CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser vs The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

89 facts in comparison

These products are from different categories (Curly hair products vs Skincare products), so direct comparison may not be meaningful.

Based on 87 Reddit opinions. Facial CleanserCeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser leads by 8 points.

87 opinions

Facial Cleanser leads by 8pts

Reddit's Pick

73%

B-

Based on

14 Redditors

Winner

CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser

Limited Data

~$16.97

5 opinions

tldr; Reddit opinions on the CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser are mixed (60% positive across 14 mentions). Consider your specific needs and priorities.

Check prices

65%

C+

Based on

167 Redditors

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

~$4.62

82 opinions

tldr; Reddit has mixed feelings about The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, praising its effectiveness for dark spots but noting it can cause breakouts for many users.

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⭐VAL

100

Points

Score by Category

Value

100%100%

Why is + Zinc 1% better than Foaming Facial Cleanser?

Helps with dark spots.
Can help w/ visible pores & hyperpigmentation.
Some people are sensitive to niacinamide.

Based on 181 Reddit opinions

Slight Edge

Reddit prefers the Facial CleanserCeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser

Winning by 8 points (73% vs 65%)

Higher Reddit score (73% vs 65%)

High confidence (181 mentions)

💬Reddit Sentiment

Based on 181 Reddit mentions

Overall Rating

Facial Cleanser

7.3/10

14 mentions

Zinc 1%

6.5/10

167 mentions

VALUE

Facial Cleanser10.0/10

Zinc 1%10.0/10

EFFECTIVENESS

Facial CleanserN/A

Zinc 1%6.5/10

GENTLENESS

Facial CleanserN/A

Zinc 1%4.0/10

SKIN FEEL

Facial CleanserN/A

Zinc 1%0.0/10

FRAGRANCE

Facial CleanserN/A

Zinc 1%5.0/10

⚔️

Head to Head

Topic	Facial Cleanser	Zinc 1%
Value	100%	100%
Effectiveness	N/A	65%
Gentleness	N/A	40%
Skin Feel	N/A	0%
Fragrance	N/A	50%

Category Wins

Facial Cleanser: 0|Zinc 1%: 3

Head to Head

Facial Cleanser: 0|Zinc 1%: 3

Value

Facial Cleanser100%

Zinc 1%100%

EffectivenessZinc 1%

Facial CleanserN/A

Zinc 1%65%

GentlenessZinc 1%

Facial CleanserN/A

Zinc 1%40%

Skin Feel

Facial CleanserN/A

Zinc 1%0%

FragranceZinc 1%

Facial CleanserN/A

Zinc 1%50%

Facial Cleanser

73%

65%

Zinc 1%

Facial Cleanser73%

Zinc 1%65%

Facial Cleanser wins by 8 points

Key Specs

Spec	CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser	The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
Key Ingredients	3 Essential Ceramides, Hyaluronic Acid, Niacinamide	—
Skin Type	Normal to Oily Skin	—
Texture	Gel-based, transforms into a foam	—
Formulation	Non-drying, non-irritating, non-comedogenic, fragrance-free, paraben-free	—
Brand	CeraVe	The Ordinary

Key Highlights

CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser

Solid community reputation

Frequently recommended

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%Winner

🌙 Helps with dark spots.

🎯 Can help w/ visible pores & hyperpigmentation.

⚠ Some people are sensitive to niacinamide.

