Dr. Brandt Skincare Triple Antioxidant Face Cream Versus CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion for Normal to Dry Skin
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Isohexadecane
EmollientIsopropyl Isostearate
Emollient
Polymethyl Methacrylate
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Wine Extract
Antioxidant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Rose Extract
Skin ConditioningCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Sucrose
Humectant
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Mineral Salts
Skin ConditioningRosa Centifolia Flower Oil
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer
C12-13 Pareth-3
EmulsifyingLecithin
Emollient
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Polyacrylamide
Osmanthus Fragrans Flower Extract
MaskingButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Mangifera Indica Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Sorbitol
Humectant
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Eugenia Caryophyllus Flower Extract
AstringentButylene Glycol
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Laureth-7
EmulsifyingOxothiazolidine
Skin ProtectingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract
Antimicrobial
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Oleic Acid
Emollient
CI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Glycerin, Isohexadecane, Isopropyl Isostearate, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Wine Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Rose Extract, Ceramide NP, Sucrose, Glycine Soja Oil, Mineral Salts, Rosa Centifolia Flower Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Behenyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Stearic Acid, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, PEG-100 Stearate, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, C12-13 Pareth-3, Lecithin, Dimethiconol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Cetearyl Glucoside, Polyacrylamide, Osmanthus Fragrans Flower Extract, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Disodium EDTA, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Sorbitol, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Allantoin, Eugenia Caryophyllus Flower Extract, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, Laureth-7, Oxothiazolidine, Panthenol, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopherol, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hyaluronate, Oleic Acid, CI 77491
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Potassium Phosphate
BufferingCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingDimethicone
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingBehentrimonium Methosulfate
Surfactant
Methylparaben
Preservative
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingCholesterol
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Dipotassium Phosphate
BufferingPropylparaben
Preservative
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Emulsifying
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Potassium Phosphate, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Carbomer, Dimethicone, Ceteareth-20, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Methylparaben, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Cholesterol, Disodium EDTA, Dipotassium Phosphate, Propylparaben, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Phytosphingosine, Xanthan Gum, Polysorbate 20, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
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 TriglycerideCeramide NP (formerly known as Ceramide 3) is one of the skin's naturally occurring lipids.
Since ceramides are the major lipid components of the skin, they are crucial for maintaining skin barrier and hydration. Ceramide NP most closely mirrors the dominant kind in human skin amongst ceramide subtypes.
This ceramide works by slotting into gaps within the stratum corneum's lipid matrix to limit trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and shield the skin against external irritants.
A study with 312 patients found that using a ceramide-containing routine for 4 weeks reduced the severity of atopic dermatitis by over 61%.
Another clinical study in subjects aged 60 and older found that a ceramide body wash and moisturizer improved skin dryness and itchy skin in 15 days.
Overall, ceramides are considered non-irritating and safety tests have found little to no observable adverse effects from using this ingredient.
Ceramide NP is usually sourced from plants (like soybean or rice bran), or produced synthetically.
Learn more about Ceramide NPCetearyl 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 AlcoholDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinWater. 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
