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Cetaphil

Moisturizing Cream.

Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream
Moisturizers

About this product

A classic rich moisturizing cream from Cetaphil for face and body, formulated to provide lasting hydration for dry and sensitive skin.

Best for

Dry skinSensitive skin
Moisturizers

The Guru Index verdict

78%

Approved

Approved · 78%
10Reviewers
9Approved
0Mixed
1Skip
#21 in Best Moisturizers

What the gurus are saying

Gurus consistently praise this as an ideal head-to-toe moisturizer that balances hydration and occlusion without heaviness. The defining strength is fast absorption into damp skin without white streaks, greasiness, or sticky residue, making it practical for post-shower use. Reviewers highlight its simple, straightforward formula and note it works well for dry, sensitive, and eczema-prone skin. The value and large jar size are recurring positives. No notable complaints emerged across reviews.
Synthesized from 10 expert reviews

Key actives & flags

Vitamin EFragrance-freeAlcohol-free

Full ingredients

Water, Glycerin, Petrolatum, Dicaprylyl Ether, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, PEG-30 Stearate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Acrylates/​C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Dimethiconol, Benzyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Glyceryl Acrylate/​Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Propylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide

Every take, in full

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Approved only Skip only Mixed only Hide sponsored
Approved
"It's just as protective and moisturizing. It just doesn't feel as thick on the face. I usually use this mostly as a body moisturizer. It's actually a great head-to-toe moisturizer. It sinks into the skin so beautifully. It's not streaky. It's not heavy. It's not greasy. And it leaves my skin incredibly soft. Right out of the shower, this just absorbs on my skin beautifully. I've been talking about this for many years as well. I love this one. I like the size, too. It's about 550ish milliliters, so it's really great. Cetaphil is probably going to stay my main body moisturizer just due to value, bigger size, and slightly lower price."
All 12 takes from Kelly Driscoll
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"It doesn't sit on top of your skin. It moisturizes deep within. And then it creates this really breathable occlusive layer on your skin with this very kind of velvety to neutral type of finish. The absorption on this is so incredibly fast, so incredibly quick. I absolutely adore this. It's designed for face and body. I always look for a cream that has quick absorbency but lots of moisturization because I do have a dry body, dry and ashy body skin. And so, this has really quite a similar texture that I look for. I love that really neutral finish to this too because it's not wet, it's not heavy, it's not greasy. They're not attempting to go for that glass skin look that I feel like so many moisturizers are doing right now, and that's good and it has its place, but that's not what I want for my body. It's a really great body cream for sure. And then I tried it on my face and I was like, actually, I kind of love this on my face, too, because it is a little bit more of an occlusive and a little bit more protective."
Empty Skincare and What I Replaced Them With! | Spring 2026
"It's just as protective and moisturizing. It just doesn't feel as thick on the face. I usually use this mostly as a body moisturizer. It's actually a great head-to-toe moisturizer. It sinks into the skin so beautifully. It's not streaky. It's not heavy. It's not greasy. And it leaves my skin incredibly soft. Right out of the shower, this just absorbs on my skin beautifully. I've been talking about this for many years as well. I love this one. I like the size, too. It's about 550ish milliliters, so it's really great. Cetaphil is probably going to stay my main body moisturizer just due to value, bigger size, and slightly lower price."
5 Star Skincare Empties! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"This is what I call a head to toe cream. I use this on my face, I use it all over my body, I use it for my hands. I absolutely love this and this is something that I have been going back to for a few years now. It's a really nice barrier restorative cream. It doesn't have a focus on ceramides but it still is very protective with glycerin and niacinamide and all of that. I really particularly love it for my body skin because it absorbs really fast and it's not greasy or sticky, because sometimes I just want to get moisturizer on and get my clothes on and sometimes heavier lotions take a little bit more time to settle in. It just functions really well for body but it's also a really great face cream too, and it's affordable."
My Top 5 Moisturizers | 2025 Edition
