CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion for Normal to Dry Skin Versus Neutrogena Rapid Firming™ Peptide Contour Lift Face Cream

CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion for Normal to Dry Skin Versus Neutrogena Rapid Firming™ Peptide Contour Lift Face Cream

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Ceramide NP and Ceramide AP to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

This anti-aging moisturizer is formulated around Gluconolactone and Glycolic Acid to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Cetearyl Alcohol

Cetyl Alcohol

Potassium Phosphate

Ceramide NP

Ceramide AP

Ceramide EOP

Carbomer

Dimethicone

Ceteareth-20

Behentrimonium Methosulfate

Methylparaben

Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate

Cholesterol

Disodium EDTA

Dipotassium Phosphate

Propylparaben

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

Phytosphingosine

Xanthan Gum

Polysorbate 20

Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate

Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Potassium Phosphate, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Carbomer, Dimethicone, Ceteareth-20, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Methylparaben, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Cholesterol, Disodium EDTA, Dipotassium Phosphate, Propylparaben, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Phytosphingosine, Xanthan Gum, Polysorbate 20, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate

Isohexadecane

Gluconolactone

Propanediol

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Glycerides

Glycolic Acid

Glyceryl Stearate Se

Glyceryl Dilaurate

Acetyl Dipeptide-31 Amide

Acetyl Tyrosinamide

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Dimethicone/Bis-Isobutyl PPG-20 Crosspolymer

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

Stearalkonium Hectorite

PEG-100 Stearate

Steareth-10

Biosaccharide Gum-1

Methyl Decenol

Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides

Isocetyl Stearoyl Stearate

Tocopheryl Acetate

Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Squalane

Isostearic Acid

Propylene Carbonate

Glyceryl Stearate

Sclerotium Gum

Caprylyl Glycol

PEG-40 Stearate

Sodium Hydroxide

Polysorbate 60

Isopropyl Myristate

Isobutyl Methyl Tetrahydropyranol

Sorbitan Isostearate

Isoceteth-10

Silica

Methyldihydrojasmonate

Ethylene Brassylate

Phenoxyethanol

Chlorphenesin

Water, Isohexadecane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Gluconolactone, Glycerin, Propanediol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Glycerides, Glycolic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Glyceryl Dilaurate, Acetyl Dipeptide-31 Amide, Dimethicone, Acetyl Tyrosinamide, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone/Bis-Isobutyl PPG-20 Crosspolymer, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Stearalkonium Hectorite, PEG-100 Stearate, Steareth-10, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Methyl Decenol, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides, Isocetyl Stearoyl Stearate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Squalane, Isostearic Acid, Propylene Carbonate, Glyceryl Stearate, Sclerotium Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, PEG-40 Stearate, Sodium Hydroxide, Polysorbate 60, Isopropyl Myristate, Ceteareth-20, Isobutyl Methyl Tetrahydropyranol, Sorbitan Isostearate, Isoceteth-10, Silica, Disodium EDTA, Methyldihydrojasmonate, Ethylene Brassylate, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin

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Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.

Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.

In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.

While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.

Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.

This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.

This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.

Ceteareth-20 is an emulsifier and surfactant made by reacting cetearyl alcohol with 20 moles of ethylene oxide.

This gives it both oil and water-loving properties that makes it an effect emulsifier; it's really great at pulling oil droplets into water to create a stable, creamy, and easy-to-spread base.

Typical use ranges from 0.5-30%. Most leave-on products are in the 1-10% zone.

The 20 ethylene oxide units is well above the PEG-10 threshold and therefore not a food source for Malassezia (it's fungal acne safe).

This ingredient has a comedogenic rating of 2 and an irritancy rating of 3. These numbers come from testing the raw ingredient on rabbit ears and doesn't reflect how it will behave in a finished product.

In practice, this ingredient is a well-tolerated ingredient. The ratings reflect cautious lab conditions and not real-world use. Just be sure to patch test any formulas you feel unsure about.

Cetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.

Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.

It plays several roles in a formula:

Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.

Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.

However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.

Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.

Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.

Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.

This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.

A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.

Dimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.

What it does:

Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:

Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.

Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.

This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.

Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.

Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.

This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:

On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.

One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).

Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.

You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.

Glycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.

Topically, glycerin does several things at once:

Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.

Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.

This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.

Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.

So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.

You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Remember to stay hydrated!

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