(Not particularly) Hot Off the Presses! New Urban Decay Setting Sprays!

Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Here we are with some more news about Urban Decay. Wow... huge surprise when you look at my blog history, but I digress. Let's get to the content, shall we?

Urban Decay showcased the brand new packaging for their popular setting sprays via the company Instagram account earlier this morning:


It looks pretty spiffy, no? They've certainly toned down the packaging, and even though streamlined and duo-toned really isn't the Urban Decay Way, I'm kind of digging it! It looks like the spray nozzles are the same manual ones that they've had, but wouldn't it be awesome to get a setting spray spray can?


I couldn't happen but notice that they've renamed their "Dew Me" setting spray as "Chill". It seems a bit out of character that Urban Decay would re-dub something with a more tame title, I mean, this is the brand that have drug references as names for about 1/3 of their eyeshadows. I can only hypothesize about the changes in name and toning down of packaging, so don't take my word for fact, but would this have something to do with the recent change in Urban Decay's ownership which is a bit more demure and considerably duller than Urban Decay? Mayhaps? Yes? No? "You're a crazy conspiracy theorist, Carly"? Mooovin' on!

Since it's no secret that I love the All Nighter Setting Spray, I got a little apprehensive at the change in packaging since new packaging is the code word for "reformulation", or "price change", or "volume change" when it comes to cosmetic companies. My adoration for this product got my super sleuth side sneaking about, looking for clues on product changes... and I may have gotten carried away, which is why this post is so long. But hey, at least it's informative, analytical, and pretty darned in-depth. If you want to know about the new Urban Decay Setting Sprays, this is the place to go. 

Thankfully the change in packaging didn't bring along a change in price or volume, much to my glee, because nothing sucks more than find out that you have to pay more for a product after a brand has "revamped" it. The standard sized 120 mL (4.0 US fl oz) bottle will still run you $29.00 which in and of itself is an arm and a leg, therefore I praise the Urban Decay price people for not making it any more expensive to us peasants. So, hooray for that, but there appears to be some changes with the formula. The ingredient lists below of the "new" All Nighter and the "old" All Nighter are directly from the Urban Decay website and it's obvious pretty early on that things are different. 

Nerd challenge: Try and spot the spelling errors in the ingredients. 


Ingredient list for the repackaged All Nighter Setting Spray:

All Nighter Ingredients (Ingrédients): 
Aqua (Water/Eau), Alcohol Denat, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, PVP, Methyl Perfluorobutyl Ether, Methyl Perflouroisobutyl Ether, Dimethicone PEG-7 Phosphate, PPG-3 Benzyl Ether Myristate, Caprylyl Gylcol, Menthyl Methacrylate Cross Polymer, Poloxamer 407, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Cocamidopropyl PG Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Glycereth-5 Lactate, N,2,3-Trimethyl-2-Isopropyl Butamide, Ethylhexyl Isononanoate, Isononyl Isononanoate, Fragrance, Aloe Barbandensis Leaf Extract.

Ingredient list for the "old" All Nighter Setting Spray:

Ingredients: 
Aqua (Water), 
SD-Alcohol 39-C, Polyhydroxystearic AcidIsononyl Isononanoate, Ethylhexyl Isononanoate, Sodium Cocamidopropyl PG-Dimonium Chloride PhosphatePVPPhenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Methyl Diisopropyl PropionamideDimethicone PEG-7 Phosphate, PPG-3 Benzyl Ether Myristate, Gluconolactone, Sodium Benzoate, Glycereth-5 Lactate, Methyl Methacrylate Cross Polymer, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Fragrance


If you skipped over that PolyIsoMethylBenzoTetraHydraChloride jumble of words, I don't blame you! Not a lot of people get kicks out of reading and analyzing makeup ingredients beyond cosmetic chemists and ingredient-concious shoppers, so here it the sparknotes version of what happened for the All Nighter Setting Spray. Things that have changed are color coded to signify what is new with each specific type of ingredient that makes up the setting spray (anything in black is commentary/things that haven't changed much) for your paroozing pleasure:

