CeraVe foaming cleanser – difference between German and the US product

You guys already know, how I am a big fan of CeraVe and recently LookFantastic had a buy 3 for 2 offer on CeraVe and I used this opportunity to restock the supplies of my favorite cleanser.

The previous one which was already is used I bought from a pharmacy in Germany. Now the German one we use in shower for washing the face and we decided to place the new one from LookFantastic at the sink, close to our hand wash.

Now you will wonder, why am I even telling this? The reason is, when I used the new cleanser which came from LookFantastic, it looked completely different from the one from Pharmacy. The new one is completely transparent and one from pharmacy looks cloudy. And then I realised they come from different countries. The one from LookFantastic was produced for US market and the one from pharmacy for German market.

Differences

Let’s jump into what is different between these two.

Ingredients from German CeraVe Cleanser:

AQUA/WATER, GLYCERIN, COCO-BETAINE, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, SODIUM COCOYL GLYCINATE, PEG-120 METHYL GLUCOSE DIOLEATE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, ACRYLATES COPOLYMER, CITRIC ACID, CAPRYLOYL GLYCINE, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, NIACINAMIDE, DISODIUM EDTA, SODIUM HYALURONATE, SODIUM LAUROYL LACTYLATE, CERAMIDE NP, PHENOXYETHANOL, CERAMIDE AP, PHYTOSPHINGOSINE, CHOLESTEROL, XANTHAN GUM, CARBOMER, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, CERAMIDE EOP

and below are the ingredients from the one from US:

Aqua / Water / Eau, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Glycerin, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Peg-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, Niacinamide, Peg-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Propylene Glycol, Ceramide Np, Ceramide Ap, Ceramide Eop, Carbomer, Methylparaben, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Cholesterol, Disodium Edta, Propylparaben, Citric Acid, Tetrasodium Edta, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Phytosphingosine, Xanthan Gum

As per the common guidelines, the ingredients are listed in the order of amount, the higher the percentage, the earlier the ingredient appears in the list.

COCO-BETAINE vs. Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine

These ingredients fall in the category of surfactants and give the formula a thicker consistency and are foam boosters.

They both can cause allergies but based on some internet pages, the first one can cause more allergies due to its derivation associated with coconut oil. (Link)

SODIUM COCOYL GLYCINATE vs Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate

Both are amino-acid based surfactants which help to create foam. The first one results in a soft creamy feel. Both of them seem to fall in the green/clean beauty ingredients.

PEG-120 vs PEG-150 and PEG-6

All of them are emulsifiers but PEG-150 and PEG-6 might contain a potential but not proven carcinogenic 1,4-dioxane if not cleaned properly. But I wouldn’t worry here in case of CeraVe, as they are still FDA approved are safe to use in the cosmetic products.

ACRYLATES COPOLYMER

Microplastic alert in the european formula here.

CAPRYLOYL GLYCINE, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL vs Methylparaben, Propylparaben

So the European formula doesn’t contain any parabenes. Both kind of ingredients act as preservatives. Propylparaben is linked to hormonal disbalance, cancer and other health related issues and is usually advised to avoid. I wonder why CeraVe is putting them in the US based product?

SODIUM HYALURONATE vs Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

Both here are form of hyaluronic acid but Sodium Hyaluronate (as per the internet research) seems to work on deeper level of skin compared to hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid which only smooths and hydrates on surface level.

So who is the winner?

I am no dermitologists and cannot pick a winner here. Based on my little research on internet, I would tend to buy the European product compared to the one for US market, even though it comes with microplastic, it doesn’t have any parabenes in it. Guess, in today’s world one death we have to die.

Personal favorite?

I like the feel of the cleanser made for european market and it doesn’t burn my eyes. It feels softer than the other one.

Have you guys came across such differences in the products manufactured for different markets? How do you decide which one to pick and which one to let go of? Let me know in comments and if you liked the post, don’t forget to share it around.