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Why Cetaphil?

Robby

Robby

I've seen Cetaphil recommended for face washing around here quite a few times. I picked up a bottle and read the ingredient list at the store the other day, and the first two ingredients were water and alcohol. Then were some other things including chemicals.

As a competing view, I've also seen real soap (not detergent) recommended a lot as well.

These seem in direct competition with each other. I understand that Cetaphil is supposed to be a "gentle cleanser" but it doesn't seem as natural as real soap, which leaves me confused. Is Cetaphil really good for you? Is it worth the $12 price tag per bottle?! Is the alcohol concentration low enough that it's okay to put on the face?

I'm currently washing my face with Dove Cool Moisture in the morning shower and Dr. Bronner's Almond/water mix from a foaming dispenser at night. Am I somehow cheating myself? Am I over-cleansing and stripping my face or something?
 
Dennis

Dennis

Are you having problems? Cetaphil is really mild and non-drying. I am pretty sure it is a recommended cleanser by dermatologist (but I am too lazy to look to see if that is true). "Real soap" should have no extra "chemical" additives. Some soaps can be drying, some not - it just depends on the soap and how much fat and glycerine there is in it. I used to wash my face regularly because I had oily skin. I actually quit using soap (except for shave cream) or any other cleansers on my face quite a while ago and found that oil production went way down. I think the cleaning and oil production were related.

Dennis
 
Daves

Daves

I use Cetaphil and it is quite mild on the face. However, I think there are some soaps out there that are just as good if not better.

IMHO what you need to look for is a soap that does not contain detergents. From what I understand Dove is not good because it contains detergents. Em's Place puts out a clear bar that is excellent for the face. It is just a basic bar of soap.

DaveS
 
Tinzien

Tinzien

Cetaphil is one of the few washes that will not leave my face a Christmas red for an hour or two after use. I have very sensitive skin and even some of the other mild brand cleaners can leave me in a funk.
 
moses

moses

Well, the alcohol thing is tricky - there are alcohols, and then there are alcohols. Alcohols form a pretty huge group of chemical compounds, including anything with a -C-OH. The properties of the alcohol largely depend on what is attached to that. The alcohols we usually think of have a very small hydrocarbon group attached to the OH, and are thus liquid, and fairly volatile. Cetyl alcohol has a basically massive hydrocarbon chain attached to the alcohol. As a result, it is actually solid and kinda waxy at room temp. This stuff is what makes Cetaphil a cleanser - it performs pretty much the same function as a soap. The long, non-polar hydrocarbon end can bind with various oily and generally non-polar organic stuff, and the polar (hydrophilic) end allows it to be emulsified with water and washed away.

Not entirely sure from a chemical standpoint, but I wouldn't expect it to have the same drying properties as say ethyl alcohol.

The dry, sensitive, or acne-prone skinned people I know who have used it swear by it. I've not tried it enough to comment, except to say that it smells kind funny.

-Mo
 
mulepackin

mulepackin

I agree. I've seen Cetaphil touted quite a bit, but didn't really understand why. The ingredient list kind of looks like a chemistry quiz to me, just like any standard "soap". I stick with castile for the most part, currently Doctor Bronnors, since my mother stopped making soap. However, results are what count, and if Cetaphil works for you and/or doesn't irritate, then so much the better.
 
O

OldGrowth

I use the old Noxzema in a tub. Pretty cheap, lasts forever, and seems to be great for everyone. One of my great aunts started using it when it came out, and her skin looks better than her (younger) sister's. Probably nothing to do with the Noxzema, but still something to think about.
 
OldSchoolYoungin

OldSchoolYoungin

I've pondered this myself, but I've dismissed most of it because I use Cetaphil and love it :001_smile Only the face wash though, the moisturizer leaves a sticky film on my face.
 
Another Platonist

Another Platonist

moses said:
Well, the alcohol thing is tricky - there are alcohols, and then there are alcohols. Alcohols form a pretty huge group of chemical compounds, including anything with a -C-OH. The properties of the alcohol largely depend on what is attached to that. The alcohols we usually think of have a very small hydrocarbon group attached to the OH, and are thus liquid, and fairly volatile. Cetyl alcohol has a basically massive hydrocarbon chain attached to the alcohol. As a result, it is actually solid and kinda waxy at room temp. This stuff is what makes Cetaphil a cleanser - it performs pretty much the same function as a soap. The long, non-polar hydrocarbon end can bind with various oily and generally non-polar organic stuff, and the polar (hydrophilic) end allows it to be emulsified with water and washed away.

Not entirely sure from a chemical standpoint, but I wouldn't expect it to have the same drying properties as say ethyl alcohol.

The dry, sensitive, or acne-prone skinned people I know who have used it swear by it. I've not tried it enough to comment, except to say that it smells kind funny.

-Mo
Click to expand...
Precisely...that said, I make a mean Manhattan with a dash of Cetaphil...it's the cetyl alcohol that gives it a zip!:lol:

Honestly though, the dermatologists I work with HIGHLY recommend this stuff, as well as the Johnson and Johnson "Purpose" line.
 
