Vanicream is a mild wash that lathers. Cetaphil is a creamy wash that doesn't. Your skin type decides.
The Vanicream vs. Cetaphil cleanser question comes up because both are go-to picks for sensitive skin. They work differently. Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser uses two very mild cleansing agents, coco-glucoside and sodium cocoyl glycinate, to make a light lather that removes everyday makeup. It leaves out fragrance, dyes, sulfates, botanical extracts and actives.
Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is a creamy, non-foaming wash with only a small amount of cleansing agent, plus glycerin, panthenol and niacinamide. It’s softer on dry skin, works without water and costs much less per ounce. Pick Vanicream if you want to feel clean; pick Cetaphil if your skin is dry.
Which cleanser should you buy?
What's in each bottle
Vanicream cleans with coco-glucoside and sodium cocoyl glycinate, listed right after water and glycerin. Both are very mild, but there's enough of them to make a light lather and lift oil and everyday makeup. Glycerin keeps it from feeling tight afterward.
Cetaphil builds its wash around glycerin and cetearyl alcohol, a non-drying fatty alcohol that makes it creamy, then adds panthenol and niacinamide. Its one cleansing agent, sodium cocoyl isethionate, sits eighth on the list, so it cleans very gently and leaves skin soft rather than squeaky.
Neither contains fragrance. Vanicream goes further and leaves out dyes, sulfates, parabens, lanolin and botanical extracts, which makes it the safer starting point if you react to a lot of products. If niacinamide has ever made your skin flush, Vanicream also avoids it.
Vanicream removes everyday makeup in one wash, and its light lather makes it easier to tell when you’re done. Cetaphil is the gentler of the two and suits a bare or lightly made-up face. For waterproof mascara or long-wear foundation, start with a cleansing balm or micellar water, then follow with either cleanser.
Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser: a real wash with nothing extra
Light-lathering, additive-free wash for sensitive skin.
Vanicream’s cleanser has twelve ingredients. After water and glycerin come coco-glucoside and sodium cocoyl glycinate, two of the mildest cleansing agents used in face washes, one sugar-based and one amino acid-based. They make a light lather that rinses off clean.
What matters as much is what’s missing. It has no fragrance, dyes, sulfates, parabens, lanolin, cocamidopropyl betaine or botanical extracts, and no actives like niacinamide. It’s labeled pH-balanced and non-comedogenic, removes everyday makeup and carries the National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance.
Choose it if your skin is sensitive and anywhere from normal to oily, or if you wear makeup daily. Waterproof makeup needs a cleansing balm first. If your skin is very dry, Cetaphil’s creamier wash will feel more comfortable.
- Mild sugar- and amino acid-based cleansers with a light lather
- Free of fragrance, dyes, sulfates, parabens, lanolin and botanical extracts
- Removes everyday makeup; carries the National Eczema Association seal
- No niacinamide or other actives
- Costs much more per ounce than Cetaphil
- Waterproof makeup needs a first cleanse
- Less cushioning than a cream cleanser on very dry skin
Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser: creamy, non-foaming and cheaper per ounce
Creamy, non-foaming wash with panthenol and niacinamide.
Cetaphil’s formula has ten ingredients: water, glycerin, cetearyl alcohol, panthenol, niacinamide, pantolactone, xanthan gum, sodium cocoyl isethionate, sodium benzoate and citric acid. The one cleansing agent sits eighth, so it washes more like a lotion than a soap.
Panthenol (vitamin B5) draws in water and soothes, and niacinamide supports the skin barrier. Cetearyl alcohol, a fatty alcohol, gives it the creamy body and is not drying. There’s no fragrance and no parabens. You can rinse it off or wipe it away with a soft cloth.
Choose it if your skin is dry and sensitive, or you want the best value. Skip it if your skin is oily or you’ve reacted to niacinamide before.
- Ten ingredients with no fragrance
- Panthenol and niacinamide keep dry skin comfortable
- Works with or without water
- Costs much less per ounce
- No lather, so oily skin may not feel clean
- Not strong enough on its own for heavy makeup
- Niacinamide may not suit skin that flushes easily
Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser two-pack: same wash, spare bottle
- Same formula as the single bottle
- A spare for a second bathroom or a shared household
- Fewer reorders if you use it twice a day
- Not always cheaper than two single bottles
- A bigger commitment if you haven’t tried Vanicream yet
| Light-lather pick Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin | VS | Creamy, dry-skin pick Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser in Large Bottle |
|---|---|---|
Light lather | Texture |
Creamy, non-foaming |
Coco-glucoside, sodium cocoyl glycinate | Cleansing agents |
Sodium cocoyl isethionate, low in the list |
Glycerin | Hydrators and extras |
Glycerin, panthenol, niacinamide |
12 | Ingredient count |
10 |
No, rinse off | Use without water |
Yes, wipe off with a soft cloth |
Normal, combination or oily-leaning sensitive skin | Best for |
Dry, sensitive skin |
8 oz pump | Bottle |
20 oz |
| View | View |
Cetaphil’s 20 oz bottle costs much less per ounce than Vanicream’s 8 oz. If price per wash is your main concern and your skin is dry, that settles it.
The Vanicream two-pack is simply two 8 oz bottles. It’s only a deal when the pack costs less than two singles, which isn’t always the case. Compare the live prices in the cards before you stock up.
The Vanicream vs. Cetaphil cleanser decision comes down to how you want your face to feel after washing.
Choose Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser if you want to feel properly clean without irritation. It lathers lightly with mild sugar- and amino acid-based cleansers, removes everyday makeup, skips fragrance, dyes, sulfates and botanical extracts, and carries the National Eczema Association seal. It’s the better pick for normal, combination and oily-leaning sensitive skin, and for anyone who reacts to niacinamide.
Choose Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser if your skin is dry and sensitive. It’s a creamy, non-foaming wash with panthenol and niacinamide, it works with or without water, and its big bottle costs much less per ounce.
Start with a single Vanicream bottle. Move to the two-pack only once you know it suits you, and only if it costs less than two singles.