"This is one of my favorite moisturizers that really falls into that head to toe category. I can use this all over my body right after getting out of the shower, works for my face, my body, my ashy knees and elbows, and it is really skin nourishing. It's moisturizing, it's occlusive and protective and holds the hydration in place, but what's really beautiful about it is it's not a heavy, dense, really rich type of cream. It's not overwhelming and like feeling like it's suffocating your skin. It's pretty light and breathable for packing a lot of protection and moisture in. It is a very simple, very gentle formula, and that is something that I really appreciate in all my skincare products. When you open the jar it does look quite dense, but you will notice that this has a very light, almost balmy-like texture to it. As you spread it across your skin, it doesn't have that traditional heavy creamy kind of quality. It actually spreads into a really thin layer that sinks into the skin really beautifully. There's no stickiness, no streakiness here. It really does absorb quite nicely, which does make it one of my favorite body products out of the shower because I don't have to wait too long or rub it in really hard. My skin just absorbs it."
My EVERYTHING Skincare and Self Care Snow Day! | AD ft iRESTORE
"Sealing it all off with my longtime favorite body moisturizer Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream."
Hyaluronic Acid Free Favorite Skincare
"If you are leaning towards the dry side, I would suggest the Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream. This is a great drugstore find that I think is a fantastic hyaluronic acid-free competitor. They are using glycerin and panthenol to really get that hydrating element into the moisturizer, but then they're balancing it out with some more emollient ingredients. There's sunflower and sweet almond oils in here, and then the occlusivity factor with dimethicone and petrolatum, and that's what really helps to seal everything in. I love this cream texture. It's a little bit balmy but it still feels breathable on the skin. It feels great because it's nourishing but you can feel the hydration in here. It's not a very rich, buttery, heavy, overly emollient type of cream. It balances between that hydration and that moisture in a really good, equal amount. It's just that occlusivity that helps to seal everything in that really is like the icing on the cake for those who are a little bit more dry, a little more dehydration prone."
EPIC SKINCARE EMPTIES | Start Fresh Moving Edition
"This is the Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream. I love this. This is a great head-to-toe cream. This is great for the face, but I particularly love it as a body moisturizer. This is really the body moisturizer that I use when I get out of the shower. It's got this amazing texture because it is a cream, but it's not like the type of cream that leaves white streaks on your body. It's almost like a balmy type of cream. So, it actually sinks into your skin without the streaks and it actually absorbs into damp skin very quickly, without that greasy residue or making your skin still feel waxy and like still damp. It just absorbs in very, very quickly, but it actually packs a moisturizing punch. It just doesn't leave that layer on top of your skin. Plus, it's really, really affordable. This giant tub lasts quite a long time. So, that's like a constant repurchase for me. 10 out of 10."
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"I do also like Cetaphil moisturizing cream. I find this to have a little bit of a lighter feel than other options, but it's still very protective and it's occlusive. I think it's still good if you do have some dryness on your face or your body, but it's just not quite as creamy. It just settles into the skin a slightly lighter layer. It's another head to toe option that I really really like."
Ranking Summer Skincare Empties! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
"The Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream, love love love this stuff. It's so straightforward but that's what I like about it. It's actually quite occlusive without being really heavy. There's not a lot of weight to this and it absorbs in the skin like a dream. This is actually something I do use on my face but I love it as a body moisturizer because it absorbs so quickly into the skin. Some of the heavier moisturizers and creams can take a long time to sink in the skin and then you're waiting around and it's like you can't get your clothes on fast enough, but because this sinks into the skin so quickly it makes summertime showers a breeze no matter how humid it is outside. So moisturizing, so nourishing but lightweight and quickly absorbed."
11/10 ⭐ Skincare Empties I Recommend!
"I've been using this since 2018. My skin just loves it, it just always works. It's pretty much in all my empties videos because I do like this for face but I love this as a body moisturizer. I always call it a head to toe cream because this works so well. It's also more affordable than other head to toe creams. I've been using this for a really long time and it's such a staple for me, especially in this season."
December Fave Empties | Prequel, VT, Paula's Choice, Cetaphil, Unove, Questions for Reflection
