Cetaphil Gentle Clear Mattifying Acne Moisturizer On your shelf ✓
Our read, in one look
Salicylic acid (BHA) is the reason to consider this moisturizer, with Kojic Acid behind it.
The case for it
- Salicylic acid (BHA), moderate evidence for oil and breakouts
- Kojic Acid, moderate evidence for tone and pigment
- No fragrance, alcohol or parabens
Mind this
- Sunscreen the next day, acids leave skin more sun-sensitive
- Add it on its own for a week or two, so you know what your skin is answering to
Maya's readCetaphil Gentle Clear Mattifying Acne Moisturizer is a moisturizer built around Salicylic acid (BHA), Glycerin and Squalane. It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair, brightening / tone. Best suited to oily, acne prone and combo skin. Go slow: the active is potent enough to irritate if overused.
Skip it if your barrier is already sensitised or compromised: the acids can sting broken or over-exfoliated skin.
The formula, drawn
Every ingredient in label order, coloured by the job it does here.
13 of the 37 sit above the 1% line. The other 24, hatched, are each under 1%. Widths show the ORDER on the label and nothing else: the label never discloses amounts, so we never draw them.
- Actives & signals
- Hydrators
- Texture & base
- Preservation
- Not in our library yet
- No fragrance anywhere on the label
What it delivers
How it feels A smooth, silky lotion that spreads easily and leaves a soft, near-blurred finish. (estimated from the formula)
What's in it that matters
Oil-soluble exfoliant that penetrates pores to reduce blackheads and breakouts; can be drying or irritating if overused.
Classic humectant with strong evidence for improving skin hydration and supporting barrier when combined with emollients.
Stable, lightweight emollient that mimics skin’s natural lipids and supports barrier without heavy greasiness for most skin types.
Tyrosinase-inhibiting brightener used to reduce dark spots and melasma, but with a higher risk of irritation at effective levels.
Water-binding molecule that increases hydration; works best under occlusive/emollient layers to reduce evaporation.
Light emollient ester that improves slip and reduces transepidermal water loss; may be problematic for some fungal-acne-prone users.
How to use it
In the evening, and not every night: 2–3 times a week is plenty. Follow with a moisturiser, and wear sunscreen the next day.
Keep it away from
- Retinoids (retinol, tretinoin)
- Benzoyl peroxide
- Other exfoliating acids the same night
Where it acts
The same cross-section as our 500 dalton page, with this formula's actives on the layer each one works on. Depth is the anatomy's, never an ingredient's.
Skin surface
The stratum corneum
- Caprylic/Capric Triglyceridederived from what it is
- Glycerinderived from what it is
- Hyaluronic acidderived from what it is
- Salicylic acid (BHA)derived from what it is
- Squalanederived from what it is
The living epidermis
- Kojic Acidlikely, sourced
6 of this product's actives have a layer we can defend.
Sources for the sourced ones: Ebanks et al. 2009: mechanisms regulating skin pigmentation.
Against the average moisturizer
It scores higher than the median moisturizer on brightening and oil control.
It gives up ground on barrier repair.
A median, not an average: one unusual formula should not move the middle. The numbers are the same 0 to 10 reads the comparison pages use.
The full ingredients list, decoded
Every ingredient on the label, in the order it appears (highest amount first). We link the 23 our library knows, name what each one does, and flag anything that can irritate or clog. The rest we leave plain, nothing is hidden.
All 37 ingredients, decoded
- Salicylic AcidExfoliantmild irritant
- WaterSolvent (base)
- Butylene GlycolHumectant
- Cetearyl AlcoholEmollient
- DimethiconeOcclusive
- Sodium PolyacrylateThickener
- GlycerinHumectant
- Ceteareth-20Emulsifiermild irritant
- Polysorbate 60Emulsifier
- Hydrogenated Polydecene
- Ethylhexyl PalmitateEmollient
- Aluminum Starch OctenylsuccinateTexture
- PPG-2 Myristyl Ether Propionate
- roughly the 1% lineThe rules only require descending order above 1%. From Phenoxyethanol down, these 24 can be listed in any order the brand likes, so position stops telling you anything.
