Head to head
CeraVe SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin vs Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream
Same comparison whichever way you searched it: Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream vs CeraVe SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin.
The bottom lineCeraVe SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin 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
$0.04 an applicationabout 450 uses from 562 ml
measured: 2.5 fingertip units for face and neck, about 1.25 g; from $20 as read in September 2026 and a 562 ml pack.
how this is counted
About $0.04 an application, about 450 uses from 562 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 $0.04.
Which should you pick?
Pick SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin if
- you are dealing with breakouts and oiliness
Pick Moisturizing Cream if
- dark spots, dullness or an uneven tone are your focus
- you want the more affordable option
What each delivers
Side by side
| SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin | Moisturizing Cream | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Moisturizer | Moisturizer |
| Key actives | Glycerin, Salicylic acid (BHA), Ceramide 3 | Glycerin, Petrolatum, Niacinamide |
| Texture | A rich, cushiony cream that sinks in slowly. | A rich, cushiony cream that sinks in slowly. |
| Fragrance | None detected | None detected |
| Feeds Malassezia | 4 measured / 2 inferred | 3 measured / 2 inferred |
| Pregnancy | No flagged actives | No flagged actives |
| Ingredients | 26 listed | 25 listed |
| Price | ~$20 | ~€13 |
What's in one but not the other
The two labels share 6 of the 45 ingredients between them. The actives are where they part company.
What each one adds acts on The stratum corneum for CeraVe SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin and On top of the skin, The living epidermis, 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 SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin
Both
Only in Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream
Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream is a different bottle only for: petrolatum, niacinamide, 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 SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin
ordered for its first 54%
- 1Aqua / Water / Eau
- 2Glycerin
- 3Paraffinum Liquidum / Mineral Oil / Huile Minerale
- 4Triethanolamine
- 5Salicylic Acid
- 6Glyceryl Stearate
- 7Ammonium Lactate
- 8PEG-100 Stearate
- 9Cetearyl Alcohol
- 10Cetyl Alcohol
- 11Zea Mays Oil / Corn Oil
- 12Ceramide NP
- 13Ceramide AP
- 14Ceramide EOP
- 15Carbomer
- 16Behentrimonium Methosulfate
- 17Dimethicone
- 18Methylparaben
- 19Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
- 20Cholecalciferol
- 21Cholesterol
- 22Disodium EDTA
- 23Propylparaben
- 24Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
- 25Phytosphingosine
- 26Xanthan Gum
12 of 26 sit below the line, marked by Carbomer.
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 toneMoisturizing Cream
- Breakouts & congestionSA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin
- Dryness & dehydrationEither works
Who each suits
- CeraVe SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin
- dry, sensitive, normal · avoid with acne-prone skin (in thick layers), compromised barrier, oily skin and pregnancy (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 ~$20).
Ready to pick one?
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Common questions
Is CeraVe SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin or Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream better for dark spots & uneven tone?
For dark spots & uneven tone, Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream is the stronger pick by our read of the two formulas. CeraVe SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin 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.
Which is cheaper, CeraVe SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin or Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream?
Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream is the cheaper of the two (~€13 vs ~$20).
Can I use CeraVe SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin 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 SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin is placed by Glycerin (the stratum corneum), Salicylic acid (BHA) (the stratum corneum), 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 Daily Moisturizing Lotion and CeraVe Moisturizing Cream among them: type a name, or pick one below.