"This is one of my favorite body moisturizers. It has the perfect texture that just sinks into your skin immediately with no white streaks, no weird greasy residue at the top of your skin. It absorbs in, but it's moisturizing enough and it has this really silky velvety finish that is so good. It's super moisturizing for dry skin. It's occlusive, so it holds in moisture, especially if you're locking in hydration and plumpness. You can put it on damp skin and it just locks it all in really beautifully. It's long lasting. Smooths out rough patches, ashy knees and elbows. Keeps my skin really comfortable and itch-free because I get itchy if I'm really dry and not moisturized properly. The texture is such that you don't have to work it in and really rub it into your skin. It just absorbs so beautifully, so effortlessly. It's not the least expensive moisturizer at the drugstore, but it's also not the most expensive either. I appreciate the value that I get from this and that's why I keep coming back to it time and time again."
10 Simple and Gentle Skincare Products!
"This is such a simple drugstore moisturizer but that's actually what I really like in moisturizers. I like really simple, to-the-point kinds of creams and I really like to see a mix of humectants, those hydrating kind of water-binding ingredients, emollients, and I like a good amount of occlusivity so that just hugs and seals everything in. And this does exactly that in like the simplest, straightforward formulation. Ingredients we have glycerin and panthenol for that hydrating effect, dimethicone and petroleum just help to hug and seal everything in, and then on the emollient side, that kind of moisturizing skin conditioning side, we have sweet almond oil and they are also using some niacinamide, cinnamates help strengthen and fortify the moisture barrier. I do want to point out it can if you're non-sensitive it can actually be a really nice addition to your routine."
Approved
"The rival to Caravee moisturizing cream would have to be Cetaphil's moisturizing cream that actually repairs the skin barrier in a different way. They use glycerin, a humectant. It uses niacinamide, or vitamin B3, which is soothing and will help repair the skin barrier. Plus, it uses panthenol, vitamin B5, and that one's a special ingredient that will help moisturize and hydrate and support the skin barrier. Cetaphil has done studies that shows that those combination of those three ingredients will help repair the skin barrier, decrease evaporation of moisture from our skin and trapping in moisture and increasing the hydration in our corneum."
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"The rival to Caravee moisturizing cream would have to be Cetaphil's moisturizing cream that actually repairs the skin barrier in a different way. They use glycerin, a humectant. It uses niacinamide, or vitamin B3, which is soothing and will help repair the skin barrier. Plus, it uses panthenol, vitamin B5, and that one's a special ingredient that will help moisturize and hydrate and support the skin barrier. Cetaphil has done studies that shows that those combination of those three ingredients will help repair the skin barrier, decrease evaporation of moisture from our skin and trapping in moisture and increasing the hydration in our corneum."
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"The Cetaphil moisturizing cream is a classic one. I really come to like this one. And I love looking at the studies from Galerma looking at corneometry studies transepidermal water loss. It will minimize transepidermal water loss with their three key ingredients. You have niacinamide, glycerin and panthenol all working well together. Niacinamide helps regulate sebum, it helps repair the skin barrier in low concentrations. Having the Cetaphil moisturizing cream being so nourishing, it has the panthenol to help repair the skin barrier but also be moisturizing and hydrating. And then you also have glycerin to hydrate the skin. So just awesome for those with eczema-prone skin. Winter dryness, come out of the shower within a couple minutes. Get your Cetaphil over damp skin. It's going to help seal in all that moisture from the shower. Also patients who are on isotretinoin or post isotretinoin you're still having dry skin on the back of your hands and your body go ahead and consider Cetaphil's moisturizing cream and it works for the face and body."
Shop with Me: Dermatologist Shops for Affordable Skincare at the Local Grocery Store
"Did you know you can use Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream on your face and your body? This is a nice affordable option for those with sensitive skin. It has panthenol, niacinamide, and glycerin."
I Went to Costco for Skincare… Here’s What You Should and Shouldn’t Buy!
"I love Cetaphil's Moisturizing Cream. It has panthenol, niacinamide, and glycerin to help trap in moisture, but also hydrate the skin and help repair the skin barrier, especially during the winter time when it's really cold out. And when the heaters are on indoors, drying your skin out, you need a good moisturizer to trap in that moisture. And yes, you can use this on your face and body. Best time is to apply it after your showers."
