Whole Foods Moisturizing Lotion vs. Cetaphil: Which one moisturizes better?

Which one is the superior moisturizer and why?

Once in a while, as I’m winding down my weekly Whole Foods grocery shopping, I treat myself to one product from the beauty section. As part of my lifelong fascination with generic store brand versions of name brand products, I usually like to try something from 365 Everyday Value, Whole Foods’s house brand. So far, I’ve tried the fragrance-free shampoo and conditioner, gentle face cleanser, and glycerin soap bar. Today, I’m reviewing the Whole Foods Moisturizing Lotion, which looks very similar to Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion in terms of packaging. White, green, and blue in a plastic pump—except that Whole Foods' product has a blue pump while Cetaphil’s has a green pump.

Whole Foods Moisturizing Lotion vs. Cetaphil

But beyond looks, just how similar are these two products? If you’re a fan of Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion, will you love Whole Foods’s version, too (or vice versa)? Let’s find out.

Whole Foods Moisturizing Lotion ingredients

water, glycerin, brassica campestris oleifera (rapeseed oil), macadamia ternifolia seed oil, cetearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, isopropyl palmitate, polysorbate 60, gluconolactone, glyceryl stearate, polysorbate 20, sodium benzoate, xanthan gum, sodium citrate, panthenol, tocopherol

  • Fragrance-free
  • Non-comedogenic

It’s interesting that this product contains rapeseed oil, which is also a key ingredient in Whole Foods 365 Everyday Value Gentle Skin Cleanser. However, this one also contains macadamia ternifolia seed oil, which is also in two other moisturizers I’ve covered on the blog before: Palmer’s Coconut Oil Body Lotion and belif truth moisturizing bomb.

Whole Foods Moisturizing Lotion vs. Cetaphil comparison

Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion ingredients

water, glycerin, hydrogenated polyisobutene, ceteareth-20, cetearyl alcohol, persea gratissima (avocado) oil, tocopheryl acetate, dimethicone, sodium levulinate, sodium anisate, caprylyl glycol, benzyl alcohol, panthenol, stearoxytrimethylsilane, stearyl alcohol, citric acid, acrylates/c10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer

Whole Foods Moisturizing Lotion vs. Cetaphil comparison

My Dad the Chemist’s review of Whole Foods Moisturizing Lotion vs. Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream

My dad signed his name “Daf” this week. Is that short for Daffy Duck? He may have signed it “Daf,” but he’s certainly not a “quack”…! (haha)

My dad thinks that the Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion will be less greasy because it contains dimethicone. Cetaphil contains only one type of oil (avocado oil), while Whole Foods’s moisturizing lotion contains a mixture of rapeseed oil and macadamia oil.

My dad also thinks that Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion will be a bit more water-resistant because of the acrylates/c10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer. He also thinks that since tocopheryl acetate and panthenol appear higher in Cetaphil’s ingredient list than in Whole Foods', it may be a better formula.

Whole Foods Moisturizing Lotion vs. Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream review

I was excited to try out Whole Foods Moisturizing Lotion because it said it was fragrance-free and non-comedogenic. Plus, it’s easily accessible at the store where I grocery shop every single week. I definitely think that it’s quite a bit oilier than Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion. If you have oily skin, like me, you might find it to be overly oily. It leaves an oily film upon the surface of your skin, so if you don’t like that feeling, this may not be the right product for you.

I personally prefer Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion over Whole Foods Moisturizing Lotion, because it feels like it sinks in more thoroughly on my skin, rather than sitting on the surface. When I try to rub it in, it leaves a white streak across my face, which is sort of unsettling. I don’t mind using up the rest of the bottle, but I probably wouldn’t repurchase it for use on my face. I think it works better on super dry areas like my feet or elbows, rather than my face. On the plus side, it hasn’t caused any breakouts, even though it makes my skin feel more oily than I would like. I’ve taken to using about half a pump of product because a little goes a long way. When I’m using Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion, I use about a full pump all over my face and it seems to soak in more thoroughly without making me feel overly oily.

Strangely, I can’t find a link to purchase Whole Foods Moisturizing Lotion online, so I hope it hasn’t been discontinued. Maybe it’s the type of product they only stock in the store, rather than online.

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