Cetaphil Vs Aveeno Lotion: Which Is The Better Choice?
I had heard great things about both Cetaphil lotion as well as Aveeno lotion. But when it came to choosing which was the best of the two, I had no clue which would be best for my skin.
So, I decided to try them both!
Our skin is a physical barrier between our body and all of the external factors of the outside world. Skin cells are important to keep healthy as they are the first line of defense against whatever may come into contact with our body.
Both Cetaphil and Aveeno lotions are great for sensitive skin and boast a lot of benefits, but which one is better?
Determining which brand is best involves more than just what feels the best. Instead, it involves how they affect the skin in the long run.
What type of lotions do Cetaphil and Aveeno brands include?
Cetaphil and Aveeno both contain multiple types of skincare products, as well as different types of lotions and creams.
Some of the best Aveeno skincare products include:
- Aveeno daily moisturizing lotion
- Aveeno Clear complexion exfoliating pads
- Masks
- Shaving cream
- Shea butter cream
- Facial moisturizer
- Aloe vera
- And more
Some of the best Cetaphil skincare products include:
- Cetaphil moisturizing lotion
- Cetaphil moisturizing cream
- Cetaphil daily facial cleanser
- Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser
- Makeup remover for cosmetic products
- Cetaphil sunscreens
- Body cream
- And more
For just lotions and creams specifically, Aveeno has over 20 types while Cetaphil has well over 25.
Overall, both Aveeno products and Cetaphil have multiple products that will meet your skin needs.
Having options is a good thing- so instead of getting overwhelmed by the options, let us help break it down for you!
Cetaphil Vs Aveeno Lotion: Which is better?
I wanted to provide you with more than just a personal opinion (although I do give my personal experience near the end), so I have broken down the comparison of Cetaphil vs. Aveeno in the following ways:
- Giving a brief introduction to each brand
- Ingredient comparison
- Animal rights
- Pricing
- Ratings
- Personal Review
- Best By Category
- Overall Best lotion
Please note: If you have any skin condition you are concerned about, please seek medical consultation.
We give our opinions here based on both personal experience and deep research, but I am not professionally trained to give medical advice. Always seek your primary care doctor or dermatologist with questions about your personal skin concerns.
Aveeno Introduction
Aveeno is an American brand that is owned by the Johnson & Johnson company.
Aveeno promotes inclusivity and sustainability on its website. They’ve had plans since 2020 to improve each year so that by 2025 all of their packaging will be eco-friendly by either being recyclable or even compostable.
They promote products for babies, kids, and adults.
Cetaphil Introduction
Cetaphil is owned by a Swiss-based company called Galderma, although Cetaphil itself was created by an American pharmacist in the 1940s.
Cetaphil brands itself as aiding sensitive skin, with scientific research to back it up. They claim to have performed over 600 studies on over 35,000 patients to make sure their product is one of the best for sensitive skin.
Ingredient Comparison
In the past, I used to always choose skin care products by choosing what felt best on my skin, without even looking at the label.
Now I know that the best lotions and products for my skin are not only what feels best, but what is comprised of the best ingredients.
Aveeno ingredients
According to Aveeno’s website, all active ingredients for the sunscreen part of their popular Daily Moisturizing Lotion with Broad Spectrum SPF 15 include:
- Avobenzone
- Octisalate
- Octocrylene
- Oxybenzone
Inactive ingredients include:
Water, Glycerin, Distearyldimonium Chloride, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Cetyl Alcohol, Diethylhexyl 2,6-Naphthalate, Dimethicone, Avena Sativa Kernel Flour, Methylparaben, Steareth-21, Disodium EDTA, Benzalkonium Chloride
One of the key ingredients in this lotion is oat flour, known as its “star ingredient.” The oats used are pure and non-GMO. They also use eco-friendly practices such as crop rotation.
The oat extract (or oat kernel) mentioned, is a type of colloidal oatmeal that is known to help irritated skin. It is an antioxidant that helps protect the skin against free radicals, or molecules that cause damage to our skin cells.
The list we provided is just for the one daily moisturizing lotion. Many of Aveeno’s products are known to include vitamins, such as Vitamin B, or Vitamin E as well.
Cetaphil Ingredients
According to Cetaphil’s website, the ingredients in the Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion include:
Aqua, Glycerin, Isopropyl Palmitate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Panthenol, Niacinamide, Tocopheryl Acetate, Dimethicone, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Pantolactone, Glyceryl Stearate, Sodium Benzoate, Benzyl Alcohol, Citric Acid.