- PhenoxyethanolPreservativemild irritant
- Alpha-Glucan OligosaccharideHumectant (sugar)
- SqualaneEmollient
- Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideEmollient
- Caprylyl GlycolPreservative booster
- Zinc GluconateZinc salt
- C12-15 Alkyl BenzoateEmollient
- Morus Alba Root ExtractBotanical extract
- EthylhexylglycerinPreservative booster
- Hexylene GlycolHumectantmild irritant
- BisabololSoothing
- PPG-5-Laureth-5Emulsifier
- Sodium HydroxidePh adjustermild irritant
- Kojic AcidFungal metabolitemild irritant
- Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin
- Sophora Angustifolia Root ExtractBotanical extract
- Disodium EDTAChelator
- Polyquaternium-11
- Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi Leaf ExtractBotanical extract
- Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root ExtractBotanical extract
- Scutellaria Baicalensis Root ExtractBotanical extract
- Sodium HyaluronateHumectant
- AllantoinSoothing
Worth knowing: Squalane, Kojic Acid, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride sit below that line. They are in there, and the label does not tell you how much. That is not the same as saying it is too little to matter.
Copy the raw INCI list
Salicylic Acid, Water, Butylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Sodium Polyacrylate, Glycerin, Ceteareth-20, Polysorbate 60, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, PPG-2 Myristyl Ether Propionate, Phenoxyethanol, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Squalane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Caprylyl Glycol, Zinc Gluconate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Morus Alba Root Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Bisabolol, Safflower Oil/Palm Oil Aminopropanediol Esters, PPG-5-Laureth-5, Sodium Hydroxide, Kojic Acid, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Sophora Angustifolia Root Extract, Disodium EDTA, Polyquaternium-11, Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Allantoin
Worried about clogged pores specifically? The pore-clogging checker reads this same list against the published comedogenic ratings.
Read enough? Find it on amazon.com →
We don't make or sell skincare of our own. So there's nothing here we're trying to push, just an honest read of whether this formula suits your skin.
Against your shelf
Read from your own shelf, in your browser. We never see it.
Common questions
Is Cetaphil Gentle Clear Mattifying Acne Moisturizer good for oily skin?
By our read of the formula, it suits oily, acne prone, combo skin. Cetaphil Gentle Clear Mattifying Acne Moisturizer is a moisturizer built around Salicylic acid (BHA), Glycerin and Squalane. It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair, brightening / tone. Best suited to oily, acne prone and combo skin. Go slow: the active is potent enough to irritate if overused.
How do you use Cetaphil Gentle Clear Mattifying Acne Moisturizer?
In the evening, and not every night: 2–3 times a week is plenty. Follow with a moisturiser, and wear sunscreen the next day.
What are the key ingredients in Cetaphil Gentle Clear Mattifying Acne Moisturizer?
The actives that do the work are Salicylic acid (BHA), Glycerin, Squalane, Kojic Acid, Hyaluronic acid, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride. The rest of the list is texture, preservatives and emulsifiers that hold the formula together.
Does Cetaphil Gentle Clear Mattifying Acne Moisturizer contain fragrance?
No. By our reading of the ingredient list it is fragrance-free, which is a plus for sensitive or reactive skin.
What the 3D scene shows
The scene shows Cetaphil Gentle Clear Mattifying Acne Moisturizer beside a cross-section of skin, with 4 of its ingredients drawn at the layer each one acts on and at one shared molecular scale: Glycerin and Salicylic acid (BHA) and Squalane in the stratum corneum, the dead outer layer where most skincare works; Kojic Acid in the living epidermis, among the cells that are still dividing. Depths come from the same sourced layer data as the rest of this site, and any ingredient whose layer is not established is left out rather than guessed.
