Head to head
CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser vs Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser
Same comparison whichever way you searched it: Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser vs CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser.
The bottom lineCeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser and Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser land in much the same place on performance, so value decides it: Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser does the same job for less.
Answer nine questions and the app picks between them for your skin.
Cost per use
€0.11 an applicationabout 120 uses from 236 ml
a usual amount, not a measured dose: a nickel-sized amount, about 2 ml; from €13 as read in September 2026 and a 236 ml pack.
how this is counted
About €0.11 an application, about 120 uses from 236 ml.
- a convention: no trial has measured a cleanser dose
- Measured or assumed: the rule, and the dose table
€0.09 an applicationabout 120 uses from 236 ml
a usual amount, not a measured dose: a nickel-sized amount, about 2 ml; from €11 as read in September 2026 and a 236 ml pack.
how this is counted
About €0.09 an application, about 120 uses from 236 ml.
- a convention: no trial has measured a cleanser dose
- Measured or assumed: the rule, and the dose table
Per application, Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is the cheaper: €0.09 against €0.11.
Which should you pick?
Pick SA Smoothing Cleanser if
- you are dealing with breakouts and oiliness
- your breakouts are the fungal kind (Malassezia): nothing on its label was measured to feed the yeast
- you want more actives working at once
Pick Gentle Skin Cleanser if
- you want the more affordable option
- you prefer a simpler, more minimal formula
What each delivers
Side by side
| SA Smoothing Cleanser | Gentle Skin Cleanser | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Cleanser | Cleanser |
| Key actives | Glycerin, Niacinamide, Ceramide 3 | Glycerin, Niacinamide, Pro-vitamin B5 |
| Texture | A gentle wash that lifts the day away without leaving skin tight or squeaky. | A low-lather, lotion-type cleanser that wipes or rinses off without stripping, and kind to dry or sensitive skin. |
| Fragrance | None detected | None detected |
| Feeds Malassezia | none measured / 1 inferred | 1 measured / 1 inferred |
| Pregnancy | No flagged actives | No flagged actives |
| Ingredients | 24 listed | 10 listed |
| Price | ~€13 | ~€11 |
What's in one but not the other
The two labels share 5 of the 29 ingredients between them. The actives are where they part company.
What each one adds acts on The stratum corneum for CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser and The stratum corneum for Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. That is the layer each is understood to act on, not how deep it travels.
Only in CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser
Only in Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser
Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is a different bottle only for: pro-vitamin b5.
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 Smoothing Cleanser
ordered for its first 46%
- 1Aqua/Water
- 2Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
- 3Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
- 4Glycerin
- 5Niacinamide
- 6Gluconolactone
- 7Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
- 8PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate
- 9Ceramide NP
- 10Ceramide AP
- 11Ceramide EOP
- 12Carbomer
- 13Calcium Gluconate
- 14Salicylic Acid
- 15Sodium Benzoate
- 16Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
- 17Cholesterol
- 18Phenoxyethanol
- 19Disodium EDTA
- 20Tetrasodium EDTA
- 21Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
- 22Phytosphingosine
- 23Xanthan Gum
- 24Ethylhexylglycerin
13 of 24 sit below the line, marked by Carbomer.
Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser
ordered for its first 60%
- 1Aqua
- 2Glycerin
- 3Cetearyl Alcohol
- 4Panthenol
- 5Niacinamide
- 6Pantolactone
- 7Xanthan Gum
- 8Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
- 9Sodium Benzoate
- 10Citric Acid
4 of 10 sit below the line, marked by Xanthan Gum.
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 & congestionSA Smoothing Cleanser
- Dryness & dehydrationEither works
Who each suits
- CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser
- dry, combination, oily, sensitive, normal · avoid with compromised barrier, pregnancy (at high strength) and very sensitive skin
- Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser
- dry, sensitive, normal · avoid with very sensitive skin (at high strength)
Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is the cheaper of the two (~€11 vs ~€13).
Ready to pick one?
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Common questions
Is CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser or Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser better for breakouts & congestion?
For breakouts & congestion, CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser is the stronger pick by our read of the two formulas. CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser and Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser land in much the same place on performance, so value decides it: Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser does the same job for less.
Which is cheaper, CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser or Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser?
Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is the cheaper of the two (~€11 vs ~€13).
Can I use CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser and Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser together?
They are both cleansers, 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 Smoothing Cleanser is placed by Glycerin (the stratum corneum), Niacinamide (the living epidermis), Ceramide 3 (the stratum corneum). Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is placed by Glycerin (the stratum corneum), Niacinamide (the living epidermis), Pro-vitamin B5 (the stratum corneum). 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…
24 duels are built for this cleanser, CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser and CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser among them: type a name, or pick one below.