Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser versus Paula's Choice Defense Hydrating Gel-to-Cream Cleanser .
Last updated on July 18, 2023. Published on April 22, 2022
Overview
What they are
These products are both reef safe face cleansers. They have a total of 5 ingredients in common
Suited For
They're both likely to be good for anti aging, dry skin, brightening skin, sensitive skin and scar healing
Free From
They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, fragrances, oils, parabens or silicones
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
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
Ingredient Info
CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser 24 ingredients
Paula's Choice Defense Hydrating Gel-to-Cream Cleanser 48 ingredients
Alcohol Free
This product is free of harsh alcohols 🎉
Silicon Free
This product is free of silicons 🎉
Fragrance Free
This product is free of fragrances 🎉
Contains Sulfate
Ingredients in this product that are types of sulfate:
Paraben Free
This product is free of parabens 🎉
Oil Free
This product is free of oils 🎉
Not Malassezia Safe
Ingredients in this product that are not malassezia safe:
Reef Safe
This product is free of ingredients that damage reefs 🎉
EU Allergen Free
This product is free of EU allergens 🎉
Non Vegan
This product is not vegan 😥
Not Cruelty Free
This product is not cruelty-free 😥
Alcohol Free
This product is free of harsh alcohols 🎉
Silicon Free
This product is free of silicons 🎉
Fragrance Free
This product is free of fragrances 🎉
Sulfate Free
This product is free of sulfates 🎉
Paraben Free
This product is free of parabens 🎉
Oil Free
This product is free of oils 🎉
Not Malassezia Safe
Ingredients in this product that are not malassezia safe:
Reef Safe
This product is free of ingredients that damage reefs 🎉
EU Allergen Free
This product is free of EU allergens 🎉
Non Vegan
This product is not vegan 😥
Cruelty Free
This product is cruelty-free 🎉
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser 24 ingredients
Paula's Choice Defense Hydrating Gel-to-Cream Cleanser 48 ingredients
Notable Ingredients
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Benefits
This product contains 6 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 4 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 4 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
Concerns
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Notable Ingredients
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
Benefits
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
Concerns
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 3 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 1 ingredient that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
This product contains 2 ingredients that may have this attribute:
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Join SkinSortIngredients Compared
Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.
CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser 24 ingredients
Paula's Choice Defense Hydrating Gel-to-Cream Cleanser 48 ingredients
Water • Glycerin • Cetearyl Alcohol • Peg-40 Stearate • Stearyl Alcohol • Potassium Phosphate • Ceramide NP • Ceramide AP • Ceramide EOP • Carbomer • Glyceryl Stearate • Behentrimonium Methosulfate • Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate • Sodium Hyaluronate • Cholesterol • Phenoxyethanol • Disodium EDTA • Dipotassium Phosphate • Tocopherol • Phytosphingosine • Xanthan Gum • Cetyl Alcohol • Polysorbate 20 • Ethylhexylglycerin
Water • Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate • Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine • Sodium Lauroamphoacetate • Cocamidopropyl Betaine • Glycerin • Sorbeth-230 Tetraoleate • Decyl Glucoside • Pentylene Glycol • Sodium Chloride • Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate • Lauric Acid • Lactic Acid • Sodium Lauroyl Oat Amino Acids • Sorbitan Laurate • Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate • Disodium EDTA • Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice • Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride • Cocoyl Proline • Sodium Citrate • Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract • Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract • Sodium PCA • Sodium Lactate • Arginine • Glycine Soja Sterols • Linoleic Acid • Phospholipids • Aspartic Acid • PCA • Glycine • Alanine • Serine • Valine • Isoleucine • Proline • Threonine • Potassium Citrate • Lactoperoxidase • Histidine • Phenylalanine • Glucose Oxidase • Citric Acid • Phenoxyethanol • Ethylhexylglycerin • Potassium Sorbate • Sodium Benzoate
Ingredients Side-by-side
Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.
Learn more about what what Com. / Irr. ratings are
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 WaterCeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.
Paula's Choice Defense Hydrating Gel-to-Cream Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 1.
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 GlycerinCeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 2.
Paula's Choice Defense Hydrating Gel-to-Cream Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 6.
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.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 16.
Paula's Choice Defense Hydrating Gel-to-Cream Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 45.
Disodium EDTA plays a role in making products more stable by aiding other preservatives.
It is a chelating agent, meaning it neutralizes metal ions that may be found in a product.
Disodium EDTA is a salt of edetic acid and is found to be safe in cosmetic ingredients.
Learn more about Disodium EDTACeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 17.
Paula's Choice Defense Hydrating Gel-to-Cream Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 17.
Ethylhexylglycerin (we can't pronounce this either) is commonly used as a preservative and skin softener. It is derived from glyceryl.
You might see Ethylhexylglycerin often paired with other preservatives such as phenoxyethanol. Ethylhexylglycerin has been found to increase the effectiveness of these other preservatives.
CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 24.
Paula's Choice Defense Hydrating Gel-to-Cream Cleanser contains this as ingredient number 46.
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.
CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser 24 ingredients
Paula's Choice Defense Hydrating Gel-to-Cream Cleanser 48 ingredients
Usage
Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.
When to use
CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser 24 ingredients
Paula's Choice Defense Hydrating Gel-to-Cream Cleanser 48 ingredients
Reviews
Here's what our community thinks
CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser 24 ingredients
BubbIes
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.
Paula's Choice Defense Hydrating Gel-to-Cream Cleanser 48 ingredients
Alternatives
Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser.
See 50 alternativesOur Dupe Finder has found 39 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Paula's Choice Defense Hydrating Gel-to-Cream Cleanser.
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