All scans / Moisturizers / Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream
Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream ingredients: is it worth it?
This is a solid, no-nonsense barrier cream, not a fancy treatment.
This is a solid, no-nonsense barrier cream, not a fancy treatment.
READ MORE
The efficacy score is driven by a strong moisturizing base: glycerin high in the list, heavy occlusion from petrolatum, multiple emollients/silicones, and supportive barrier ingredients like panthenol and niacinamide. It loses points because the “actives” are modest in strength for a moisturizer, niacinamide is not positioned as a headline treatment, and the formula is mainly built to prevent water loss rather than correct a specific skin concern aggressively.
We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases. Links never influence scores.
DemythSkin rates Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream 4.3/5 for efficacy and 4.5/5 for safety.
CONTAINS COMMON SENSITISERS⌄
Fragrance components and essential oils that more often cause reactions in sensitive skin: Benzyl Alcohol. Most people tolerate them; patch test if your skin reacts easily.
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS BY TIER
Gold Standards
High clinical proof | Skin-transformativeReliable
Proven resultsPotent
Developing evidenceOverhyped | Marketing
Hype | Limited dataDocumented Irritants
Evidence-backed flagFORMULATION BASE (13)⌄
FULL INGREDIENT LIST⌄
Aqua, Glycerin, Petrolatum, Dicaprylyl Ether, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Peg-30 Stearate, Panthenol, Niacinamide, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Pantolactone, Dimethiconol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Carbomer, Propylene Glycol, Bht, Disodium Edta, Benzyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid.
WHAT EACH INGREDIENT DOES (24)⌄
- Aqua
- solvent base
- Glycerin
- humectant
- Petrolatum
- occlusive barrier sealant
- Dicaprylyl Ether
- light emollient
- Dimethicone
- silicone emollient
- Glyceryl Stearate
- emulsifier emollient
- Cetyl Alcohol
- fatty alcohol thickener
- Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
- emollient oil
- Peg-30 Stearate
- emulsifier
- Panthenol
- humectant soothing agent
- Niacinamide
- barrier-supporting vitamin
- Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
- emollient oil
- Tocopherol
- antioxidant
- Tocopheryl Acetate
- antioxidant derivative
- Pantolactone
- skin-conditioning agent
- Dimethiconol
- silicone film former
- Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
- thickener stabilizer
- Carbomer
- gelling polymer
- Propylene Glycol
- humectant solvent
- Bht
- antioxidant stabilizer
- Disodium Edta
- chelating agent
- Benzyl Alcohol
- preservative solvent
- Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
- Sodium Hydroxide
- pH adjuster
EXTERNAL CITATIONS
Glycerin: Well-established humectant that improves stratum corneum hydration.
Petrolatum: Highly effective occlusive that reduces transepidermal water loss.
Panthenol: Supports hydration and soothing in leave-on moisturizers.
Niacinamide: Evidence-backed barrier-supporting and texture-improving ingredient.
DISCLAIMER: THIS ANALYSIS IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. AI-GENERATED DATA BASED ON PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INGREDIENT LISTS. VERIFY WITH A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL.
A cheaper moisturizer with a similar formula
A partial ingredient match (38%), not a close dupe.
Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream: common questions
Is Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream worth it?
Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream scores 4.3 out of 5.0 for efficacy (Effective) and 4.5 out of 5.0 for safety (Very Gentle) on DemythSkin's independent ingredient analysis. This is a solid, no-nonsense barrier cream, not a fancy treatment.
What are the key active ingredients in Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream?
Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream contains no gold-standard actives. Its formula is built on supporting and base ingredients rather than clinically transformative actives.
Does Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream contain fragrance or known irritants?
DemythSkin's analysis found no flagged irritants in Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream. It scores 4.5 out of 5.0 for safety.
How is Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream scored?
DemythSkin grades every product on two independent scores: efficacy (whether the ingredients have clinical evidence of working) and safety (irritation and sensitisation risk). Ingredients are graded S through D against a database of over 3,000 compounds. Brand and price are not part of the score, and no brand pays for one.
Free scores for every product in the database, or see them on Sephora, Ulta and Amazon with the Chrome extension.