Head to head
CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser vs La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser
Same comparison whichever way you searched it: La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser vs CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser.
The bottom lineCeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser and La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser land in much the same place on performance, so value decides it: CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser does the same job for less.
Which should you pick?
Pick SA Smoothing Cleanser if
- you are dealing with breakouts and oiliness
- you want the more affordable option
- you are prone to fungal acne (malassezia)
Pick Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser if
- you prefer a simpler, more minimal formula
What each delivers
Side by side
| SA Smoothing Cleanser | Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Cleanser | Cleanser |
| Key actives | Glycerin, Niacinamide, Ceramide 3 | Glycerin, Ceramide 3, Niacinamide |
| Texture | A gentle wash that lifts the day away without leaving skin tight or squeaky. | A gentle wash that lifts the day away without leaving skin tight or squeaky. |
| Fragrance | None detected | None detected |
| Fungal-acne safe | Likely | Not likely |
| Pregnancy | No flagged actives | No flagged actives |
| Ingredients | 24 listed | 15 listed |
| Price | ~€13 | ~€14 |
What's in one but not the other
The two labels share 5 of the 34 ingredients between them. The actives are where they part company.
What each one adds acts on The stratum corneum for CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser and nothing the other lacks for La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser. That is the layer each is understood to act on, not how deep it travels.
Only in SA Smoothing Cleanser
Both share
Only in Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser
Nothing the other doesn't also have.
Where each label stops telling you the dose
Ingredients are listed in order of how much is inside, but only down to 1%. Below that the brand may list them in any order it likes, so the bottom of a label is a set, not a ranking. These two stop being a ranking in very different places.
CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser
ordered for its first 46%
- 1Aqua/Water
- 2Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
- 3Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
- 4Glycerin
- 5Niacinamide
- 6Gluconolactone
- 7Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
- 8PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate
- 9Ceramide NP
- 10Ceramide AP
- 11Ceramide EOP
- 12Carbomer
- 13Calcium Gluconate
- 14Salicylic Acid
- 15Sodium Benzoate
- 16Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
- 17Cholesterol
- 18Phenoxyethanol
- 19Disodium EDTA
- 20Tetrasodium EDTA
- 21Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
- 22Phytosphingosine
- 23Xanthan Gum
- 24Ethylhexylglycerin
13 of 24 sit below the line, marked by Carbomer.
La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser
ordered for its first 67%
- 1Aqua/Water
- 2Glycerin
- 3Coco-Betaine
- 4Propylene Glycol
- 5Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate
- 6PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate
- 7Sodium Chloride
- 8Ceramide NP
- 9Niacinamide
- 10Sodium Hydroxide
- 11Disodium EDTA
- 12Capryloyl Glycine
- 13Caprylyl Glycol
- 14Citric Acid
- 15Acrylates Copolymer
5 of 15 sit below the line, marked by Disodium EDTA.
Below the line is not too little to work: ceramides, retinoids and peptides all act far under a percent. It means the position stops carrying information. Where the line falls is inferred from the first ingredient whose whole job is done at a fraction of a percent, so it is a close read of the label rather than a number from the formula sheet.
The molecule doing the work
Better for…
- Dark spots & uneven toneEither works
- Breakouts & congestionSA Smoothing Cleanser
- Dryness & dehydrationEither works
CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser is the cheaper of the two (~€13 vs ~€14).
Ready to pick one?
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Common questions
Is CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser or La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser better for breakouts & congestion?
For breakouts & congestion, CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser is the stronger pick by our read of the two formulas. CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser and La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser land in much the same place on performance, so value decides it: CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser does the same job for less.
Which is cheaper, CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser or La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser?
CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser is the cheaper of the two (~€13 vs ~€14).
Can I use CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser and La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser together?
They are both cleansers, so you would normally pick one rather than layer both in the same step. You can keep both and alternate them (morning and night, or on different days) if you like variety, but you do not need two.
What the scene shows
The cross-section at the top of this page is not decoration and not a diagram of the skin in general: it places the molecules these two are sold on at the layer each is understood to act on. CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser is placed by Glycerin (the stratum corneum), Niacinamide (the living epidermis), Ceramide 3 (the stratum corneum). La Roche-Posay Toleriane Purifying Foaming Cleanser is placed by Glycerin (the stratum corneum), Ceramide 3 (the stratum corneum), Niacinamide (the living epidermis). A layer is where an ingredient does its work, never how deep it travels, and never a claim about how well it works.
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