What do all these ingredients mean?
Compared to other skincare products, both Aveeno and Cetaphil are full of natural ingredients. However, Aveeno definitely has more.
Aveeno is also more forward with how they go about being eco-friendly with specific action steps on their website. Therefore, when it comes to ingredients, Aveeno is the winner.
Do I need to worry about allergic reactions to any of the ingredients?
For some of us, we are worried about more than just dry skin when picking out a body lotion. Unfortunately, many of us face allergic reactions that go beyond skin irritation and need to be extra careful when examining the ingredients.
Many people pick these products because they don’t have as many allergens. However, always consult a medical professional if you have any severe allergies.
Which is better for animal rights?
Unfortunately, the statistics are depressing when it comes to animal testing.
According to a report by Cruelty Free Kitty, 88% of beauty brands fund animal testing and are not cruelty-free even though 35% of consumers specifically check to see if a company is cruelty-free before purchasing. That specific report did not include Aveeno or Cetaphil.
So how do both companies rank when it comes to animal testing?
Aveeno claims itself as cruelty-free on its website. However, the information proving this is almost next-to-none. This is surprising since they boast about their equity, eco-friendliness, and sustainability.
The loophole is this- they say that they are cruelty-free except where it is required. One country that requires this is China, and there is no information on how many of their products are created in China. Therefore, there is no guarantee that Aveeno is cruelty-free.
It’s a similar answer when it comes to Cetaphil. Like Aveeno, they state on their site that they do not test on animals. However, there is no third party that has declared them as cruelty-free.
Just like Aveeno, there is a loophole. Even though they do not test animals, they are known to pay others to do so when required by law.
Both companies use careful verbiage to indicate that they do not test on animals, but sadly neither company is cruelty-free. If you are vegan, it would become a personal choice to decide if this is a vegan brand or not.
Comparison by pricing
To compare Cetaphil vs Aveeno lotion pricing, I used the channel that most people use to shop nowadays: Amazon.
On Amazon, the prices for Aveeno lotion range from $6.57 to about $15.95, depending on which lotion you purchase. However, for Cetaphil, the starting price seems to be about $15.95, with the majority being about $18.
Prices are similar for Aveeno at Walmart, ranging from $6.57 to $15.32. For Cetaphil, they start around $12.47.
When it comes to price, Aveeno is the clear winner.
Comparison by personal review
I bought each lotion to try myself to see which was the right product for me. I have oily-dry skin, and even though I’m acne-prone, my skin otherwise is not sensitive.
I thought it would be a good idea to try each for a few days and actually noticed a significant improvement with both products.
For me, both options were a great choice. However, the right product for me was Aveeno. I felt having that protective layer of SPF was a huge help because in the long run it can even skin tone.
Both were non-greasy, which was great. Even though I read multiple reviews that said that Aveeno seemed to be heavier than Cetaphil, I actually found the opposite to be true.
Comparison by ratings
One of the top places for reviews is Influenster, solely for the number of reviews provided. The top Aveeno lotion had over 16,577 reviews. The average rating was 4.6
For Cetaphil, there were over 25,000 reviews, and they also showed a 4.6 rating.
Looking at reviews on both Amazon and Walmart show similar results, with Aveeno products and Cetaphil products getting similar ratings.
What do the experts say?
Cetaphil claims to “Completely restores skin’s natural moisture barrier in 1 week.” However, has Cetaphil been proven to help the skin barrier more than Aveeno?
When researching how to take care of our skin properly, Mayo Clinic has multiple articles that refer to Cetaphil when talking about dry and itchy skin.
Almost all of their articles that talk about dry skin mention Eucerin and Cetaphil as their two examples of moisturizers for the skin. Having Mayo Clinic’s recommendation definitely gives Cetaphil the upper edge.
rel=”nofollow”>Best By Category
Although we are mostly comparing Cetaphil vs Aveeno lotion in this article, many of us like to buy the same brand for all of our skincare products. Therefore, when we create the “best of” by category, we include some non-lotion products by Aveeno and Cetaphil as well.
Best gentle cleansers
Aveeno currently sells 10 different cleansers, including:
- Positively Radiant Brightening Facial Cleanser
- Aveeno Calm + Restore Redness Relief Foaming Cleanser
- Clear Complexion Cream Face Cleanser With Salicylic Acid
Their newest cleanser, the brightening cleanser, already has hundreds of excellent reviews.
