CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser Versus Summer Fridays Super Amino Gel Cleanser

CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser Versus Summer Fridays Super Amino Gel Cleanser

This mild cream cleanser is made to cleanse without leaving your skin tight or dry.

This mild gel cleanser is made to cleanse without leaving your skin tight or dry.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycerin

Cetearyl Alcohol

PEG-40 Stearate

Stearyl Alcohol

Potassium Phosphate

Ceramide NP

Ceramide AP

Ceramide EOP

Carbomer

Glyceryl Stearate

Behentrimonium Methosulfate

Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate

Sodium Hyaluronate

Cholesterol

Phenoxyethanol

Disodium EDTA

Dipotassium Phosphate

Tocopherol

Phytosphingosine

Xanthan Gum

Cetyl Alcohol

Polysorbate 20

Ethylhexylglycerin

Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, PEG-40 Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Potassium Phosphate, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Carbomer, Glyceryl Stearate, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cholesterol, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium EDTA, Dipotassium Phosphate, Tocopherol, Phytosphingosine, Xanthan Gum, Cetyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 20, Ethylhexylglycerin

Coco-Glucoside

Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate

Sodium Lauroamphoacetate

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Arginine

Aspartic Acid

Glycine

Alanine

Serine

Valine

Proline

Threonine

Isoleucine

Histidine

Phenylalanine

Sodium PCA

Sodium Lactate

Tocopheryl Acetate

Sea Salt

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

PCA

Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate

Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate

Citric Acid

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Parfum

Limonene

Water, Coco-Glucoside, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Valine, Proline, Threonine, Isoleucine, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Sodium PCA, Sodium Lactate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sea Salt, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, PCA, Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Citric Acid, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Limonene

Reviews

Be the first to review

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:

The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.

Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.

Glycerin (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.

Phenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).

It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.

On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.

Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).

You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.

Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.

Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.

Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.

Water. 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!

Similar Comparisons