Dermatologist Reviews: Essentials in your Winter Skincare Routine!
"Cetaphil has ceramides that help fill in those holes in your skin barrier so it helps restore that skin barrier so that you can hold on to the moisture better. It has hyaluronic acid as well so you've got the skin barrier component that's being repaired plus you have the hydration from the hyaluronic acid. Cetaphil does an excellent job with their vitamin B3 which is soothing, it can be anti-inflammatory, and it has panthenol which can be moisturizing and hydrating. It also has glycerin in it as well which is humectant, it has almond oil and sunflower seed oil as well. So all great moisturizing ingredients in Cetaphil."
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"My favorite moisturizers to slap on would be Carave's moisturizing cream or Cetaphil's moisturizing cream. Consider thicker textured moisturizers in the winter time or in the colder weather. Go from lotions that are in a pump like Cetaphil Caravee. They have lotions that are great in a pump, but you might want to switch over to the cream in the tub in the winter time because that will be better at being occlusive and having a nice film over the top to lock in that hydration."
Dermatologist Reviews: Target Skincare Routine for Teenagers
"Cetaphil's moisturizing cream is very nice, it definitely is nice for those with dry skin, eczema, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis. The consistency is a little different from CeraVe. I'd say they're both very good options. I love that they come in jars and they last forever. A little goes a long way."
Game-Changing Moisturizers with Niacinamide Revealed
"I recommend Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream that has niacinamide in it. Versus CeraVe, they really like to lean on their three essential ceramides to help repair the skin barrier, but Cetaphil has found that their three main ingredients, glycerin, panthenol which is pro-vitamin B5, and their vitamin B3 aka niacinamide, work together in repairing the skin barrier. They've shown with tul meters that the transepidermal water loss has been decreased with the use of this moisturizing cream. Also looking at a corneometer and looking at hydration levels in your epidermis, you can increase the hydration levels with your moisturizer primarily because you are locking in the moisture that's already on your skin and keeping it there, retaining that moisture so it doesn't evaporate. The Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream, yes you can use this on your face, not just on your body. I think that's a really nice affordable way to go at dry skin on your face and body and just one jar, so that's nice."
Approved
"The Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream works really well on the face. It does have niacinamide for those of you who are sensitive."
All 7 takes from Dr Dray
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"Last night I used the road barrier butter to tougher areas that are more vulnerable to friction tonight I'm going to do the same thing only with the e45 cream"
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"They had Cetaphil cream"
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"The Cetaphil moisturizing cream in a tub is a lot richer in comparison to Cetaphil. It's like a very rich cream and I find this is good on the face, but it's so much thicker and richer in a sense that for people who have oily skin trying this on the face I think is more likely to annoy you and for you to find it feels too oily."
Skincare I Used Up 🗑 EMPTIES 2023
"I finished up my travel tube of the Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream and this is really really good, highly recommend. This is a great travel option because you can use it on the face and the body. It's really thick and it has panthenol, niacinamide, and sweet almond oil as well as sunflower seed oil. The Cetaphil moisturizers are underrated. I don't find that Cetaphil moisturizers let me down ever. They're good."
Dermatologist Shops Costco Skincare Deals | Best Skincare November 2025
"This is a great body and face moisturizer. Real thick, real lux. As a side note, if you're somebody who's sensitive to niacinamide, the cream from Cetaphil is still a good bet. It's really just a basic rich moisturizer. Great for face and body."
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"Oh look a dupe of a gold bond moisturizer"
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"The Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream works really well on the face. It does have niacinamide for those of you who are sensitive."
Approved
"It's pretty thick occlusive cream designed to really deeply hydrate and protect really dry skin. It's still rich but not greasy. It works really well for both face and the body. It is clinically proven to hydrate for up to 48 hours and fully restores skin moisture barrier. It is specifically formulated with a dermatologist backed blend of niacinamide or vitamin B3, panthenol which is your vitamin B5, and then hydrating glycerin to improve the resilience of sensitive skin."
All 6 takes from Dr. Aleksandra Brown
