Are you trying to decide between CeraVe vs Dermalogica? Both are best selling skincare brands that produce products for dryness and sensitivity. This post compares the difference between the two brands to help you decide which products are right for your own skin.
CeraVe vs Dermalogica
Is CeraVe Similar to Dermalogica?
CeraVe is more widely recommended by dermatologists for skin care problems such as dryness and eczema compared to Dermalogica. The brand also has eighteen products which have gained the seal of acceptance from the National Eczema Association.
Although Dermalogica is a best selling skincare brand, it currently doesn’t have any products which are recommended by the National Eczema Association. Compared to CeraVe, Dermalogica make more luxury skin care such as masks and treatments. They also come at a higher price tag.
Dermalogica also make a wider range of products compared to CeraVe, including items like toners and face masks that CeraVe don’t make. CeraVe produce basic moisturisers and cleansers, but with Dermalogica you can build an entire skincare routine.
The formulations of the two brands are also different. CeraVe add three essential ceramides to all their products to help protect and strengthen the skin barrier. Dermalogica on the other hand use more plant extracts and flower oils in their products. Both brands contain products that have both hyaluronic acid and ceramides.
In this post I have compared some of the most similar products from each brand, looking at which is better for different skin types and concerns.
Moisturizers for Dry Skin
I have listed below all the different facial moisturisers you can get from both CeraVe and Dermalogica. You can see from the two tables that Dermalogica produce a much bigger range compared to CeraVe.
CeraVe Facial Moisturisers
| Moizturiser | Description |
|---|---|
| AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion with Sunscreen | Non-comedogenic moisturizer with SPF |
| PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion | Lightweight, oil free night cream with niacinamide |
| Moisturizing Cream | Barrier-restoring moisturizing cream |
| Daily Moisturizing Lotion | Oil-free moisturizer with hyaluronic acid |
| Skin Renewing Night Cream | Skin renewing night cream with peptides |
| Ultra-Light Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30 | Lightweight oil-free moisturizer with SPF |
| Skin Renewing Day Cream | Anti-aging moisturizer with retinol & SPF |
| Skin Renewing Gel Oil | Hydrating oil for skin radiance |
Dermalogica Facial Moisturisers
| Moizturiser | Designed for |
|---|---|
| Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF50 Moisturiser | Dryness and dehydration Signs of skin ageing Uneven skin tone Sun protection |
| Skin Smoothing Cream Moisturiser | All skin conditions Dryness and dehydration Signs of skin ageing |
| Biolumin-C Vitamin C Gel Moisturiser | All skin conditions |
| Active Moist Moisturiser | Oiliness |
| Calm Water Gel | Dryness and dehydration Sensitivity and redness |
| Intensive Moisture Balance Moisturiser | Dryness and dehydration |
| Skin Soothing Hydrating Lotion | Breakouts Oiliness |
| Powerbright Overnight Cream | Uneven skin tone |
| Sound Sleep Cocoon Night Gel-Cream | Dryness and dehydration |
| Barrier Repair | Dryness and dehydration Sensitivity and redness |
| Super Rich Repair Moisturiser | Dryness and dehydration Signs of skin ageing |
| clearing defense spf30 | Breakouts Oiliness |
| Prisma Protect SPF30 Moisturiser | All skin conditions |
| Oil Free Matte SPF30 | Breakouts Oiliness |
| Powerbright Moisturizer SPF 50 | Uneven skin tone |
| Invisible Physical Defense Mineral Sunscreen SPF30 | Dryness and dehydration Uneven skin tone |
| Cooling Aqua Jelly | Breakouts Dryness and dehydration Oiliness |
I compared two of the most popular facial moisturisers from each brand that were designed for dryness and irritation. These two were the CeraVe Moisturising Cream and the Dermalogica Skin Smoothing Cream.
CeraVe Moisturising Cream Vs Dermalogica Skin Smoothing Cream
Ingredients
The ingredients in these two moisturisers are very different.
