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Updated on August 25, 2023

Overview

What they are

These products are both reef safe . They have a total of 1 ingredients in common

Free From

They both do not contain any parabens or sulfates

We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that needs an update? Let us know.

Vaseline 100% Pure Petroleum Jelly
Vaseline 100% Pure Petroleum Jelly
Other Bath & Body
American Brand United States
Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream
Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream
General Moisturizer
American Brand United States

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and see relevant ingredients

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Concerns

Notable Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

found in both products
100% Pure Petroleum Jelly
Petrolatum Emollient
2 Concerns

Petrolatum is more commonly known as petroleum jelly. It is created by mixing waxes and mineral oils.

Disliked Full details ->
Moisturizing Cream
Water Skin Conditioning, Solvent

Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.

Glycerin Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting
0 / 0
2 Benefits

Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.

0 Com. / 0 Irr.
Petrolatum Emollient
2 Concerns

Petrolatum is more commonly known as petroleum jelly. It is created by mixing waxes and mineral oils.

Disliked Full details ->
Dicaprylyl Ether Emollient, Skin Conditioning, Solvent

Dicaprylyl Ether is created from caprylic acid. It is a texture-enhancer and emollient.

Dimethicone Emollient, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting
1 / 0
Silicon

Dimethicone is a silicone used for making products smooth and silky. It also has the added benefit of sealing in hydration. The amount of dimethicone found in beauty products is considered safe and non-comedogenic, meaning it won't clog pores.

1 Com. / 0 Irr.
Very Disliked Full details ->
Glyceryl Stearate Emollient, Emulsifying
1 / 0
Not safe for Fungal Acne

Glyceryl Stearate is a mix of glycerin and stearic acid.

1 Com. / 0 Irr.
Disliked Full details ->
Cetyl Alcohol Emollient, Emulsifying, Emulsion Stabilising
2 / 2
Fatty Alcohol

Cetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.

2 Com. / 2 Irr.
Very Disliked Full details ->
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Emollient, Masking, Skin Conditioning
0 / 0
Oil  •  Helps hydrate Dry Skin  •  2 Concerns

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil is the oil derived from the seeds of a Sunflower. Sunflower seed oil is non-fragrant. It is an emollient, meaning it helps to soften the skin.

0 Com. / 0 Irr.
Disliked Full details ->
Peg-30 Stearate Emulsifying
Not safe for Fungal Acne

Peg-30 Stearate isn't fungal acne safe.

Unknown Full details ->
Panthenol Skin Conditioning
0 / 0
Helps reduce irritation

Panthenol (also referred to as pro-vitamin B5) is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin.

0 Com. / 0 Irr.
Niacinamide Smoothing
Niacinamide  •  6 Benefits

Niacinamide has emerged as an all-star ingredient due to its many benefits.

Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil Skin Conditioning
3 / 0
Oil  •  Not safe for Fungal Acne

Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil comes from the sweet almond, a tree native to Iran. This oil has no fragrance and is non-volatile.

3 Com. / 0 Irr.
Disliked Full details ->
Tocopheryl Acetate Antioxidant, Skin Conditioning
0 / 0
Vitamin E  •  Antioxidant  •  Helps brighten skin

Tocopheryl Acetate is AKA Vitamin E. It is an antioxidant and protects your skin from free radicals. Free radicals damage the skin by breaking down collagen.

0 Com. / 0 Irr.
Pantolactone Humectant, Skin Conditioning

Pantolactone is a synthetically created humectant.

Dimethiconol Emollient, Moisturising

Dimethiconol is a silicone that resembles the popular dimethicone. Like other silicones, it is an emollient. Emollients create a thin film on skin to prevent moisture from escaping.

Disliked Full details ->
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer Emulsion Stabilising

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer is a synthetic polymer. It is used to thicken and improve the texture of products.

Disliked Full details ->
Carbomer Emulsion Stabilising, Gel Forming
1 / 0

Carbomer is a polymer of acrylic acid. Its main role is to create gel consistency within products.

1 Com. / 0 Irr.
Disliked Full details ->
Propylene Glycol Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Solvent
0 / 0
May worsen Eczema

Propylene Glycol is an odorless, colorless liquid. As a humectant, it helps skin retain moisture. It also aids in delivering active ingredients.

0 Com. / 0 Irr.
Very Disliked Full details ->
Disodium EDTA

Disodium EDTA plays a role in making products more stable by aiding other preservatives.

Disliked Full details ->
Benzyl Alcohol Perfuming, Preservative, Solvent
Alcohol  •  Fragrance  •  Preservative  •  6 Concerns

Benzyl Alcohol is most commonly used as a preservative. It also has a subtle, sweet smell. Small amounts of Benzyl Alcohol is not irritating and safe to use in skincare products. Most Benzyl Alcohol is derived from fruits such as apricots.

