Estée Lauder Futurist Aqua Brillance Foundation SPF 20
49/100 overall score
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About this sunscreen
Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brillance Foundation SPF 20 is a foundation with light SPF from octinoxate and mineral titanium dioxide. It wears with a balanced finish, a low white cast, and a lightweight feel, and does not sting. As a foundation it naturally works well as a makeup base with low pore-clogging risk. Its protection is rated weak at SPF 20 and the score is 49.0, so it should be layered over a dedicated sunscreen rather than relied on alone.
Ingredient & SPF scores
☀️
UV protection
Weak
26
- +17.1 Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate at #6, UV filter
- +26.4 Titanium Dioxide at #12, UV filter (UVA1 +4)
- ×0.6 Almost no UVA1, poor aging protection
☢️
Health safety
High
64
- +100 Starting score
- −36 Octinoxate at #6 (regulatory/evidence concern)
👻
White cast
Low
96
- +100 Starting score
- −15 Titanium Dioxide at #12
- −2 Titanium Dioxide as pigment (CI 77891) at #56
- +11.9 Tinted formula, pigment masks the cast
- +0.8 Coated minerals (Aluminum Hydroxide, Methicone)
🔥
Eye sting
Low
89
- +100 Starting score
- −11 Octinoxate at #6, migrates into eyes with sweat
🪨
Heavy feel
Low
92
- +100 Starting score
- −6 Titanium Dioxide at #12
- −2 Tribehenin at #15, wax film
🔴
Comedogenic
Low
98
- +100 Starting score
- −2 Ethylhexyl Palmitate at #33, heavy comedogenic ester
🍄
Fungal acne
High
23
- +100 Starting score
- −12 1 free fatty acids that feed Malassezia (Linoleic Acid)
- −36 3 polysorbate/sorbitan emulsifiers that feed Malassezia (Sorbitan Stearate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Sorbitan Sesquioleate)
- −9 1 oils/butters that feed Malassezia (Hydrogenated Lecithin)
- −18 2 long-chain (C12+) esters that feed Malassezia (Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Laureth-7)
- −2 1 ubiquitous fatty ingredients (Stearic Acid), weak Malassezia signal
- +0 Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil at #26, jojoba wax ester, fungal-acne exception (not penalized)
- +0 Dimethicone at #3, a safe base that does not feed Malassezia
👕
Fabric stains
Medium
55
- +100 Starting score
- −40 Iron-oxide pigments at #57, makeup-like collar marks (washable)
- −5 Titanium Dioxide at #12, white marks, worst on dark fabric (washable)
💧
Moisture
Balanced
LightNourishing
- ← 3 2 sebum-absorbing powders (Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Polymethylsilsesquioxane)
- ← 2 Volatile carriers flash off, leaving a dry finish
- → 1 Glycerin at #28, the anchor humectant
- → 2 Sodium Hyaluronate at #16, hyaluronic family
- → 1 Humectant polyols
- → 1 1 emollient lipids (Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil)
- → 1 Light emollient/solvent (Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride)
✨
Finish
Balanced
MatteDewy
- ← 2 2 sebum-absorbing powders (Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Polymethylsilsesquioxane)
- ← 2 Volatile carriers flash off, leaving a dry finish
- → 1 1 emollient lipids (Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil)
- → 1 1 slippy emollient esters (Ethylhexyl Palmitate)
💄
Makeup base
Good
PillsPrimer
- → 9 Primer-style base, volatile silicones and dimethicone slip
- → 1 Quick-setting carrier, fast, even canvas
🌊
Water resistance
Not resistant
Non-water-resistantWater-resistant
- +2 1 water-locking waxes
Full ingredient list (59)
What each ingredient does and how it moves each rating: green helps, red hurts, ↑ / ↓ give the direction, and ← / → shift a slider toward its ends (finish, moisture, makeup base). Auto-derived from our scoring rules and the ingredient's position.
-
1 Water
Solvent base, the water phase
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
-
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
- 1 → nourishing humectant polyol
-
Legacy UV filter (Octinoxate)
- ↑ 17.1 UV protection
- ↑ 11 migrates into eyes with sweat
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
- 1 → nourishing light emollient
-
Fatty alcohol, an emollient and thickener, not the drying kind
-
Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
-
Volatile hydrocarbon, flashes off for a light finish
- light ← 2 volatile carrier, flashes off
- matte ← 2 volatile carrier, flashes off
-
Mineral UV filter (Titanium Dioxide), low in the list, likely a minor contributor
- ↑ 26.4 UV protection, incl. long-UVA (UVA1)
- ↑ 5 white marks, worst on dark fabric (washable)
-
Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- ↑ 12 feeds malassezia
-
Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
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15 Tribehenin
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
- ↑ 2 wax film
- ↑ 2 wax water lock
-
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
- 2 → nourishing hyaluronic family
-
Botanical extract
-
Botanical extract
-
Botanical extract
-
Botanical extract
-
Botanical extract
-
Botanical extract
-
Botanical extract
-
Botanical extract
-
Botanical extract
-
Botanical extract
- 1 → nourishing emollient lipid
- 1 → dewy emollient lipid
-
Protein, peptide or amino acid, conditions and hydrates skin
-
28 Glycerin
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
- 1 → nourishing the anchor humectant
-
Supporting ingredient
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
-
31 Methicone
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
-
32 Cholesterol
Soothing, skin-conditioning active
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
- ↑ 2 heavy comedogenic ester
- 1 → dewy slippy emollient ester
- ↑ 9 feeds malassezia
-
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
-
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
-
Mattifying powder, absorbs oil and blurs the finish
- light ← 1.5 sebum-absorbing powder
- matte ← 1 sebum-absorbing powder
-
Supporting ingredient
-
Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- ↑ 9 feeds malassezia
-
Supporting ingredient
-
40 Laureth-7
Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- ↑ 9 feeds malassezia
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
-
Mattifying powder, absorbs oil and blurs the finish
- light ← 1.5 sebum-absorbing powder
- matte ← 1 sebum-absorbing powder
-
Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
- ↑ 12 feeds malassezia
-
45 Stearic Acid
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
- ↑ 2 minor malassezia feeder
-
Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- ↑ 12 feeds malassezia
-
Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- ↑ 12 feeds malassezia
-
Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
-
Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
-
50 BHT
Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
-
Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
-
52 Tocopherol
Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
-
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
-
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
-
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
-
Colorant or pigment
-
57 Iron Oxides
Colorant or pigment
- ↑ 40 makeup-like collar marks (washable)
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58 Iron Oxides
Colorant or pigment
-
59 Iron Oxides
Colorant or pigment
Is Estee Lauder Futurist Aqua Brillance a real sunscreen?
It is a foundation with SPF 20, so its protection is rated weak for sun defense. Use it over a dedicated sunscreen rather than as your only protection.
Is the Estée Lauder Futurist Aqua Brillance Foundation SPF 20 good under makeup?
It is a makeup base itself and works well in that role, with a balanced finish and low white cast. Pore-clogging risk is low.
Is the Estée Lauder Futurist Aqua Brillance Foundation SPF 20 mineral or chemical?
It is mainly chemical, using octinoxate with mineral titanium dioxide for its SPF 20.