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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser versus Drunk Elephant Pekee™ Cleansing Bar .

Last updated on July 18, 2023. Published on March 17, 2021

Overview

What they are

These products are both reef safe face cleansers. They have a total of 3 ingredients in common

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for brightening skin and scar healing

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, parabens or silicones

What's Inside

They both contain sulfates

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

Face Cleanser Canadian Brand Canada
Face Cleanser American Brand United States

Face Cleanser

Face cleansers are used to remove makeup, dead skin cells, pollutants, oil, dirt, and/or clean out pores on the skin. Face cleansers may specialize in having one function (exa. just removing makeup) or may have multiple functions (exa. Removing makeup and cleaning pores).

Face Cleanser

Face cleansers are used to remove makeup, dead skin cells, pollutants, oil, dirt, and/or clean out pores on the skin. Face cleansers may specialize in having one function (exa. just removing makeup) or may have multiple functions (exa. Removing makeup and cleaning pores).

Price

Shop

Buy Hydrating Facial Cleanser

Starts at $11.31
Shop

Buy Pekee™ Cleansing Bar

Starts at $28.00

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant ingredients.
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free
ph level
5.5
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Notable Ingredients

Vitamin E
Ceramides (3)
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

Hydrating (6)
Redness Reducing (4)
Reduces Irritation (3)
Anti-Aging (4)
Scar Healing
Brightening (2)

Concerns

May Worsen Oily Skin
Acne Trigger
Irritating

Notable Ingredients

Exfoliators

Benefits

Scar Healing
Brightening

Concerns

May Worsen Oily Skin (2)
Acne Trigger
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Ingredients Side-by-side

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

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Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

1
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

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.

So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.

You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. Talk about multi-purpose! If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water

CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.

Drunk Elephant Pekee™ Cleansing Bar contains this as ingredient number 7.

2
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

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

A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.

As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.

Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.

Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.

In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.

This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Learn more about Glycerin

CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 2.

Drunk Elephant Pekee™ Cleansing Bar contains this as ingredient number 10.

3
What it does: Emollient, Emulsifying, Emulsion Stabilising
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Cetearyl alcohol is a mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is mainly used as an emulsifier. Emulsifiers help prevent the separation of oils and products. Due to its composition, it can also be used to thicken a product or help create foam.

Cetearyl alcohol is an emollient. Emollients help soothe and hydrate the skin by trapping moisture.

Studies show Cetearyl alcohol is non-toxic and non-irritating. The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.

This ingredient is usually derived from plant oils such as palm, vegetable, or coconut oils. There is debate on whether this ingredient will cause acne.

Due to the fatty acid base, this ingredient may not be Malassezia folliculitis safe.

Learn more about Cetearyl Alcohol

CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 3.

Drunk Elephant Pekee™ Cleansing Bar contains this as ingredient number 4.

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

50% are loved or liked
4% have mixed ratings
42% are disliked or very disliked
4% have no rating yet
36% are loved or liked
9% have mixed ratings
45% are disliked or very disliked
9% have no rating yet

Usage

Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.

When to use

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Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser 24 ingredients

3.5 /5
from 55 ratings
Great Value (4) Drying (3) Works Well (2) Light (2) No Scent (2) Hydrating (2)
BubbIes's avatar

BubbIes

2 months ago · Combination Skin
Review

This was hydrating, but that's where the positives end. For a "hydrating" cleanser this has THREE harsh irritating alcohols and two of them are in...

This was hydrating, but that's where the positives end. For a "hydrating" cleanser this has THREE harsh irritating alcohols and two of them are in the first five ingredients (they're in higher concentrations than most of the other ingredients). I was upset to realize this was probably causing my breakouts. CeraVe's quality really tanked and most people who are using them probably don't realize it's causing problems for their skin.

AnneR's avatar

AnneR

3 years ago · Skin
Review

Nice but boring
Skin felt OK but not as hydrated as I was expecting

Drunk Elephant Pekee™ Cleansing Bar 11 ingredients

4.0 /5
from 1 rating
nasaye's avatar

nasaye

1 year ago · Dry Skin
Review

Good solid cleanser
I have been looking for solid cleansers fir my skin for a while and this is one of my go tos. It foams well and leaves your...

Good solid cleanser
I have been looking for solid cleansers fir my skin for a while and this is one of my go tos. It foams well and leaves your skin very clean, without being stripping. I remove one star because I believe it is a bit overpriced.

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Our Dupe Finder has found 3 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Drunk Elephant Pekee™ Cleansing Bar.

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