Very Disliked Full details ->
Phenoxyethanol Preservative
Preservative

Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent germ and microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.

Very Disliked Full details ->
Sodium Hydroxide Buffering

Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.

Citric Acid Buffering, Masking
AHA  •  4 Benefits  •  2 Concerns

Citric Acid is an AHA derived from citrus fruits (think oranges, lemons, and limes!).

Disliked Full details ->

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Emollient
Disliked

Petrolatum is more commonly known as petroleum jelly. It is created by mixing waxes and mineral oils.

This ingredient is effective at reducing water loss by 99%. This is because it is an occlusive. Occlusives create a hydrophobic barrier on the skin to prevent evaporation. This property makes it great for hydrating dry skin.

Pro tip: Use occlusives, such as this ingredient, on damp skin for the best results.

The quality or origin of petrolatum is only known when disclosed by the brand. Most cosmetic petrolatum has gone through several purification stages.

Another benefit of occlusives is it protects your skin against infection or allergies.

Petrolatum may not be safe for fungal-acne. Studies show mineral oil / petroleum leads to the growth of M. Furfur, a type of yeast.

Learn more about Petrolatum

Ingredient Ratings

Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.

100% Pure Petroleum Jelly
1
liked
mixed
disliked
not rated
Moisturizing Cream
7
1
14
1
liked
mixed
disliked
not rated

When to use

621 Routines
23% use in am
77% use in pm
85% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->
278 Routines
46% use in am
54% use in pm
98% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Vaseline 100% Pure Petroleum Jelly 1 ingredient

4.8 /5
from 13 ratings
Great Value (3) Works Well (3) Hydrating (2) Sticky (1) Light Scent (1) Heavy (1)
BrodyTosi's avatar

BrodyTosi

5 months ago · Sensitive Skin
Review

Petroleum Jelly is one product I believe is quite underrated in the general skincare community due to hasty generalizations about its safety....

Petroleum Jelly is one product I believe is quite underrated in the general skincare community due to hasty generalizations about its safety. Petroleum jelly is composed of mineral oils and waxes (i.e., paraffin wax) which can be generalized as mostly long-chain hydrocarbons that act as a hydrophobic (water repellent) occlusive to the skin. Occlusive ingredients such as petroleum jelly are very effective for preventing transepidermal water loss because they act as a physical layer to trap water along with natural moisturizing factors inside the skin while also temporarily protecting the skin against environmental aggressors. This mechanism can additionally be attributed to the overall efficacy of topical antibiotics like neomycin or polymyxin B as cut/burn treatments. When it comes to who should or shouldn't be using this product, my philosophy is that occlusive ingredients keep what is inside the skin, inside the skin. For skin types that are inherently at a hormonal imbalance or by other means overproducing sebum, this could indirectly lead to increased incidence of clogged sebaceous glands and subsequently acne. Another consideration is purity of the petroleum jelly used on the skin. I would personally stick to brands like Vaseline that have more stringent quality control measures, only because if petroleum jelly isn't fully refined this runs a minimal risk of carcinogenic contamination (the FDA monitors this as well, and honestly I would call this a minimal consideration with current carcinogenic research). As for who should use this product: dry skin, chapped skin, cracked skin, most skin types during the winter and/or in cold or arid climates. There is a vast amount of indications for using petroleum jelly that can likewise vastly benefit skin health. Aforementioned indications aside, my top two recommendations would be on skin in individuals taking oral isotretinoin (Accutane) and on skin that products running irritation and/or dryness risks are subsequently being applied to, specifically referencing topical retinoids (i.e., tazarotene, adapalene, tretinoin) and benzoyl peroxide. As always, do your own research (PubMed Central is a great start, or even Wikipedia!) and stay moisturized.

AngelinaAzar_599's avatar

AngelinaAzar_599

8 months ago · Combination Skin
Review

love 💯
idk why this product is disliked because i love this product n highly recommend it. i have really sensitive skin but i also have acne and...

love 💯
idk why this product is disliked because i love this product n highly recommend it. i have really sensitive skin but i also have acne and whenever my skin gets stressed out from acne treatments i always go back to this product to calm down the dryness n redness. it’s great for slugging n to put around dry areas. i use it also around my eyes and it doesn’t t irritate me at all.

Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream 23 ingredients

3.8 /5
from 5 ratings
AntonnySalvador_122's avatar

AntonnySalvador_122

8 months ago · Combination Skin
Review

Best overall!

DaanasreeVijayashankar_274's avatar

DaanasreeVijayashankar_274

7 months ago · Sensitive Skin
Review

Moisturises my skin all day