✶

cerave Hydrating cre… vs OLAY Super Serum — Which Is Better? | Gracie

Products
Ingredients
Brands
K-Beauty
Blog
How We Score

Gracie
/Compare
/cerave Hydrating cream-to-foam cleanser
/vs
/OLAY Super Serum

cerave Hydrating cream-to-foam cleanser vs OLAY Super Serum

cerave Hydrating cream-to-foam cleanser scores 8.2/9.8 and OLAY Super Serum scores 8.0/9.8 — a near-tie where your skin type decides the winner.

Head to head

cerave

Hydrating cream-to-foam cleanser

cleanser

8.2

Buy at Amazon

Compare

Best Moisturisers
Best Serums
Best Cleansers
Best SPF

Ingredients

Niacinamide
Retinol
Hyaluronic Acid
Salicylic Acid

K-Beauty

K-Beauty Hub
K-Beauty Moisturisers
K-Beauty Serums
K-Beauty Sunscreens

About

Methodology
About Us
All Brands
All Products

Gracie

Honest skincare intel. No jargon, no gatekeeping — just the ingredients decoded.

OLAY

Super Serum

serumbudget

8.0

Buy at Amazon

Score comparison

These two are neck and neck — just 0.2 points apart.

cerave wins 1

Tied 4

OLAY wins 0

8.2cerave

8.0OLAY

Scores last verified: April 2026

Attribute battle

Hydration Efficacy

TIE

7.2

7.0

cerave

OLAY

Irritation Risk

TIE

9.5

cerave

OLAY

Active Ingredient Strength

cerave WINS

6.9

6.4

cerave

OLAY

Ingredient Transparency

TIE

8.5

cerave

OLAY

Formulation Safety

TIE

9.0

cerave

OLAY

Ingredient face-off

8% overlap

60cerave

5Shared

20OLAY

Only in cerave Hydrating cream-to-foam cleanser

55 unique

Aqua/Water Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate Coco-Betaine Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate Sodium Chloride Pca Ppg-5-Ceteth-20 Peg-100 Stearate Peg-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate Peg-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides+45 more

Shared ingredients

5 in common

Glycerin Carbomer Sodium Hyaluronate Phenoxyethanol Ethylhexylglycerin

Only in OLAY Super Serum

15 unique

Water Niacinamide Dimethicone Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate Collagen Peptide Retinol Aha Complex Propanediol Dimethicone Crosspolymer C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate+5 more

Why these two are neck and neck

These two cleansers take different paths to a similar destination. Both formulas include solid hydrating ingredients, and the overall scores reflect that — the gap here is genuinely slim.

cerave Hydrating cream-to-foam cleanser brings Ceramide Np, Ceramide Ap, and Ceramide Eop as actives, while oLAY Super Serum relies on Niacinamide, Retinol, and Tocopheryl Acetate. Both approaches have merit, but the positioning and supporting ingredients make the difference.

Best for your skin type

cerave Hydrating cream-to-foam cleanser is better if you have

Sensitive skin — the low-irritation formula keeps things gentle
Dry or dehydrated skin that craves moisture, thanks to Glycerin
Anyone who prefers clean, well-vetted formulations

OLAY Super Serum is better if you have

Sensitive skin — the low-irritation formula keeps things gentle
Dry or dehydrated skin that craves moisture, thanks to Glycerin
Anyone who prefers clean, well-vetted formulations

Value comparison

OLAY Super Serum comes in at budget pricing with a 8.0 score, which is solid value at that tier.

Our verdict

✶ Our verdict

It's a close call — both products score within 0.3 points of each other. Your choice depends on your specific skin concerns.

8.2cerave

8.0OLAY

Frequently asked questions

Which is better: cerave Hydrating cream-to-foam cleanser or OLAY Super Serum?

Based on ingredient analysis, cerave Hydrating cream-to-foam cleanser scores higher overall. See the full score breakdown above for details on each attribute.

Do cerave Hydrating cream-to-foam cleanser and OLAY Super Serum share ingredients?

Yes, they share common ingredients. Check the ingredient face-off section above for a detailed comparison.

What's the main difference between cerave Hydrating cream-to-foam cleanser and OLAY Super Serum?

The key differences are in their active ingredients and formulation approach. Check the attribute battle above for a detailed breakdown.

Full analysis: cerave Hydrating cream-to-foam cleanser→Full analysis: OLAY Super Serum→

We may earn a commission from purchases made through our links, at no extra cost to you. This helps us keep Gracie free and independent.

Some links on this site are affiliate links. We may earn a commission from purchases made through our links, at no extra cost to you. This helps us keep Gracie free and independent.