Versus

CeraVe Moisturising Lotion Normal To Very Dry Skin - Australia Versus Nivea Soft Moisturizing Crème - Portugal

General Moisturizer
General Moisturizer
American Brand United States
German Brand Germany

Updated on April 04, 2025

Overview

What they are

These products are both reef safe general moisturizers. They have a total of 5 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain Vitamin E

Suited For

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

Free From

They both do not contain any parabens

What's Inside

They both contain silicones

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

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and see relevant ingredients

About this product

About this product

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

found in both products

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

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.

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. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water
Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting

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
Emollient, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting

Dimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz.

What it does:

Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:

Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.

Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.

This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.

Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.

Learn more about Dimethicone
Preservative

Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent 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.

Emulsion Stabilising, Gel Forming

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

A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.

When to use

1,130 Routines
49% use in am
51% use in pm
97% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->
7 Routines
43% use in am
57% use in pm
100% use every day

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

CeraVe Moisturising Lotion Normal To Very Dry Skin 25 ingredients

3.7 /5
from 19 ratings
No Scent (6) Hydrating (5) Light (5)
sofiakarsberg's avatar

Sofia Karsberg

7 months ago
Review

Makes my skin awful. The Ceteareth-20 + cetearyl alcohol combination is highly comedogenic when mixed together in the same product, and I can tell the difference when I stop using this. Also Phenoxyethanol is listed quite high in the ingredients list, and Europe regulations says that less than 1% of this ingredient shouldn't cause irritation but this clearly has a higher concentration. These three Show more

#broke me out
#irritating
#light
#no scent
Lataux's avatar

Lataux

1 year ago
Review

Cool moisturising
I have sensitive skin with eczema and this is going well for me. I've been using it for a year and a half now and I did not have any ecz breakout, so I am pretty satisfied.
My boyfriend uses too and likes it (combination skin) and it helps with the skind under his beard too, that tends to be drier and with dandruff sometimes
One point useful too is that we are using it (me Show more

Nivea Soft Moisturizing Crème 30 ingredients

3.1 /5
from 9 ratings
Great Value (5) Hydrating (4) Works Well (3)