The Best Cetaphil Products by Skin Type and Concern

The best Cetaphil products are the Gentle Skin Cleanser ($12.99) for dry, normal and sensitive skin, the Daily Facial Cleanser Fragrance Free ($17.99) for combination and oily skin, the Oil-Free Facial Moisturizer SPF 35 ($18.99) for daytime, and the Sheer Mineral Face Liquid Drops SPF 50 ($16.49) if chemical filters sting. Add the Gentle Exfoliating SA Cleanser for rough texture and the Deep Hydration Healthy Glow Daily Cream for a fragrance-free face moisturizer.

Before you buy, you can scan a product's barcode or label with the ingredient scanner in Pori to check its ingredients against your skin type. Pori flags ingredients; it does not diagnose skin conditions.

Quick picks

• Best overall: Gentle Skin Cleanser ($12.99 for 8 oz, Ulta): a ten-ingredient, fragrance-free wash you can rinse or wipe off.
• Best for oily and combination skin: Daily Facial Cleanser Fragrance Free ($17.99 for 16 oz, Ulta): a gel-to-foam wash with more cleansing power.
• Best for rough texture: Gentle Exfoliating SA Cleanser ($12.99 for 8 oz, Ulta): salicylic, mandelic and gluconolactone acids in a foaming gel.
• Best face moisturizer: Deep Hydration Healthy Glow Daily Cream ($25.99 for 1.7 oz, Ulta): hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and shea in a fragrance-free cream.
• Best for very dry skin: Moisturizing Cream ($19.99 for 16 oz, Ulta): a petrolatum and glycerin tub for dry, sensitive skin.
• Best daily SPF: Oil-Free Facial Moisturizer SPF 35 ($18.99 for 3 oz, Ulta): moisturizer and sunscreen in one step for combination skin.
• Best mineral sunscreen: Sheer Mineral Face Liquid Drops SPF 50 ($16.49 for 1.7 oz, Ulta): 12% zinc oxide and water-resistant for 80 minutes.

We compared published ingredient lists, Drug Facts, brand claims and listed prices; we did not test these products on skin. Prices are Ulta list prices as of November 2026; Target, Walmart and Amazon are often cheaper. This page ranks products. For Cetaphil's history, the 2021 reformulation and how to use the cleanser without water, see our Cetaphil skincare guide.

How do the best Cetaphil products compare?

Which Cetaphil cleanser is best?

Gentle Skin Cleanser: best overall

The bottle that built the brand is still its best product. The current formula has ten ingredients: water, glycerin, cetearyl alcohol, panthenol, niacinamide, pantolactone, xanthan gum, sodium cocoyl isethionate, sodium benzoate and citric acid. Ulta lists it without fragrance, soap, parabens or sulfates, and as non-comedogenic, at $12.99 for 8 oz; the 16 oz bottle is better value.

Who it suits: dry, normal and sensitive skin, eczema-prone skin between flares, and anyone using retinoids or acne treatments. Who should skip it: oily skin that wants to feel freshly washed. The catch: it barely foams and carries little detergent, so it struggles with long-wear makeup and water-resistant sunscreen. Our Gentle Skin Cleanser review goes line by line through the formula.

Daily Facial Cleanser Fragrance Free: best for oily and combination skin

This is the foaming option. Its cleansers, cocamidopropyl betaine, disodium laureth sulfosuccinate and sodium cocoamphoacetate, are stronger than the Gentle Skin Cleanser's, and it keeps the same glycerin, panthenol and niacinamide. Ulta lists the fragrance-free 16 oz bottle at $17.99.

Who it suits: combination and oily skin, and anyone who wears more sunscreen or makeup. Who should skip it: dry cheeks that feel tight after foaming washes. The catch: buy the bottle marked Fragrance Free; the standard Daily Facial Cleanser carries a light fragrance.

Gentle Exfoliating SA Cleanser: best for rough texture

For bumpy, congested skin, this wash combines three acids: salicylic acid (a BHA), mandelic acid (an AHA) and gluconolactone (a PHA), with niacinamide and panthenol. The ingredient list shows no fragrance. It costs $12.99 for 8 oz.

