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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of CeraVe SA Cream for Rough & Bumpy Skin versus Creightons Salicylic Acid Exfoliating Tonic .

Published on April 10, 2023

Overview

Cool Features

They both contain BHA and niacinamide

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, dry skin, brightening skin, sensitive skin, oily skin, reducing pores, scar healing and dark spots

Free From

They both do not contain any common allergens

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

General Moisturizer Canadian Brand Canada
Exfoliator British Brand United Kingdom

General Moisturizer

All-purpose moisturizers hydrate the top layer of skin cells.

Exfoliator

Exfoliators are used to exfoliate the skin, or remove dead skin cells from the skin. Exfoliators may be chemical or physical.

Price

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Buy SA Cream for Rough & Bumpy Skin

Starts at $29.09
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Buy Salicylic Acid Exfoliating Tonic

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
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

BHA
Vitamin E
Niacinamide
Ceramides (3)
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

Hydrating (6)
Good For Oily Skin (2)
Redness Reducing (5)
Reduces Irritation (3)
Reduces Large Pores (2)
Anti-Aging (4)
Dark Spots
Scar Healing (2)
Acne Fighting (2)
Brightening (4)

Concerns

Drying (2)
May Worsen Oily Skin (2)
Acne Trigger
Irritating (2)
Rosacea
Eczema (2)

Notable Ingredients

BHA
Niacinamide

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin (2)
Redness Reducing (2)
Reduces Irritation (2)
Reduces Large Pores (2)
Dark Spots
Scar Healing (2)
Acne Fighting (2)
Brightening (3)

Concerns

Drying (2)
May Worsen Oily Skin
Irritating (2)
Rosacea (2)
Eczema (3)
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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 SA Cream for Rough & Bumpy Skin contains this as ingredient number 1.

Creightons Salicylic Acid Exfoliating Tonic contains this as ingredient number 1.

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 SA Cream for Rough & Bumpy Skin contains this as ingredient number 2.

Creightons Salicylic Acid Exfoliating Tonic contains this as ingredient number 10.

3
What it does: Masking, Preservative, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

Salicylic Acid (also known as beta hydroxy acid or BHA) is one of the most well-known ingredients for treating skin that struggles with blackheads and acne. It helps to exfoliate both the skin's surface and pores, and also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent.

This multitasking property makes it a great ingredient for cleaning out pores, controlling oil production, and reducing inflammation.

Unlike AHAs which are water soluble, Salicylic Acid is oil soluble. This means that it's able to exfoliate the inside of pores and reduce blackheads.

Concentrations of 0.5-2% are recognized by the U.S. FDA as an over-the-counter topical acne product.

It can cause irritation and/or dryness if one's skin already has a compromised moisture barrier, so it's best to focus on repairing that before introducing a Salicylic Acid into your routine.

In general, Salicylic Acid is a great ingredient for oily acne-prone skin.

While salicylic acid does not increase sun-sensitivity, we still recommend wearing SPF.

If you are looking for the ingredient called BHA or Butylated Hydroxyanisole, click here.

Learn more about Salicylic Acid

CeraVe SA Cream for Rough & Bumpy Skin contains this as ingredient number 7.

Creightons Salicylic Acid Exfoliating Tonic contains this as ingredient number 6.

4
What it does: Smoothing
Community Rating: Loved

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

It is known to treat acne by reducing inflammation. It also helps fade dark-spots and strengthen the skin by promoting the growth of the ceramide barrier.

Other benefits include smoothing wrinkles and minimizing redness.

The cherry on top? Niacinamide can also help build keratin, a protein that keeps skin firm.

When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.

Niacinamide can be mixed with other ingredients to boost benefits. For instance, it has shown to be effective when used with copper, folic acid, and zinc to treat acne.

Learn more about Niacinamide

CeraVe SA Cream for Rough & Bumpy Skin contains this as ingredient number 8.

Creightons Salicylic Acid Exfoliating Tonic contains this as ingredient number 5.

5
What it does: Preservative
Community Rating: Very Disliked

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 SA Cream for Rough & Bumpy Skin contains this as ingredient number 23.

Creightons Salicylic Acid Exfoliating Tonic contains this as ingredient number 7.

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

41% are loved or liked
0% have mixed ratings
55% are disliked or very disliked
3% have no rating yet
44% are loved or liked
19% have mixed ratings
25% are disliked or very disliked
13% 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 SA Cream for Rough & Bumpy Skin 29 ingredients

4.0 /5
from 5 ratings
Great Value (1) Heavy (1) Hydrating (1) No Scent (1) Works Well (1)
sarape's avatar

sarape

2 months ago · Combination Skin
Review

I think the marketing on this product is a little bit ambiguous, because some people may think it's targeted for healing acne as it says "for rough...

I think the marketing on this product is a little bit ambiguous, because some people may think it's targeted for healing acne as it says "for rough and bumpy skin", but it's actually a very thick cream that will break you out for sure.

I'm not saying it's bad at all, but I would never use it on my face. As many other users have said, It's a great body moisturizer that works wonders on rough areas like your elbows, and I've found it's also great for treating KP (maybe that's what CeraVe meant with "rough and bumpy skin"). It's so hydrating that you won't even need to apply it every single day, so if you have dry skin, it might quickly become a holy grail for you. Plus, it has Salicylic Acid, so it does like a very mild exfoliation that's great to prevent body acne and other conditions. Love it!

AnaRitaSantos's avatar

AnaRitaSantos

11 months ago · Oily Skin
Review

Amazing Product for Dry, Cracked and Flaky Skin
This is a holy grail for me in terms of bodycare. When I first bought, I was thinking in using it...

Amazing Product for Dry, Cracked and Flaky Skin
This is a holy grail for me in terms of bodycare. When I first bought, I was thinking in using it as a regular BHA moisturizer for my face and body acne, but this is not what this product is good for. The exfoliation power is too strong and the consistency is too tick for a regular moisturizer. Instead, I found it absolutely amazing for my feet (very cracked heels), dry elbows and hand eczema in the winter. Sometimes when I have very stubborn tick pimples in my arms I like to use it as a moisturizer treatment and works like a charm. The Urea & BHA combination makes it perfect for dry cracked skin, I have not found any other moisturizer that works so well for these purposes.

Creightons Salicylic Acid Exfoliating Tonic 16 ingredients

5.0 /5
from 1 rating
naana's avatar

naana

9 months ago · Skin
Review

helps reduce my fungal acne

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