Unlike Aveeno, there is only one popular gentle Cetaphil cleanser for the face. Upon first glance, it looks like Cetaphil’s cleanser has great reviews also.
However, after research, it is clear that they came out with a new formula about a year ago, and those with sensitive skin have said they have not been able to use it since.
Therefore, when it comes to the best gentle cleanser, we are going to give Aveeno products the win.
Best moisturizer
Moisturizer is important as it helps with fine lines, wrinkles, and hydration. Both Aveeno moisturizer and Cetaphil moisturizer have multiple moisturizers with high reviews.
Cetaphil claims that skin will start appearing noticeably different within 48 hours, and multiple people have seen this to be true, including me. Aveeno on the other hand took a bit longer.
So for this category, we will give the win to Cetaphil.
Best body wash
Cetaphil has one fragrance-free body wash. It has aloe vera, vitamin B5, and other ingredients that help make your skin smooth after use.
Aveeno offers multiple body wash options, all with excellent reviews.
Due to the variety of body washes, Aveeno is the winner in this category.
Best for sensitive skin types
For sensitive skin types, I assumed that Cetaphil was going to be the winner. Due to the scientific research, as well as their claim to fame for being the best for sensitive skin, I thought it would be easy to choose the winner.
Until I saw hundreds of reviews.
It appears that for years Cetaphil was the winner in this category. But within the past year (2021-2022) the reviews started shifting from what they had been for years prior.
It seems that there was a change in the formula, which affected a lot of people with skin conditions.
If you have easily irritated skin, the better choice seems to be Aveeno. However, buying small sample products may be your best bet as each skin type is different.
Best for baby eczema or itchy skin
If you are dealing with baby eczema, you are going to want to shop for the most gentle formulas instead of the most popular products.
Both Aveeno and Cetaphil claim to be paraben-free and sulfate-free and are gentle for soft baby skin.
I want to declare Aveeno as the winner, as I personally use this for my kids and love it. However, it does have a light scent, as Cetaphil does not at all, so for baby eczema or dry/itchy skin I will give Cetaphil the win.
Best for acne-prone skin and oily skin
If you have acne-prone skin, choosing your product based on the ingredients is super important.
For acne-prone skin, a great product is any product with hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is actually something our body creates naturally. Including it in products helps with fine lines and helps clear scars- a huge help for those with acne.
Both Cetaphil and Aveeno have products with hyaluronic acid, so picking the best option is hard. However, because Aveeno Calm & Restore is an oat-based product, it also includes fatty acids which reduce inflammation in acne.
Our founder has been using this moisturizer for years and loves it!
Overall Best Lotion
I don’t want to say that overall it comes down to a personal preference, but it truly does. I put the different categories above because it is hard to pick a clear winner.
The best way to choose between Cetaphil vs Aveeno lotion is to answer these questions for your specific skin concerns:
- Do you want multiple options?
- Do you want more natural ingredients or more scientifically-proven ingredients?
- Is budget an issue?
If you want multiple options, Aveeno is clearly farther ahead than Cetaphil.
If you are looking for more natural ingredients, Aveeno will be your winner. If you want more scientifically proven ingredients, Cetaphil lotion will win.
If money is a factor, Aveeno is much more budget-friendly.
Therefore, when comparing Cetaphil vs. Aveeno Lotion, we give the win to Aveeno. (Several girls on our team also use and love this!)
How can I get the best results no matter which I choose?
No matter which you choose, there are always a few helpful tips to get the most out of your lotion and moisturize.
#1. Know your skin type
A lot of us go a long time before knowing how our skin is responding to certain products. I always thought I had normal skin, but found out that I had developed extremely dehydrated skin.
Once I picked products that focused on moisturizing, it led to fewer fine lines and a more even skin tone.
#2. When to put on the product
The best time to put on moisturizer is when you come out of the shower. Your skin will be a little damp, which will lock in the moisture.
#3. Drink water!
One of the best ways to get great skin is to drink lots of water! Set a goal for the amount of water you want to drink for the day and stick to it!
Conclusion
Choosing between Cetaphil vs Aveeno lotion will be a personal choice. While Cetaphil won in multiple categories, overall we chose Aveeno as the winner due to its multiple options, budget-friendliness, and natural ingredients.
They both offer a wide range of products, so make sure to not only stick to the lotion but to try them all and get a full experience!
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