Head to head
Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion vs La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+
Same comparison whichever way you searched it: La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ vs Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion.
The bottom lineCetaphil Moisturizing Lotion does more across the board (it leads on brightening / tone, oil-control & blemishes), while La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ is the simpler, more pared-back pick.
Reach for Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion if you want the actives; La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ if you want fewer ingredients doing less, gently.
Answer nine questions and the app picks between them for your skin.
Cost per use
€0.05 an applicationabout 370 uses from 460 ml
measured: 2.5 fingertip units for face and neck, about 1.25 g; from €17 as read in September 2026 and a 460 ml pack.
how this is counted
About €0.05 an application, about 370 uses from 460 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
€0.20 an applicationabout 80 uses from 100 ml
measured: 2.5 fingertip units for face and neck, about 1.25 g; from €16 as read in September 2026 and a 100 ml pack.
how this is counted
About €0.20 an application, about 80 uses from 100 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 Lotion is the cheaper: €0.05 against €0.20.
Which should you pick?
Pick Moisturizing Lotion if
- dark spots, dullness or an uneven tone are your focus
- you are dealing with breakouts and oiliness
Pick Cicaplast Baume B5+ if
- you want the more affordable option
What each delivers
Side by side
| Moisturizing Lotion | Cicaplast Baume B5+ | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Moisturizer | Moisturizer |
| Key actives | Glycerin, Niacinamide, Pro-vitamin B5 | Glycerin, Shea Butter, Pro-vitamin B5 |
| 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 | 4 measured / 1 inferred | 1 measured / none inferred |
| Pregnancy | No flagged actives | No flagged actives |
| Ingredients | 16 listed | 33 listed |
| Price | ~€17 | ~€16 |
What's in one but not the other
The two labels share 4 of the 45 ingredients between them. The actives are where they part company.
What each one adds acts on The living epidermis, The stratum corneum for Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion and The stratum corneum, Not established for La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+. That is the layer each is understood to act on, not how deep it travels.
Only in Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion
Only in La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+
La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ is a different bottle only for: shea butter, hydrogenated polyisobutene, madecassoside, vitamin e.
Which keeps longer
a pump and nothing on this label that light breaks; the period after opening not read yet.
a tube 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.
Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion is the one to keep if you use it slowly: a pump, nothing on this label that light breaks.
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.
Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion
ordered for its first 81%
- 1Aqua
- 2Glycerin
- 3Isopropyl Palmitate
- 4Cetearyl Alcohol
- 5Ceteareth-20
- 6Panthenol
- 7Niacinamide
- 8Tocopheryl Acetate
- 9Dimethicone
- 10Persea Gratissima Oil
- 11Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
- 12Pantolactone
- 13Glyceryl Stearate
- 14Sodium Benzoate
- 15Benzyl Alcohol
- 16Citric Acid
3 of 16 sit below the line, marked by Sodium Benzoate.
La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+
ordered for its first 91%
- 1Aqua/Water/Eau
- 2Hydrogenated Polyisobutene
- 3Dimethicone
- 4Glycerin
- 5Butyrospermum Parkii Butter/Shea Butter
- 6Panthenol
- 7Zea Mays Starch/Corn Starch
- 8Propanediol
- 9Butylene Glycol
- 10Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone
- 11Trihydroxystearin
- 12Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract
- 13Polymnia Sonchifolia Root Juice
- 14Zinc Gluconate
- 15Madecassoside
- 16Manganese Gluconate
- 17Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide
- 18Silica
- 19Aluminum Hydroxide
- 20Magnesium Sulfate
- 21Mannose
- 22Capryloyl Glycine
- 23Caprylyl Glycol
- 24Vitreoscilla Ferment
- 25Citric Acid
- 26Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
- 27Lactobacillus
- 28Acetylated Glycol Stearate
- 29Maltodextrin
- 30Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate
- 31Tocopherol
- 32Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
- 33CI 77891/Titanium Dioxide
3 of 33 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 Lotion
- Breakouts & congestionMoisturizing Lotion
- Dryness & dehydrationEither works
- Sensitive, reactive skinCicaplast Baume B5+
Who each suits
- Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion
- dry, sensitive, normal · avoid with acne-prone skin, fungal acne prone and very sensitive skin (at high strength)
- La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+
- dry, sensitive, normal · avoid with acne-prone skin, fungal acne prone, very oily skin and very sensitive skin
La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ is the cheaper of the two (~€16 vs ~€17).
Ready to pick one?
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Common questions
Is Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion or La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ better for dark spots & uneven tone?
For dark spots & uneven tone, Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion is the stronger pick by our read of the two formulas. Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion does more across the board (it leads on brightening / tone, oil-control & blemishes), while La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ is the simpler, more pared-back pick. Reach for Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion if you want the actives; La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ if you want fewer ingredients doing less, gently.
Which is cheaper, Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion or La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+?
La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ is the cheaper of the two (~€16 vs ~€17).
Can I use Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion and La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ 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.
Compare it with…
36 duels are built for this moisturizer, Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream and Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream among them: type a name, or pick one below.