Estée Lauder Perfectionist Youth-Infusing Serum Makeup Spf 25
49/100 overall score
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About this sunscreen
Estée Lauder Perfectionist Youth-Infusing Serum Makeup Spf 25 is a tinted makeup product with sun protection, using Octinoxate (Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate) and mineral Titanium Dioxide. It has a matte finish, feels lightweight and is unlikely to leave a white cast or to sting. Pore-clogging risk is generally low and it works well as a makeup base, which is its main purpose. Protection is rated weak, and with a score of 49.0/100 it should be treated as makeup with light SPF rather than primary sun protection.
Ingredient & SPF scores
☀️
UV protection
Weak
29
- +18 Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate at #1, UV filter
- +33 Titanium Dioxide at #2, UV filter (UVA1 +5)
- −2 UVB coverage saturated
- ×0.6 Almost no UVA1, poor aging protection
☢️
Health safety
High
64
- +100 Starting score
- −36 Octinoxate at #1 (regulatory/evidence concern)
👻
White cast
Low
96
- +100 Starting score
- −7 Titanium Dioxide, 1.9% declared
- −2 Titanium Dioxide as pigment (CI 77891) at #56
- +4.5 Iron-oxide undertone, partial masking
- +0.7 Coated minerals (Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Alumina, Methicone)
🔥
Eye sting
Low
84
- +100 Starting score
- −16 Octinoxate at #1, migrates into eyes with sweat
🪨
Heavy feel
Low
94
- +100 Starting score
- −10 Titanium Dioxide, 1.9% declared
- +2.5 Volatile silicone at #4, flashes off
- +1.1 Volatile hydrocarbon at #5, flashes off
🔴
Comedogenic
Low
99
- +100 Starting score
- −1 Palmitic Acid at #39, moderate comedogenic signal
🍄
Fungal acne
Medium
71
- +100 Starting score
- −18 2 oils/butters that feed Malassezia (Lecithin, Hydrogenated Lecithin)
- −9 1 long-chain (C12+) esters that feed Malassezia (Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate)
- −2 1 ubiquitous fatty ingredients (Palmitic Acid), weak Malassezia signal
👕
Fabric stains
Medium
45
- +100 Starting score
- −40 Iron-oxide pigments at #57, makeup-like collar marks (washable)
- −15 Titanium Dioxide at #2, white marks, worst on dark fabric (washable)
💧
Moisture
Light
LightNourishing
- ← 4.5 2 sebum-absorbing powders (Silica, Polymethyl Methacrylate)
- ← 9 Volatile carriers flash off, leaving a dry finish
- ← 2 Titanium Dioxide at #2, mild sebum absorbent
- → 1 Glycerin at #27, the anchor humectant
- → 2 Sodium Hyaluronate at #28, hyaluronic family
- → 1 1 strong humectants (Sodium PCA)
- → 1 Humectant polyols
✨
Finish
Matte
MatteDewy
- ← 4 2 sebum-absorbing powders (Polymethyl Methacrylate, Silica)
- ← 8 Volatile carriers flash off, leaving a dry finish
- ← 1 1 dry-touch emollients reduce greasy shine (Coco-Caprylate/Caprate)
💄
Makeup base
Good
PillsPrimer
- → 8 Primer-style base, volatile silicones and dimethicone slip
- → 8 1 velvet elastomer fillers, blur and grip
- → 3 Quick-setting carrier, fast, even canvas
- → 1 Dry-touch esters, smooth fast-absorbing base
- ← 7.5 High mineral load at #2 greys under foundation (tinted)
🌊
Water resistance
Not resistant
Non-water-resistantWater-resistant
Nothing flagged in the ingredient list.
How we rate water resistance →Full ingredient list (57)
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.
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Legacy UV filter (Octinoxate), high in the list, a primary filter
- ↑ 18 UV protection
- ↑ 16 migrates into eyes with sweat
-
Mineral UV filter (Titanium Dioxide), high in the list, a primary filter
- ↑ 33 UV protection, incl. long-UVA (UVA1)
- ↑ 7 1.9% declared
- ↑ 10 1.9% declared
- ↑ 15 white marks, worst on dark fabric (washable)
- light ← 2 mild sebum absorbent
- pills ← 7.5 High mineral load greys under foundation (tinted)
-
3 Water
Solvent base, the water phase
-
Volatile silicone, flashes off for a light finish
- light ← 5 volatile carrier, flashes off
- matte ← 4 volatile carrier, flashes off
-
Volatile hydrocarbon, flashes off for a light finish
- light ← 4 volatile carrier, flashes off
- matte ← 4 volatile carrier, flashes off
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
-
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
- 1 → nourishing humectant polyol
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
-
Mattifying powder, absorbs oil and blurs the finish
- light ← 3 sebum-absorbing powder
- matte ← 3 sebum-absorbing powder
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
- matte ← 1 dry-touch emollient, anti-shine
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
-
13 Silica
Mattifying powder, absorbs oil and blurs the finish
- light ← 1.5 sebum-absorbing powder
- matte ← 1 sebum-absorbing powder
-
Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- ↑ 9 feeds malassezia
-
Botanical extract
-
Botanical extract
-
Botanical extract
-
Botanical extract
-
Protein, peptide or amino acid, conditions and hydrates skin
-
20 Whey Protein
Supporting ingredient
-
Protein, peptide or amino acid, conditions and hydrates skin
-
Protein, peptide or amino acid, conditions and hydrates skin
-
Protein, peptide or amino acid, conditions and hydrates skin
-
24 Cholesterol
Soothing, skin-conditioning active
-
Supporting ingredient
-
26 Caffeine
Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
-
27 Glycerin
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
- 1 → nourishing the anchor humectant
-
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
- 2 → nourishing hyaluronic family
-
Protein, peptide or amino acid, conditions and hydrates skin
-
Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
-
Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
-
33 Sodium PCA
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
- 1 → nourishing humectant
-
Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
-
Fatty alcohol, an emollient and thickener, not the drying kind
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
-
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
- ↑ 1 moderate comedogenic signal
- ↑ 2 minor malassezia feeder
-
Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- ↑ 9 feeds malassezia
-
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
-
42 Methicone
Emollient, softens and smooths skin
-
Supporting ingredient
-
Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
-
45 PEG-8
Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
-
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
-
Supporting ingredient
-
Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
-
Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
-
50 Lecithin
Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- ↑ 9 feeds malassezia
-
51 Alumina
Supporting ingredient
-
52 Xanthan Gum
Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
-
Chelator, binds stray metal ions to keep the formula stable
-
Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
-
55 Mica
Colorant or pigment
-
Colorant or pigment
-
57 Iron Oxides
Colorant or pigment
- ↑ 40 makeup-like collar marks (washable)
Is this good sun protection?
It is light protection. This is a serum makeup with SPF 25, and our rating flags its protection as weak, so it is best treated as makeup with light SPF rather than primary sun defense.
Is the Estée Lauder Perfectionist Youth-Infusing Serum Makeup Spf 25 mineral or chemical?
It is a hybrid. It uses the chemical filter Octinoxate (Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate) with mineral Titanium Dioxide.
Does the Estée Lauder Perfectionist Youth-Infusing Serum Makeup Spf 25 work under or as makeup?
Yes, it works well as a makeup base. It is itself a serum makeup with a matte finish, low white cast and low pore-clogging risk.