Head to head
La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ vs La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ M
Same comparison whichever way you searched it: La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ M vs La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+.
The bottom lineLa Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ M 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 La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ M 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
€0.20 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
€0.63 an applicationabout 30 uses from 40 ml
measured: 2.5 fingertip units for face and neck, about 1.25 g; from €20 as read in September 2026 and a 40 ml pack.
how this is counted
About €0.63 an application, about 30 uses from 40 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, La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ is the cheaper: €0.20 against €0.63.
Which should you pick?
Pick Cicaplast Baume B5+ if
- your skin is sensitive or reacts to fragrance
- you want the more affordable option
Pick Effaclar Duo+ M if
- dark spots, dullness or an uneven tone are your focus
- you are dealing with breakouts and oiliness
What each delivers
Side by side
| Cicaplast Baume B5+ | Effaclar Duo+ M | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Moisturizer | Moisturizer |
| Key actives | Glycerin, Shea Butter, Pro-vitamin B5 | Glycerin, Niacinamide, Salicylic acid (BHA) |
| Texture | A rich, cushiony cream that sinks in slowly. | A smooth, silky lotion that spreads easily and leaves a soft, near-blurred finish. |
| Fragrance | None detected | Contains fragrance |
| Feeds Malassezia | 1 measured / none inferred | 1 measured / 1 inferred |
| Pregnancy | No flagged actives | No flagged actives |
| Ingredients | 33 listed | 35 listed |
| Price | ~€16 | ~€20 |
What's in one but not the other
The two labels share 11 of the 57 ingredients between them. The actives are where they part company.
What each one adds acts on The stratum corneum, Not established for La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ and The living epidermis, The stratum corneum, Not established for La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ M. That is the layer each is understood to act on, not how deep it travels.
Only in La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+
Both
Only in La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ M
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ M is a different bottle only for: niacinamide, salicylic acid (bha), zinc pca, isohexadecane, capryloyl salicylic acid.
Which keeps longer
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.
a tube and nothing on this label that light breaks; the period after opening not read yet.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ M is the one to keep if you use it slowly: a tube, 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.
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.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ M
ordered for its first 80%
- 1Aqua/Water/Eau
- 2Glycerin
- 3Dimethicone
- 4Isocetyl Stearate
- 5Niacinamide
- 6Isopropyl Lauroyl Sarcosinate
- 7Silica
- 8Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
- 9Oryza Sativa Starch/Rice Starch
- 10Punica Granatum Pericarp Extract
- 11Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
- 12Sorbitan Oleate
- 13Zinc PCA
- 14Glyceryl Stearate SE
- 15Isohexadecane
- 16Sodium Hydroxide
- 17Myristyl Myristate
- 182-Oleamido-1,3-Octadecanediol
- 19Mannose
- 20Poloxamer 338
- 21Propanediol
- 22Hydroxyethoxyphenyl Butanone
- 23Capryloyl Salicylic Acid
- 24Caprylyl Glycol
- 25Vitreoscilla Ferment
- 26Citric Acid
- 27Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
- 28Maltodextrin
- 29Xanthan Gum
- 30Pentylene Glycol
- 31Polysorbate 80
- 32Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer
- 33Salicylic Acid
- 34Piroctone Olamine
- 35Parfum/Fragrance
7 of 35 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 toneEffaclar Duo+ M
- Breakouts & congestionEffaclar Duo+ M
- Dryness & dehydrationEither works
- Sensitive, reactive skinCicaplast Baume B5+
Who each suits
- 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 Effaclar Duo+ M
- dry, combination, oily, normal · avoid with compromised barrier, very sensitive skin, pregnancy and very dry skin (needing an occlusive)
La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ is the cheaper of the two (~€16 vs ~€20).
Ready to pick one?
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Common questions
Is La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ or La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ M better for dark spots & uneven tone?
For dark spots & uneven tone, La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ M is the stronger pick by our read of the two formulas. La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ M 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 La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ M if you want the actives; La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ if you want fewer ingredients doing less, gently.
Which is cheaper, La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ or La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ M?
La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ is the cheaper of the two (~€16 vs ~€20).
Can I use La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ and La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ M 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. La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ is placed by Glycerin (the stratum corneum), Shea Butter (the stratum corneum), Pro-vitamin B5 (the stratum corneum). La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ M is placed by Glycerin (the stratum corneum), Niacinamide (the living epidermis), Salicylic acid (BHA) (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…
36 duels are built for this moisturizer, Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream and CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion among them: type a name, or pick one below.