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"It's pretty thick occlusive cream designed to really deeply hydrate and protect really dry skin. It's still rich but not greasy. It works really well for both face and the body. It is clinically proven to hydrate for up to 48 hours and fully restores skin moisture barrier. It is specifically formulated with a dermatologist backed blend of niacinamide or vitamin B3, panthenol which is your vitamin B5, and then hydrating glycerin to improve the resilience of sensitive skin."
Say Goodbye to Dry Winter Skin: Dermatologist-Approved Bodycare Tips
"Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream soothes and hydrates sensitive skin with a rich fast absorbing formula. It contains glycerin which moisturizes and softens the skin, has a little bit of vitamin B5 which will hydrate and soothe and preserve the skin barrier, and also contains niacinamide which is vitamin B3 to help smooth skin texture and retain skin moisture barrier."
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"For the sensitive skin, the best time to moisturize is within 3 minutes of getting out of the shower, so while your skin is still damp. Just a plain moisturizer, I love things like Cetaphil moisturizers."
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"Plain Cetaphil moisturizer is so easy. You don't need to buy 10 things or have a moisturizer for face and then for your body, it's kind of a waste of your time and money at this point."
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"If you let it dry and you apply cream on top like Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream is what I've been using, just plain cream, you could totally use that. The Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream is really good for that."
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"The Cetaphil cream is a little bit thicker and a little bit more hydrating. If your skin is more on the dry side or in the winter months, cream is a little bit better option. The Cetaphil cream applies really nice, it does not have any smell to it, it spreads super easy, and you can put your clothes on pretty quick. It's not sticky at all."
Skip
"There's nothing wrong with those products, but I think people have started to realize that they're nothing special either. The big multinational corporations which own these brands have started to put up the price a lot."
Approved
"I'm a big fan of Cetaphil. It's a great moisturizer with ingredients like ceramides, shea butter, petrolatum, dimethicone, colloidal oatmeal, glycerin, squalane, and sunflower oil, these are all great at moisturizing, hydrating, and soothing, and some of these occlusive ingredients can really help lock in that moisture."
Approved
"I like Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream. This is basically water, glycerin, petrolatum, and it's niacinamide safe."
Approved
"You do need to use some moisturizer whether it's Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream. It's a very hydrating formula."
All 2 takes from Nipun Kapur
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"You do need to use some moisturizer whether it's Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream. It's a very hydrating formula."
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"If your skin is super sensitive, you will have to take a break for one week and just use a basic cream like Cetaphil and then just let your skin calm down."
Approved
"Cetaphil are also fantastic just to help with the barrier. Set of ones in particular quite nice because they got nice ingredients which helps with a barrier."
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"Cetaphil are also fantastic just to help with the barrier. Set of ones in particular quite nice because they got nice ingredients which helps with a barrier."
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"It's got hydrating glycerin that helps really nicely. They've done research showing significant skin barrier improvement in 3 days with complete restoration in one week, and on pack they do say it fully restores the skin barrier and hydrates for 48 hours. I did find that even on areas like my hands it was fantastic. It's a non-greasy cream specially formulated with a kind of slightly different collection of ingredients. You've got the nice ceramide, panthenol, and glycerin that you know with Cetaphil, but then they've added some nice things like sweet almond oil which is great to help with the skin barrier. You've got petrolatum in there, and I use this after I put my retinol on as like a mini kind of sandwich method, and it's great to restore the skin barrier especially if you're using retinol and you're in the sun. There's nothing in there that's going to make us more sensitive."
Approved
"Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream has niacinamide and panthenol and glycerin to restore your skin barrier and provide 48 hours of lasting hydration. For dry skin, I am recommending the moisturizing cream over a lotion because creams are more hydrating and tend to be more lightweight lotions."
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