  • Solvents: Both formulas still have good ol' H2O as the first ingredient and most abundant solvent. The "new" formula contains two additional methane based solvents, Methyl Perfluorobutyl, and Methyl Perflouroisobutyl Ether. 
  • EtOH Alcohol: The denatured alcohol in each formula might be different, but it's impossible to tell with the "new" ingredient being stated as "Alcohol Denat" which is about as general as "I like stuff". 
  • Both formulas contain the same suspending agent (Polyhydroxystearic Acid) which appears as the 3rd ingredient on both lists.
  • Both formulas contain PVP, or Polyvinylprrolidone, which acts as a film former. The "new" formula has a higher level of PVP.  
  • The two formulas share nearly all of the same emollients, a.k.a skin moisturizers or conditioners, with the exception of Gluconolactone which is in the "old" formula and not the "new" one. These emollients differ in abundance in each formula; PPG-3 Benzyl Ether Myristate (more abundant in "new"), Glycereth-5 Lactate (more abundant in "new"), Ethylhexyl Isononanoate (more abundant in "old"), Isononyl Isononanoate (more abundant in "old"), and Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice/Extract (more abundant in "old"). 
  • Both formulas share Sodium Cocamindopropyl PG-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, and Dimethicone PEG-7 Phosphate as surfactants (which lower the surface tension of liquids and are disinfectants) but at different levels of abundance. The "old" has a higher level of Sodium Cocamindopropyl PG-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, and the "new" formula has a higher level of Dimethicone PEG-7 Phosphate. The "new" formula has an additional surfactant, Poloxamer 407, which is a type of polymer surfactant that dissolves oily substances in water. 
  • Both formulas actually have the same oil-absorbing polymer Methyl Methacrylate Cross Polymer, but it is at such drastically different levels in each. The "new" formula has it placed as the 10th ingredient and the "old" formula has it as the 17th. 
  • The "new" formula is the only one out of the two that has Sodium Hydroxide, which acts as a pH buffer or adjuster. 
  • The "new" formula lacks any preservatives unlike the "old" formula which had two (Pheonxythanol and Sodium Benzonate).
  • Both formulas list the fragrance simply as "fragrance" so there isn't any way of telling what it is. The frangrance in the "new" formula is listed as the second to last ingredient where the "old" formula has it as the very last.  The "old" formula an additional fragrance related ingredient, Methyl Diisopropyl Propionmide.
  • The "new" formula added a cooling agent (N,2,3-Trimethyl-2-Isopropyl Butamide) which creates a "cool" sensation on the skin. 
The new All Nighter formula is definitely different from the previous one, but it honestly doesn't look like it would be too bad. Here is why:
  • The fact that the new formula list didn't specify the EXACT denatured alcohol still kind of peeves me because when you write down a list of ingredients, you write them ALL down, damnit! I'm a bit of a control freak when it comes to formulas, no thanks to 2 years working in a lab making synthetic sea water for phytoplankton cultures that had to be so exact with each measurement of each chemical or it could ruin everything. Science is one helluva drug, kids. Either way, the setting spray will still evaporate since alcohol is alcohol and kinda likes to do that, plus it's the second ingredient in both of the formulas so I'm not too worried. Oh, and you still can't get buzzed off of it because denatured alcohol tastes like sour nastiness. 
  • The increased amount of the film former might make makeup last longer. 
  • Even though the new formula is down one emollient I feel that there are still enough to keep my skin moisturized and happy. I mean, there are still 5 in there for Pete's sake!
  • The additional surfactant will (in theory) add in some more disinfecting power and keep the ickies from breeding in your bottle of setting spray, or do something about that bacteria living on your face. Just remember kiddies, the number of bacteria cells in or on your person at this very moment outnumber the cells in your own body 10 to 1. Thankfully 100 trillion of those bacteria are helping you, not harming you. Ahhh, microbiology. 
  • The increased amount of the oil-absorbing polymer will probably keep oil related shine away for longer.
  • The new pH adjusting ingredient should be nice! After all, a pH balanced face is a happy face!
  • There are less fragrance related ingredients in the new one which will probably benefit sensitive skinned folks since the fragrance on the old one is a little strong. 
  • New cooling sensation? HECK YEAH! :D I wouldn't mind having that, especially during the summer. 
The only (teeny tiny) gripe that I have about this new formula is that they did away with the preservatives. This makes me preemptively bite my nails at the possibility of the shelf life being lessened. But in all honestly, I go through that stuff like it is air so why should I worry!? I'm not going to bother comparing the other two sprays because this post would become more Rainbow Brite and helter skelter than it already is, but if you want to check out the ingredient lists for yourself, go ahead! You can find a complete lists of new and old formulas for De-Slick, Dew-Me/Chill, and All Nighter right here!


When I was poking around the Urban Decay website for product specifications, volumes, ingredients (like a good informed blogger does), I did notice something that made me raise an eyebrow. The little travel sized bottles didn't seem to get a make over and the XL ones didn't either *dubious brow raise*. I can see three scenarios coming from this:
  1. They just haven't gotten around to putting the different sized into production for new packaging.
  2. Additional sizes won't be getting a make over (highly unlikely, plus it would drive me insane if the different sizes had mis-matched packaging so I'm rooting for this one NOT to be the case).  
  3. No more additional sizes, which I think might be the case judging by how the Primer Potions got new packaging well over a year ago and minis aren't available anymore. Boo. :( 
I think that having a travel sized setting spray is really handy and I also like the bit of savings I get from buying an XL bottle so I'm really hoping that my prediction with the first option ends up being what is actually going on.

These newly packaged products are and are already available for purchase on the Urban Decay website (that link will take you directly to the setting spray page), as are the remaining "old" travel sized formulas for their normal price of $12. Super secret savings tip! The XL ones are for a discounted price of $18! Sweet! You may not get fancy new packaging, but you'll be paying $11 less for 33% more product! 



8 comments:

  1. It's VERY hard to convince myself not to buy a couple big ones now. I want them so bad...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ugh so it begins..... Loreal changing Urban Decay

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    Replies
    1. Indeed they do. :( Well, this reformulation in theory doesn't seem to be a bad one, but meh...
      I'm still grumpy though.

      Delete
  3. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this post! (Is nerd, ALWAYS reads ingredient labels)
    In-depth analysis + color coding = Happiness!
    I've been using the Dew Me setting spray for quite some time now and enjoy it the way it is. I hope the new "Chill" still works for me!

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    Replies
    1. YAY! Well I'm glad it helped out someone other than myself. X)

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  4. Stumbled across your blog after googling the reformulation. I loved the spray and went through two bottles--one was even XL. I've been trying the new one this week and it absolutely sucks! It literally makes my makeup melt faster and I'm so upset!

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    Replies
    1. Oh no! D: I haven't made it through my last XL bottle, but now I never want to!
      You know that saying... if it ain't broke...
      That's a real shame though. :(

      Delete

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