CeraVe’s formula contains hyaluronic acid and ceramides to protect the skin barrier and lock in moisture. Dermalogica’s formula on the other hand includes a lot more active ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, mallow, cucumber, arnica, grape seed extract, Vitamin C and Vitamin E.
Although I found that both products were good at hydrating the skin, and reducing any redness and irritation, I felt the Dermalogica moisturiser performed slightly better on my skin.
Price
Overall if you are looking for a simple and inexpensive moisturiser to soothe dry skin, CeraVe would be the best choice since it’s effective and also affordable. Although the Dermalogica moisturiser performed slightly better for me, it’s also far more expensive.
Recommendation
After testing both of these products I would say either one is a good choice for dry skin.
If you are prone to uneven skin tone or acne, I would choose the Dermalogica product over the CeraVe Moisturising Cream. This is because the CeraVe Moisturising Cream contains ingredients that could block the pores.
The Dermalogica moisturiser also contains ingredients like Vitamin C which helps to reduce dark spots and blemishes on the skin.
If you are looking for a less expensive moisturiser that won’t inflame acne, the CeraVe Moisturising Lotion is a good choice.
Cleansers for Dry and Sensitive Skin
As with the moisturisers, Dermalogica have a slightly bigger choice. Dermalogica also make cleansing products that CeraVe don’t have such as a clay cleanser. I have listed all the cleansers from each brand in the tables below.
CeraVe Facial Cleansers
| Cleanser | Description |
|---|---|
| Hydrating Facial Cleanser | Hydrating cleanser for normal-to-dry skin |
| Acne Control Cleanser | Gel-to-foam salicylic acid acne face wash |
| Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser | Foaming 4% benzoyl peroxide acne face wash |
| Renewing SA Cleanser | Salicylic acid foaming gel cleanser for smooth skin |
| Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser | Creamy foaming face wash for normal-to-dry skin |
| Foaming Facial Cleanser | Foaming gel cleanser for normal to oily skin |
Dermalogica Facial Cleansers
| Cleanser | Designed for |
|---|---|
| Precleanse Cleansing Oil | All skin conditions Breakouts Dryness and dehydration Oiliness Signs of skin ageing Uneven skin tone |
| Special Cleansing Gel | Breakouts Dryness and dehydration Oiliness |
| Daily Glycolic Cleanser | All skin conditions |
| Breakout Clearing Foaming Wash | Breakouts Oiliness |
| Ultracalming Cleanser | Dryness and dehydration Sensitivity and redness |
| Active Clay Cleanser | Breakouts Oiliness |
| Skin Resurfacing Lactic Acid Cleanser | Signs of skin ageing Uneven skin tone |
| Intensive Moisture Cleanser | Dryness and dehydration |
| Clearing Skin Wash | Breakouts Signs of skin ageing |
| Precleanse Cleansing Balm | Dryness and dehydration |
Both CeraVe and Dermalogica make cleansers that are designed for dry and sensitive skin. Again, the CeraVe products are far less expensive that the Dermalogica cleansers. In my opinion these products worked just as well despite the lower price tag.
If you have extremely dry and sensitive skin, my favourite cleanser by far is the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser.
Both brands make a mixture of products for oily skin and acne-prone skin. CeraVe’s SA Smoothing Cleanser is the best product in my opinion if you are looking for an inexpensive cleanser to remove dead skin cells and excess oil. The cleanser contains salicylic acid which helps to deeply clean the pores.
CeraVe Vs Dermalogica – Other Considerations
Vegan and Cruelty Free
Dermalogica are recognised as cruelty-free by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and Leaping Bunny. All but three Dermalogica products are certified vegan.
CeraVe currently are not completely cruelty free.
Clean Beauty
Dermalogica products are all free from artificial colors and fragrances, mineral oil, lanolin, S.D. alcohol, parabens and microplastics.
CeraVe products are all fragrance free.
This post was a Comparison Between CeraVe vs Dermalogica
Thanks for reading my comparison between CeraVe vs Dermalogica. Both brands are a great option if you have a dry condition. Please let me know if you have tried any of the products mentioned in this post by leaving me a comment below.