Versus

CeraVe Moisturising Lotion Normal To Very Dry Skin - Australia Versus The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

General Moisturizer
Serum
American Brand United States
Canadian Brand Canada

Updated on April 04, 2025

Overview

What they are

These products are both reef safe . They have a total of 3 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 or parabens

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

What's inside (and what isn't)

What's inside (and what isn't)

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
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.

Emulsifying, Emulsion Stabilising, Gel Forming

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.

Learn more about Xanthan Gum

When to use

1,137 Routines
49% use in am
51% use in pm
97% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->
16,083 Routines
48% use in am
52% use in pm
94% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->

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

8 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
nourahal's avatar

Nourah 💫

10 months ago
Review

Horrible it did not moisturize my skin at all it made it more dry for some reason even on my hands like it moisturizes well the first minute next minute dry and feels like there is something on your skin and no other cream did this 😭😭

#drying
#sticky
#no scent
#doesn't work

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% 11 ingredients

3.2 /5
from 243 ratings
Great Value (57) Irritating (48) Broke Me Out (48)
Clover's avatar

Clover

1 year ago
Review

Gotta give credit where credit is due
WOW… lot of people ganging up on this incredibly affordable/popular serum. I understand the criticisms, but personally I don’t believe the intensity is warranted. For so many people this was the start of their skincare journey; it certainly was mine! And because I had never used ingredients like niacinamide or zinc on my face before, of course I noticed an Show more

nicolecrs's avatar

nicolecrs

9 months ago
Review

I've repurchased this so many times and tried different niacinamide serums but this one is my fav. It improves my hormonal acne so much and controls sebum production. Also, when I had the worst fungal acne flare-up ever, this and the lactic acid 5% SAVED ME. It burned a lot but now I don't have any bumps whatsoever. It won't work immediately so consistency is key. (I have combo-oily skin)

#great value
#light
#absorbs well
#light scent