Who it suits: normal and oily skin with rough texture, small bumps or blackheads. Who should skip it: very dry or easily stung skin, and anyone already using a leave-on acid or retinoid nightly. The catch: Cetaphil does not publish the acid strength, and a rinse-off spends little time on skin, so expect gentle smoothing rather than acne treatment. For real breakouts, see our best salicylic acid cleanser list.

Which Cetaphil moisturizer is best?

Deep Hydration Healthy Glow Daily Cream: best face moisturizer

This fragrance-free cream is Cetaphil's best pick for a face moisturizer. It pairs hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid and niacinamide with shea oil, squalane, panthenol and vitamin E, and Cetaphil says to use it morning and night on face and neck. Ulta lists it at $25.99 for 1.7 oz.

Who it suits: normal to dry skin that wants more than a gel and less than a heavy cream. Who should skip it: very oily skin, and anyone who wants SPF in the same step. The catch: 1.7 oz costs more than a full tub of the Moisturizing Cream, so it is a texture choice more than a value one.

Moisturizing Cream: best for very dry skin

The big white tub is the heavy-duty option. Its list starts with water, glycerin and petrolatum, then adds dimethicone, sunflower seed oil, panthenol, niacinamide and sweet almond oil. Ulta sells it as a body moisturizer for very dry, sensitive skin, formulated without fragrance and labeled non-comedogenic, at $19.99 for 16 oz.

Who it suits: very dry skin on the body, hands and legs, and dry patches in winter. Who should skip it: people with a tree nut allergy who prefer to avoid almond oil, and oily skin. The catch: it is rich enough to feel greasy on an oily face; test a small area first if you plan to use it there. Our best moisturizer for dry skin list has face creams with ceramides.

Which Cetaphil sunscreen is best?

Oil-Free Facial Moisturizer SPF 35: best daily SPF

This is the simplest morning step in the range. It uses four chemical filters, avobenzone 2.8%, homosalate 9.5%, octisalate 4.8% and octocrylene 7%, with niacinamide and panthenol in the base. Ulta lists it as formulated without fragrance, oil or parabens and says it won't clog pores. It costs $18.99 for 3 oz.

Who it suits: normal and combination skin that wants one product in the morning. Who should skip it: very dry skin, which may need a cream underneath, and anyone who reacts to chemical filters. The catch: it is not water-resistant; the label tells you to use a water-resistant sunscreen for swimming or sweating. For oily skin, Cetaphil's DermaControl Oil Absorbing Moisturizer SPF 30 adds mattifying powder.

Sheer Mineral Face Liquid Drops SPF 50: best mineral sunscreen

If chemical filters sting, this is the Cetaphil sunscreen to try. Its only active ingredient is zinc oxide 12%, with niacinamide and vitamin E among the inactive ingredients, and the directions say to reapply after 80 minutes of swimming or sweating. Ulta lists it at $16.49 for 1.7 oz.

Who it suits: sensitive and reactive skin, and anyone who prefers mineral filters. Who should skip it: very oily skin that wants oil control, which the DermaControl SPF 30 targets. The catch: mineral filters can leave a white cast, so check how it looks on your skin tone in daylight. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recommends a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher, and suggests zinc oxide or titanium dioxide for sensitive skin. Our best mineral sunscreen for sensitive skin list compares more.

What is a simple Cetaphil routine by skin type?

• Dry: Gentle Skin Cleanser, Deep Hydration Daily Cream, and the SPF 35 lotion over it in the morning.
• Oily or combination: Daily Facial Cleanser Fragrance Free, a light moisturizer, and the DermaControl SPF 30 or SPF 35 in the morning. Swap in the SA cleanser a few evenings a week for texture.
• Sensitive: Gentle Skin Cleanser and the mineral SPF 50 drops. Leave the SA cleanser until your skin is calm.
• Acne-prone: a Cetaphil cleanser is a gentle base, though none of these treats acne. Add a proven active such as adapalene or benzoyl peroxide; our acne-prone skin routine shows the order.

Comparing brands? See CeraVe vs Cetaphil and Aveeno vs Cetaphil.

How we chose

We picked one Cetaphil product for each common job and favored fragrance-free versions, short ingredient lists and products easy to buy in US stores. We read each Ulta listing in November 2026 for price, size, claims and the full ingredient list or Drug Facts, and checked sunscreen advice against the AAD. We did not wear-test anything and took no payment from Cetaphil or Galderma. Browse more in our cleansers for sensitive skin and sunscreen catalogues.