Head to head
CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum vs The Ordinary GF 15% Solution
Same comparison whichever way you searched it: The Ordinary GF 15% Solution vs CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum.
The bottom lineCeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum does more across the board (it leads on barrier repair, oil-control & blemishes, anti-aging), while The Ordinary GF 15% Solution is the simpler, more pared-back pick.
Reach for CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum if you want the actives; The Ordinary GF 15% Solution if you want fewer ingredients doing less, gently.
The Ordinary GF 15% Solution keeps clear of pregnancy-flagged actives, while CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum carries one that is best paused in pregnancy.
Answer nine questions and the app picks between them for your skin.
Cost per use
€0.11 an applicationabout 150 uses from 30 ml
a usual amount, not a measured dose: 3-5 drops, about 0.2 ml; from €16 as read in September 2026 and a 30 ml pack.
how this is counted
About €0.11 an application, about 150 uses from 30 ml.
- a convention: no trial has measured a serum dose
- Measured or assumed: the rule, and the dose table
€0.11 an applicationabout 150 uses from 30 ml
a usual amount, not a measured dose: 3-5 drops, about 0.2 ml; from €16 as read in September 2026 and a 30 ml pack.
how this is counted
About €0.11 an application, about 150 uses from 30 ml.
- a convention: no trial has measured a serum dose
- Measured or assumed: the rule, and the dose table
Which should you pick?
Pick Resurfacing Retinol Serum if
- your barrier feels stressed and needs the support
- fine lines and firmness are the goal
- you want more actives working at once
Pick GF 15% Solution if
- plump, lasting hydration is what you want
- your breakouts are the fungal kind (Malassezia): nothing on its label was measured to feed the yeast
- you are pregnant or breastfeeding
What each delivers
Side by side
| Resurfacing Retinol Serum | GF 15% Solution | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Serum | Serum |
| Key actives | Niacinamide, Ceramide 3, Retinol | Glycerin, Epidermal Growth Factor |
| Texture | A light, fast-absorbing texture that layers cleanly under the rest of your routine, with no greasy film. | A light, fast-absorbing texture that layers cleanly under the rest of your routine, with no greasy film. |
| Fragrance | None detected | None detected |
| Feeds Malassezia | 5 measured / 1 inferred | none measured / none inferred |
| Pregnancy | One caution | No flagged actives |
| Ingredients | 33 listed | 12 listed |
| Price | ~€16 | ~€16 |
What's in one but not the other
The two labels share 5 of the 40 ingredients between them. The actives are where they part company.
What each one adds acts on The living epidermis, The stratum corneum for CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum and The stratum corneum, Not established for The Ordinary GF 15% Solution. That is the layer each is understood to act on, not how deep it travels.
Only in CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum
Both
nothing
Only in The Ordinary GF 15% Solution
The Ordinary GF 15% Solution is a different bottle only for: glycerin, epidermal growth factor. They share nothing.
Which keeps longer
a pump and one light-sensitive active: the packaging is doing work here.
where this comes from
The pack form is read off the packshot; the light-sensitive actives are the base's photostability rows, sourced on each glossary page; the period after opening is not read yet. Catalogue checked September 2026.
no pack form read for this product yet.
CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum is the one read: a pump, one light-sensitive active; The Ordinary GF 15% Solution has no pack read yet.
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 Resurfacing Retinol Serum
ordered for its first 36%
- 1Aqua/Water/Eau
- 2Propanediol
- 3Dimethicone
- 4Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate
- 5Niacinamide
- 6Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
- 7Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
- 8Hydrogenated Lecithin
- 9Potassium Phosphate
- 10Ceramide NP
- 11Ceramide AP
- 12Ceramide EOP
- 13Carbomer
- 14Cetearyl Alcohol
- 15Behentrimonium Methosulfate
- 16Dimethiconol
- 17Lecithin
- 18Sodium Citrate
- 19Retinol
- 20Sodium Hyaluronate
- 21Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
- 22Cholesterol
- 23Phenoxyethanol
- 24Alcohol
- 25Isopropyl Myristate
- 26Caprylyl Glycol
- 27Citric Acid
- 28Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
- 29Pentylene Glycol
- 30Phytosphingosine
- 31Xanthan Gum
- 32Polysorbate 20
- 33Ethylhexylglycerin
21 of 33 sit below the line, marked by Carbomer. Including what it is sold on: Retinol.
The Ordinary GF 15% Solution
ordered for its first 42%
- 1Aqua/Water/Eau
- 2Butylene Glycol
- 3Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 sh-Oligopeptide-1
- 4Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 sh-Polypeptide-76
- 5Nicotiana Benthamiana Octapeptide-30 sh-Oligopeptide-2
- 6Sclerotium Gum
- 7Glycerin
- 8Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
- 9Citric Acid
- 10Sodium Citrate
- 11Phenoxyethanol
- 12Chlorphenesin
7 of 12 sit below the line, marked by Sclerotium Gum. Including what it is sold on: Glycerin.
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…
- Fine lines & firmnessResurfacing Retinol Serum
- Breakouts & congestionResurfacing Retinol Serum
- Dryness & dehydrationGF 15% Solution
- Sensitive, reactive skinGF 15% Solution
Who each suits
- CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum
- dry, combination, oily, sensitive, normal · avoid with breastfeeding, compromised barrier, pregnancy and very sensitive skin
- The Ordinary GF 15% Solution
- dry, normal · avoid with active malignancy, breastfeeding, history of skin cancer and pregnancy
Both sit around the same price (~€16 vs ~€16).
Ready to pick one?
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Common questions
Is CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum or The Ordinary GF 15% Solution better for fine lines & firmness?
For fine lines & firmness, CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum is the stronger pick by our read of the two formulas. CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum does more across the board (it leads on barrier repair, oil-control & blemishes, anti-aging), while The Ordinary GF 15% Solution is the simpler, more pared-back pick. Reach for CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum if you want the actives; The Ordinary GF 15% Solution if you want fewer ingredients doing less, gently. The Ordinary GF 15% Solution keeps clear of pregnancy-flagged actives, while CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum carries one that is best paused in pregnancy.
Which is cheaper, CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum or The Ordinary GF 15% Solution?
Both sit around the same price (~€16 vs ~€16).
Can I use CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum and The Ordinary GF 15% Solution together?
They are both serums, 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.
Compare it with…
41 duels are built for this serum, The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion and The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% in Squalane among them: type a name, or pick one below.