TENroaches

TENroaches

There are two types of Cetaphil, the facial cleanser and the general cleanser. I got the facial cleanser. It does dry me out. My friend recommended it, but also said to follow it with an acne wash smeared all over the face in a very thin layer, then rinse, to fight off pimples. I never do that second step, and I just recently started getting pimples worse than with other facewashes. I wonder if my face got "used to" this facewash.

Anyway, Target and/or Walmart have store-brands of Cetaphil for a lot cheaper. I have the real deal, because I didn't want to take any chances. My friend who has the good results got the el cheapo.

But I don't think I'll be buying any more of it. I think I had better results with Clearasil, which also dried me out. Maybe I just need an acne wash....
 
Robby

Robby

Costco has a coupon this month for Cetaphil, which is why I was considering giving it a try. They have a pack with two relatively large bottles that comes to about $10 after coupons. If it is the gentle cleanser, I think I'll pick it up.

I thank you all for the explanations. Moses, your chemistry description was very enlightening and did a lot to convince me.
 
DustBow

DustBow

I've never used actual regular Cetaphil but I use the Kroger brand generic of the same stuff. I also have the true Cetaphil face wash for normal to oily skin. Now I tend to have weird skin - it is oily and gets shiny but can also easily dry out when I wash it too often or the weather gets too cold. It's really not fun.

Anyway, the regular cleanser is great stuff - doesn't dry me out at all but still leaves my face feeling clean. The Cetaphil face cleanser for normal to oily skin did start to dry out my face a little when I was using it once or twice every day. So I'm sticking with the regular "gentle skin cleanser" from now on. It really seems to be good stuff but it takes a little getting used to because it doesn't foam up or lather at all - just rub it on your face and then rinse it off.


BTW - hey Mo - are you a lawyer or a chemist :tongue: :biggrin:
 
P

perry

Never used the soap, but I love the moisturizing cream! $10 for a 20oz tub of it at Sam's club means I can slather it on and now worry about the cost!
 
patrisVII

patrisVII

Robby said:
I've seen Cetaphil recommended for face washing around here quite a few times. I picked up a bottle and read the ingredient list at the store the other day, and the first two ingredients were water and alcohol. Then were some other things including chemicals.
Click to expand...

The alcohol is cetyl alcohol. It's a surfactant, which means it performs the same chemical function related cleansing as soap. And it's also an emollient which means it aids the skin in retaining water. It's not a drying alcohol like isopropyl or ethyl (SD pre-fixed in cosmetics) alcohol.

It's a very effective, non-irritating skin cleaner. Among high priced cosmetic products (as has been said, store brands are much cheaper), it is one of the few that does exactly what it claims to.

Robby said:
These seem in direct competition with each other. I understand that Cetaphil is supposed to be a "gentle cleanser" but it doesn't seem as natural as real soap, which leaves me confused.
Click to expand...

Don't be. It's no more or less natural than soap. In fact cetyl alcohol was discovered as a byproduct of the saponification of spermaceti, the oil from the heads of sperm whales (it's now made from petroleum or vegetable oil).


Robby said:
I'm currently washing my face with Dove Cool Moisture in the morning shower and Dr. Bronner's Almond/water mix from a foaming dispenser at night. Am I somehow cheating myself? Am I over-cleansing and stripping my face or something?
Click to expand...

Very broadly speaking, there really is no reason to clean your skin (other than hands) more than once a day. But if are not experiencing any discomfort you don't need to change your routine.
 
barnz

barnz

Back when I used to wash my face, I used Cetaphil, and I can honestly say it was the best, most gentle of the other soap washes I had tried (which were many). That being said, however, I have found in recent years that indeed, 'less is more' and have stopped using soap all together on my face, save for shaving products. My skin has never been better. Of course, YMMV.

As always, whatever works best for you, but as others have said before, less seems to be more when it comes to your skin.

Good luck,
Ryan
 
Naes12

Naes12

I like the cetaphil because of its water like consistency. I generally find face washes to difficult to wash off properly at the sink but cetaphil is quick gentle and easy.
 
tim

tim

I've used the generic as well, though I currently have the brand name.

I think what others have said may be somewhat substantiated by the ingredients. Additionally, I don't know if any of y'all have been there before, you can look up and enter ingredients for products at the Cosmetic Database web site. The site gives you references for what is in the products, why they are in there (function), and an overall score of hazard (I interpret that as risk) as well as a "data gap" value which I interpret as a sort of confidence level.

So, for example, for Cetaphil, they have these products.


As members noted above, you can see a substantive difference between the cleaner types and hazards. I don't know if that translates to the problems you note, but what I'm doing right now is trying to find products I like, which have a lower hazard score.

As others always note on this site, ymmv. I'm just thinking if your skin is prone to discomfort and/or rashes, then perhaps buying products lower on the hazard scale might correlate with more comfort for you. If nothing else, perhaps this will help you eliminate products you don't feel you need.
 
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