Cosmedix Emulsion Versus CeraVe Moisturizing Cream
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cholesteryl Oleyl Carbonate
Skin ConditioningCoco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Cholesteryl Stearate
EmollientCholesteryl Nonanoate
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Diaminopropionoyl Tripeptide-33
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract
Perfuming
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Dicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate
EmulsifyingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingGluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCitrus Reticulata Peel Oil
Masking
Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningZea Mays Silk Extract
Skin ConditioningAmino Esters-1
Skin ConditioningEclipta Prostrata Extract
Skin Conditioning
Cocos Nucifera Fruit Juice
Emollient
Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Oil
Masking
Fructooligosaccharides
Humectant
Oryza Sativa Bran Oil
Emollient
Thioctic Acid
Antioxidant
Populus Tremuloides Bark Extract
AntiseborrhoeicSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenyl T-Butylnitrone
Antioxidant
Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningCoccinia Indica Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCitrus Grandis Peel Oil
Masking
Citrus Limon Peel Oil
Masking
Copper Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Flower Extract
EmollientPyruvic Acid
MaskingCalcium Gluconate
HumectantCurcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningOcimum Basilicum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningLawsonia Inermis Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningPearl Powder
Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Lawsonia Inermis Extract
Antimicrobial
Corallina Officinalis Extract
Skin Conditioning
BHT
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Limonene
Perfuming
Citral
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Eugenol
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Farnesol
Perfuming
Water, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cholesteryl Oleyl Carbonate, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Cholesteryl Stearate, Cholesteryl Nonanoate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Diaminopropionoyl Tripeptide-33, Caprylyl Glycol, Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Glucoside, Dicaprylyl Ether, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Xanthan Gum, Gluconolactone, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Citrus Reticulata Peel Oil, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Zea Mays Silk Extract, Amino Esters-1, Eclipta Prostrata Extract, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Juice, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Oil, Fructooligosaccharides, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Thioctic Acid, Populus Tremuloides Bark Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenyl T-Butylnitrone, Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citrus Grandis Peel Oil, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Copper Gluconate, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Pyruvic Acid, Calcium Gluconate, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Ocimum Basilicum Leaf Extract, Lawsonia Inermis Leaf Extract, Pearl Powder, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Lawsonia Inermis Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, BHT, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Limonene, Citral, Geraniol, Eugenol, Linalool, Farnesol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingPetrolatum
Emollient
Potassium Phosphate
BufferingCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingDimethicone
Emollient
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Surfactant
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Cholesterol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Disodium EDTA
Dipotassium Phosphate
BufferingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Petrolatum, Potassium Phosphate, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Carbomer, Dimethicone, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cholesterol, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium EDTA, Dipotassium Phosphate, Tocopherol, Phytosphingosine, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.
Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.
In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.
While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.
Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.
This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.
This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideCetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
It plays several roles in a formula:
Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.
Topically, glycerin does several things at once:
Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.
Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.
This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.
Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinPhenoxyethanol 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.
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. Remember to stay hydrated!
Learn more about WaterXanthan 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
