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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of CeraVe SA Smoothing Cream versus Nivea Daily Essentials Mattifying Day Cream .

Published on October 30, 2022

Overview

Suited For

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

Free From

They both do not contain any oils or 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 need an update? Let us know.

General Moisturizer Canadian Brand Canada
Day Moisturizer German Brand Germany

General Moisturizer

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

Day Moisturizer

Day Moisturizers are marketed to hydrate the skin during the daytime.

Price

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Buy SA Smoothing Cream

Starts at $19.99
Shop

Buy Daily Essentials Mattifying Day Cream

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

AHA
BHA
Niacinamide
Ceramides (3)
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

Hydrating (7)
Good For Oily Skin (2)
Redness Reducing (5)
Reduces Irritation (3)
Skin Texture
Reduces Large Pores (2)
Anti-Aging (3)
Dark Spots
Scar Healing
Acne Fighting (2)
Brightening (4)

Concerns

Drying (2)
May Worsen Oily Skin (3)
Acne Trigger
Irritating (2)
Rosacea (3)
Eczema (3)

Notable Ingredients

Chemical UV Filter (2)
Mineral UV Filter

Benefits

Hydrating
Acne Fighting
Brightening

Concerns

Drying (3)
May Worsen Oily Skin (3)
Acne Trigger (2)
Irritating (3)
Rosacea (6)
Eczema (3)
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Ingredients Compared

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

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 Smoothing Cream contains this as ingredient number 1.

Nivea Daily Essentials Mattifying Day Cream 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 Smoothing Cream contains this as ingredient number 4.

Nivea Daily Essentials Mattifying Day Cream contains this as ingredient number 2.

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 SA Smoothing Cream contains this as ingredient number 6.

Nivea Daily Essentials Mattifying Day Cream contains this as ingredient number 9.

4
What it does: Emulsion Stabilising, Gel Forming
Community Rating: Disliked

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

Carbomer is commonly found in many types of cosmetics products. It is found to be safe in concentrations up to 15%. However, a high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Most products contain 1% of less of carbomer.

CeraVe SA Smoothing Cream contains this as ingredient number 19.

Nivea Daily Essentials Mattifying Day Cream contains this as ingredient number 20.

5
What it does: Buffering
Community Rating: Mixed

Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.

In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.

Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.

"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.

Learn more about Sodium Hydroxide

CeraVe SA Smoothing Cream contains this as ingredient number 22.

Nivea Daily Essentials Mattifying Day Cream contains this as ingredient number 24.

6
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 Smoothing Cream contains this as ingredient number 27.

Nivea Daily Essentials Mattifying Day Cream contains this as ingredient number 25.

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

41% are loved or liked
6% have mixed ratings
38% are disliked or very disliked
15% have no rating yet
10% are loved or liked
19% have mixed ratings
58% 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 Smoothing Cream 34 ingredients

3.5 /5
from 2 ratings
Heavy (1) Hydrating (1)
Zora's avatar

Zora

4 months ago · Combination Skin
Review

I used this product for my keratosis pilaris every evening for a few weeks. Unfortunately, it did not help my skin condition at all. But at least...

I used this product for my keratosis pilaris every evening for a few weeks. Unfortunately, it did not help my skin condition at all. But at least it didn't make anything worse. Won't buy again.

chesterfield__'s avatar

chesterfield__

9 months ago · Oily Skin
Review

Absolutely changed my skin
Got rid of all my hormonal acne, made my skin extremely smooth and soft to the touch, keeps my skin well-hydrated, glowy...

Absolutely changed my skin
Got rid of all my hormonal acne, made my skin extremely smooth and soft to the touch, keeps my skin well-hydrated, glowy and healthy. I use it day and night.

Nivea Daily Essentials Mattifying Day Cream 31 ingredients

Daily Essentials Mattifying Day Cream hasn't been rated yet.
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