).  
Isoamyl p-Methoxycinnamate
ALSO-CALLED-LIKE-THIS:  Amiloxate, Neo Heliopan E1000
Details
An oil-soluble, chemical sunscreen agent that protects in the UVB
(290-320 nm) range with a peak absorbance at 310 nm and with some
additional protection in the UVA II (320-340nm) range. It is a newer
generation UV filter that is approved up to 10% in the EU, but not (yet)
available in the US due to impossible FDA regulations. 

Methoxycinnamidopropyl
Hydroxysultaine
ALSO-CALLED-LIKE-THIS:  Galaxy Sunbeat
Details
A colorless, odorless liquid that works as a water-soluble UVB
filter with a peak protection of 306 nm. Chemical sunscreen agents are
typically oil-soluble so being water-soluble is unique and it makes it
possible to create cosmetically elegant, non-oily, non-tacky, silky and
smooth feeling formulas. It is also used as a color protectant in hair
care formulations.
We could not figure out its regulatory status as a sunscreen agent,
though. Its manufacturer only says it's registered "as a new cosmetic
ingredient in the EU", but it is probably not an officially approved
sunscreen filter (yet).
Methoxypropylamino
Cyclohexenylidene
Ethoxyethylcyanoacetate
 Origin(s): Synthetic
 INCI name: METHOXYPROPYLAMINO CYCLOHEXENYLIDENE
ETHOXYETHYLCYANOACETATE
 Classification: UV chemical filter, Regulated

Restriction in Europe: This ingredient is authorised as a UV Filter in cosmetics up to a

concentration of 3%.

- Do not use in applications that may lead to exposure of the lungs of the end user by
inhalation.
- Do not use with nitrosating agents - Maximum nitrosamine content: 50 μgkg
- To be stored in nitrite-free containers".
Its functions (INCI)

 Stabilising : Improves ingredients or stability of the formula and shelf life

 Uv filter : Filters certain UV rays to protect the skin or hair from the harmful
effects of these rays.

The MCE filter

The MCE filter exhibited a peak of absorption at 385 nm with an absorption
coefficient of 63,052 (investigated in ethanol at 0.02 mM) (Figure 1). The MCE filter
showed 100% intrinsic stability in simplex medium, that is, hydroethanolic solution,
and stability robustness with regard to different stress, including heat (99% after 2
hours at 90 °C), acid (96‒99% after 0.1 M hydrogen chloride at room temperature or
60 °C), and oxidant (98–99% after hydrogen peroxide treatment). MCE also showed
98‒99% photostability under exposure to solar simulation even in the presence of
more oxygen (Table 1, Table 2, Table 3).
Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl
Tetramethylbutylphenol
Goodie
ALSO-CALLED-LIKE-THIS:  Tinosorb M, Bisoctrizole
Details
The long name covers a nice sunscreen agent and quite a special one at
that: It's a "hybrid" sunscreen meaning it's half-way between physical
(the ones that, at least partly, reflect the sun) and chemical agents (that
absorb the rays, which most sunscreens do).  It is a new generation UV
filterand, just like its sister, Trinosorb S, it is not available in the US. 
It gives nice broad-spectrum coverage (280-400 nm, meaning UVB as
well as UVA protecion) with peak protection at 305 nm and 360 nm and
it is highly photostable. It can also help to stabilize other less stable
sunscreens, like Octinoxate and is generally happy to work together with
other UV-filters.
Its hybrid nature means that it is organic like the chemical agents, but it
is neither water nor oil soluble and works as a suspension of micro fine
particles. If the small particles scare you, we have good news: the safety
profile of Tinosorb M is great. It is not absorbed into the skin and unlike
some other chemical sunscreens, it does not show estrogenic activity. 
The downside of its hybrid nature is that - similar to the inorganic
sunscreens zinc and titanium dioxide - Tinosorb M also leaves a white
cast on the skin that can be bothersome on darker skin tones. 

Octocrylene
An oil-soluble chemical sunscreen agent that protects skin in the UVB
and somewhat in the UVA II range with a peak absorption of 304 nm.
Its protection is not strong enough on its own but it is quite
photostable (loses 10% of SPF protection in 95 mins) and is often used
to stabilize other photo-unstable UV-filters, for
example, Avobenzone. It is also often used to improve the water
resistance of the products. 
Octocrylene's safety profile is generally quite good, though a review
study in Contact Dermatitis reports an "increasing number of patients
with photo contact allergy to octocrylene." Mainly adults
with ketoprofen-sensitivity and children with sensitive skin are affected,
so if you have a small kid, it is probably better to use octocrylene-free
sunscreens.

Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid

Goodie
ALSO-CALLED-LIKE-THIS:  Ensulizole
Details
A chemical sunscreen agent that gives strong protection in the
UVB(280-320nm) range with its peak protection at 306 nm. Its special
property is that unlike most sunscreen agents, it is not oil but water
soluble, so it is ideal to create light, oily skin compatible formulas.  It
is also fairly photostable and can be used to protect other less stable UV
filters (like famous UVA blocker, avobenzone) in the formula. It is
approved worldwide and can be used up to 4% in the US and up to 8%
in the EU.

Terephthalylidene Dicamphor
Sulfonic Acid
Goodie
ALSO-CALLED-LIKE-THIS:  Ecamsule, Mexoryl SX
Details
A  L'Oréal-group exclusive sunscreen agent commonly
called Mexoryl SX. As opposed to most sunscreen agents, it is water
soluble and protects in the UVA range with a peak absorbance at 345
nm. 
Tris-Biphenyl Triazine
Goodie
ALSO-CALLED-LIKE-THIS:  Tinosorb A2B
Details
The newest addition to the Tinosorb sunscreen family, a new generation
of sunscreen filters that are not available in the US, only in other parts of
the world. This one is so new, that it's EU only at the moment (as of
2016). 
The unique property of Tris-Biphenyl Triazine is that it's the most
efficient UVB and UVA2 filter known today. UVA2 (320-340 nm) is
a spot that most filters miss, so this guy can help to bridge this common
gap and make sunscreen formulas really cover the whole UV spectrum.
It's also highly photostable and has high SPF performance at low
concentrations. Though it does not provide protection in the UVA1
(340-400 nm) range, it does have a boosting effect there. 
Similar to Trinosorb M, it is a hybrid agent (between chemical and
physical sunscreens) and comes in the form of organic micro fine
particles.