Head to head
CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion vs Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream
Same comparison whichever way you searched it: Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream vs CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion.
The bottom lineCeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion and Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream land in much the same place on performance, so value decides it: Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream does the same job for less.
Answer nine questions and the app picks between them for your skin.
Cost per use
€0.36 an applicationabout 40 uses from 52 ml
measured: 2.5 fingertip units for face and neck, about 1.25 g; from €15 as read in September 2026 and a 52 ml pack.
how this is counted
About €0.36 an application, about 40 uses from 52 ml.
- Long & Finlay 1991, Clin Exp Dermatol: face and neck 2.5 fingertip units (PMID 1806320, abstract read)
- Long, Finlay & Averill 1992, Arch Dermatol: 4 hand areas = 2 FTU = 1 g (PMID 1497374)
- Finlay, Edwards & Harding 1989, Lancet: the fingertip unit defined (PMID 2567912, a letter)
- density taken as 1 g per ml: assumed, as on the sunscreen calculator
- Measured or assumed: the rule, and the dose table
€0.04 an applicationabout 360 uses from 450 ml
measured: 2.5 fingertip units for face and neck, about 1.25 g; from €13 as read in September 2026 and a 450 ml pack.
how this is counted
About €0.04 an application, about 360 uses from 450 ml.
- Long & Finlay 1991, Clin Exp Dermatol: face and neck 2.5 fingertip units (PMID 1806320, abstract read)
- Long, Finlay & Averill 1992, Arch Dermatol: 4 hand areas = 2 FTU = 1 g (PMID 1497374)
- Finlay, Edwards & Harding 1989, Lancet: the fingertip unit defined (PMID 2567912, a letter)
- density taken as 1 g per ml: assumed, as on the sunscreen calculator
- Measured or assumed: the rule, and the dose table
Per application, Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream is the cheaper: €0.04 against €0.36.
Which should you pick?
Pick PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion if
- it is the one you can get most easily or already trust
Pick Moisturizing Cream if
- you want the more affordable option
What each delivers
Side by side
| PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion | Moisturizing Cream | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Moisturizer | Moisturizer |
| Key actives | Glycerin, Niacinamide, Ceramide 3 | Glycerin, Petrolatum, Niacinamide |
| Texture | A smooth, silky lotion that spreads easily and leaves a soft, near-blurred finish. | A rich, cushiony cream that sinks in slowly. |
| Fragrance | None detected | None detected |
| Feeds Malassezia | 1 measured / 1 inferred | 3 measured / 2 inferred |
| Pregnancy | No flagged actives | No flagged actives |
| Ingredients | 24 listed | 25 listed |
| Price | ~€15 | ~€13 |
What's in one but not the other
The two labels share 7 of the 42 ingredients between them. The actives are where they part company.
What each one adds acts on The stratum corneum for CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion and On top of the skin, The stratum corneum for Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream. That is the layer each is understood to act on, not how deep it travels.
Only in CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion
Only in Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream
Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream is a different bottle only for: petrolatum, sunflower seed oil, pro-vitamin b5, sweet almond oil.
Where each label stops telling you the dose
Ingredients are listed in order of how much is inside, but only down to 1%. Below that the brand may list them in any order it likes, so the bottom of a label is a set, not a ranking. These two stop being a ranking in very different places.
CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion
ordered for its first 25%
- 1Aqua/Water
- 2Glycerin
- 3Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
- 4Niacinamide
- 5Cetearyl Alcohol
- 6Dimethicone
- 7Phenoxyethanol
- 8Ceteareth-20
- 9Behentrimonium Methosulfate
- 10Caprylyl Glycol
- 11Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
- 12Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
- 13Potassium Phosphate
- 14Disodium EDTA
- 15Dipotassium Phosphate
- 16Ceramide NP
- 17Ceramide AP
- 18Phytosphingosine
- 19Cholesterol
- 20Xanthan Gum
- 21Carbomer
- 22Ethylhexylglycerin
- 23Sodium Hyaluronate
- 24Ceramide EOP
18 of 24 sit below the line, marked by Phenoxyethanol. Including what it is sold on: Cholesterol.
Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream
ordered for its first 48%
- 1Aqua
- 2Glycerin
- 3Petrolatum
- 4Dicaprylyl Ether
- 5Dimethicone
- 6Glyceryl Stearate
- 7Cetyl Alcohol
- 8Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
- 9PEG-30 Stearate
- 10Panthenol
- 11Niacinamide
- 12Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
- 13Tocopherol
- 14Tocopheryl Acetate
- 15Pantolactone
- 16Dimethiconol
- 17Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
- 18Carbomer
- 19Propylene Glycol
- 20BHT
- 21Disodium EDTA
- 22Benzyl Alcohol
- 23Phenoxyethanol
- 24Sodium Hydroxide
- 25Citric Acid
13 of 25 sit below the line, marked by Tocopherol.
Below the line is not too little to work: ceramides, retinoids and peptides all act far under a percent. It means the position stops carrying information. Where the line falls is inferred from the first ingredient whose whole job is done at a fraction of a percent, so it is a close read of the label rather than a number from the formula sheet.
The molecule doing the work
Better for…
- Dark spots & uneven toneEither works
- Breakouts & congestionEither works
- Dryness & dehydrationEither works
Who each suits
- CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion
- dry, sensitive, normal · avoid with very sensitive skin (at high strength)
- Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream
- dry, sensitive, normal · avoid with acne-prone skin, fungal acne prone, nut allergy and oily skin
Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream is the cheaper of the two (~€13 vs ~€15).
Ready to pick one?
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Common questions
Which is cheaper, CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion or Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream?
Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream is the cheaper of the two (~€13 vs ~€15).
Can I use CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion and Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream together?
They are both moisturizers, so you would normally pick one rather than layer both in the same step. You can keep both and alternate them (morning and night, or on different days) if you like variety, but you do not need two.
What the scene shows
The cross-section at the top of this page is not decoration and not a diagram of the skin in general: it places the molecules these two are sold on at the layer each is understood to act on. CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion is placed by Glycerin (the stratum corneum), Niacinamide (the living epidermis), Ceramide 3 (the stratum corneum). Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream is placed by Glycerin (the stratum corneum), Petrolatum (on top of the skin), Niacinamide (the living epidermis). A layer is where an ingredient does its work, never how deep it travels, and never a claim about how well it works.
Compare it with…
36 duels are built for this moisturizer, CeraVe Moisturizing Cream and CeraVe Moisturizing Cream among them: type a name, or pick one below.