Nivea vs CeraVe: ingredient comparison (US formulas, our data only)
Updated · Based on 4158 screened products
Nivea or CeraVe: which has more products without watchlist ingredients, and where do the ranges overlap?
Short answer: in our directory, 58 of 68 Nivea products (85%) and 55 of 69 CeraVe products (80%) list none of our watchlist ingredients. This page compares only facts from our data: ingredient lists, flags, fragrance-free status, sunscreen filter type, the range we have screened and buy links. It says nothing about how well any product works, and our coverage of each range is incomplete.
Which formulas: this page compares the US formulas only: Nivea products from niveausa.com (checked 19 Oct 2026) and CeraVe products from cerave.com (checked 18 Oct 2026). Versions sold outside the US and older records we have from Open Beauty Facts are left out here (60 Nivea and 7 CeraVe records); they are on the Nivea and CeraVe guides.
Affiliate disclosure: buy buttons and "View on Amazon" cards on this page may be affiliate links (rel="sponsored"). If you buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Commissions never affect which products pass our ingredient screen or their order. As an Amazon Associate, CleanGlow earns from qualifying purchases. Learn more.
At a glance
| Nivea | CeraVe | |
|---|---|---|
| Products screened | 68 | 69 |
| Clean (no watchlist ingredients) | 58 | 55 |
| Flagged | 10 | 14 |
| Fragrance-free by our INCI check (all / clean) | 26 / 22 | 69 / 55 |
| Clean products with a verified brand link | 58 | 55 |
| Categories screened | 7 | 10 |
| Sunscreens (filter type) | 0 mineral (0 clean), 1 chemical (1 clean) | 6 mineral (0 clean), 5 chemical (5 clean) |
Range by category
| Category | Nivea clean / screened (fragrance-free) | CeraVe clean / screened (fragrance-free) |
|---|---|---|
| Baby Care | – | 5 / 5 (5) |
| Body Lotion | 23 / 26 (9) | 9 / 11 (11) |
| Cleansers | 22 / 24 (7) | 16 / 21 (21) |
| Face Creams | 4 / 5 (4) | 11 / 11 (11) |
| Hand Care | 4 / 4 (0) | 0 / 1 (1) |
| Lip Care | 2 / 6 (3) | 1 / 1 (1) |
| Serums | 2 / 2 (2) | 7 / 7 (7) |
| Sunscreen (Chemical Filters) | 1 / 1 (1) | 5 / 5 (5) |
| Sunscreen (Mineral Filters) | – | 0 / 6 (6) |
| Toners | – | 1 / 1 (1) |
Ingredient-list differences
Share of each brand's screened products whose INCI list contains the ingredient (ingredients present in at least 40% of either brand's products, largest differences first). This describes formulas; it is not a judgement of any ingredient.
| INCI ingredient | Nivea | CeraVe |
|---|---|---|
| cholesterol | 0% | 100% |
| ceramide np | 1% | 99% |
| ceramide ap | 0% | 97% |
| ceramide eop | 0% | 97% |
| sodium lauroyl lactylate | 0% | 97% |
| phytosphingosine | 0% | 96% |
| xanthan gum | 18% | 94% |
| carbomer | 31% | 97% |
| niacinamide | 0% | 58% |
| behentrimonium methosulfate | 0% | 57% |
| fragrance (parfum) | 57% | 0% |
| caprylyl glycol | 6% | 61% |
Flagged ingredients
Nivea
- Parabens: 6 product(s) (Active Clean Body Wash, Cocoa Butter Body Cream, Essentially Enriched Body Cream, Maximum Hydration Deep Cleansing Face Scrub, Men Creme, Original Daily Moisture Body Lotion)
- Titanium dioxide: 4 product(s) (Blackberry Lip Care, Cherry Lip Care, Peach Lip Care, Watermelon Lip Care)
CeraVe
- Parabens: 4 product(s) (SA Cream for Rough & Bumpy Skin, Foaming Facial Cleanser, SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin, Therapeutic Hand Cream)
- Titanium dioxide: 10 product(s) (Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser, Foaming Cleanser Bar, Hydrating Cleanser Bar, SA Cleanser Bar for Rough & Bumpy Skin, Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 Body Lotion, Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 Face Lotion, Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 Face Lotion, Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 Face Sheer Tint, Invisible Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50, Mineral Sunscreen Stick)
Sources: IARC Monographs – List of Classifications; EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009; our methodology.
Clean picks where both brands compete
The 4 categories where both brands have the most clean products in our data (of 6 shared categories; the rest are in the range table above), up to 3 clean products per category with the brands alternating, ordered by our data score (see how guide scores work); the score measures data completeness, not performance.
Cleansers
Affiliate links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. Details
| # | Product | Brand | Fragrance-free | Score | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MEN Maximum Hydration Face Wash | Nivea | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
| 2 | Hydrating Micellar Water | CeraVe | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
| 3 | Maximum Hydration Body Wash | Nivea | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
NiveaMEN Maximum Hydration Face WashCleansers✓ No watchlist ingredients foundSee ingredients →
Body Lotion
| # | Product | Brand | Fragrance-free | Score | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Healing Ointment | CeraVe | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
| 2 | Cocoa Butter In-Shower Body Lotion | Nivea | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
| 3 | Daily Moisturizing Lotion | CeraVe | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
CeraVeHealing OintmentBody Lotion✓ No watchlist ingredients foundSee ingredients →
Face Creams
| # | Product | Brand | Fragrance-free | Score | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MEN Maximum Hydration Liquid Moisturizer | Nivea | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
| 2 | Moisturizing Cream | CeraVe | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
| 3 | MEN Sensitive Liquid Moisturizer | Nivea | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
NiveaMEN Maximum Hydration Liquid MoisturizerFace Creams✓ No watchlist ingredients foundSee ingredients →Buy at Amazon (brand store) Buy at Nivea
Full ingredient check: MEN Maximum Hydration Liquid Moisturizer →
Serums
| # | Product | Brand | Fragrance-free | Score | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acne Control Gel | CeraVe | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
| 2 | MEN Age Defense Advanced Serum | Nivea | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
| 3 | Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Serum | CeraVe | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
CeraVeAcne Control GelSerums✓ No watchlist ingredients foundSee ingredients →
Which to choose: facts mapped to needs
- If you want fragrance-free (by our INCI check): Nivea has 22 clean fragrance-free products in our data, CeraVe has 55.
- If you need hand care: only Nivea has clean products in this category in our data (4 hand care).
- If you need baby care, toners: only CeraVe has clean products in these categories in our data (5 baby care, 1 toners).
- If you want to buy from the brand's own product page: we have verified brand links for 58 clean Nivea and 55 clean CeraVe products.
- If you want to avoid every watchlist flag: 10 of 68 Nivea and 14 of 69 CeraVe products we screened are flagged; the flagged ones are listed above.
None of this is a verdict on performance; patch-test new products and ask a dermatologist about skin conditions.
Full brand pages: Nivea products: ingredient check · CeraVe products: ingredient check
Related
Hazard is not risk. An IARC classification says whether a substance can cause cancer under some conditions (e.g. titanium dioxide is classified for inhaled powder), not that a cosmetic containing it is harmful at normal use. EU restrictions set use limits. This page is informational, not medical advice; talk to a dermatologist about your own skin.