⚠ users experience breakouts from this specific

Topic Battles

Facial Cleanser: 0|Tied: 1|Zinc 1%: 0

⭐Value

Facial Cleanser

100%

Zinc 1%

100%

Based on Reddit sentiment across 1 categories

📈Where They Rank

💬What Redditors Actually Say

What Redditors Say

Best praise vs top criticism for CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser

Best Praise

+2 pts

“Thank you, the routine suggestions are really helpful and ill give it a shot! I dont think i can swing the olaplex but ill look into similar products. The cerave sounds perfect. I didnt have a good understanding of scalp health either, so i really appreciate the info and the help”

r/curlyhair

View

Top Criticism

+1 pts

“that's how ceraVE did me i used it for 2 days and it cooked the back of my head flakes everywhere i was about to go to a dermatologist about it but then hopped off and it went away pretty quickly”

r/curlyhair

View

2 more quotes available below

What Redditors Say

Best praise vs top criticism for The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

Best Praise

+11 pts

“If sunscreen blocked heat, I would cover myself from head to toe every day in the summer.”

r/SkincareAddiction

View

Top Criticism

+3 pts

“When I tried the Ordinary niacinamide it broke me out so bad and then overall products with niacinamide did the same. It took some time for me to realise that it was in fact the niacinamide since it has been hyped so much… you could try cutting it out for a week to see if you’ll have any improvements !! I wish you the best of luck”

r/SkincareAddiction

View

3 more quotes available below

Sentiment Over Time

Facial Cleanser

Zinc 1%

📈Historical Price Data

CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser

All-time low: $10.43(2019-10)

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

All-time low: $4.62(2026-04)

$1 below 90-day avg

Which is Better?

CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser Wins

73%

Cleanser

65%

CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser leads by 8 points based on 181 Reddit opinions.

Why Facial CleanserWinner

Why Zinc 1%

🌙 Helps with dark spots.
🎯 Can help w/ visible pores & hyperpigmentation.
More discussed (167 vs 14)

❤️The Love/Hate Breakdown

Sentiment Breakdown

21%Positive

Positive

21%

Neutral

65%

Negative

14%

Based on 14 Reddit opinions

Sentiment Breakdown

30%Positive

Positive

30%

Neutral

51%

Negative

19%

Based on 167 Reddit opinions

Specification Comparison

Spec	CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser	The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
Key Ingredients	3 Essential Ceramides, Hyaluronic Acid, Niacinamide	—
Skin Type	Normal to Oily Skin	—
Texture	Gel-based, transforms into a foam	—
Formulation	Non-drying, non-irritating, non-comedogenic, fragrance-free, paraben-free	—
Brand	CeraVe	The Ordinary
Manufacturer	CeraVe	DECIEM
Color	Clear	Clear
Weight	1.26 Pounds	0.06613868 Pounds
Height	8.54 Inches	4.5 inches
Niacinamide Concentration	—	10%
Zinc Concentration	—	1%
Ph Range	—	5.50 - 6.50
Formula Type	—	Water-based serum
Skin Type Suitability	—	Oily and blemish-prone skin

Feature Checklist

Facial Cleanser: 0|Zinc 1%: 7

Feature	Facial Cleanser	Zinc 1%
Helps with dark spots.
Can help w/ visible pores & hyperpigmentation.
Some people are sensitive to niacinamide.
users experience breakouts from this specific
BOOSTS BRIGHTNESS & SMOOTHNESS: Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% visibly improves skin radiance and smooths texture in one week.
CONTAINS NIACINAMIDE & ZINC PCA: High 10% concentration of Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) and 1% Zinc PCA to help control oil in 3 days.
REDUCES PORE VISIBILITY: Clinical testing shows appearance of pores is minimized in 4 weeks, improving signs of congesting.
HYDRATING FORMULA: Lightweight water-based serum that reinforces the skin barrier and provides hydration in as little as 7 days.

Features extracted from Reddit highlights and enrichment data

⚔️Head to Head

Metric	CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser	The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
Reddit Score	73%	65%
Mentions	14	167
Sentiment	+ 3- 2	+ 50- 32

Where to Buy

CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser

Price unavailableCheck prices

All-time low was $10.43 on 2019-10

~50K sold/month on Amazon

The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

Price unavailableCheck prices

All-time low was $4.62 on 2026-04

~100K sold/month on Amazon

Prices may vary. We may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

CeraVe Foaming Facial CleanserCheck prices The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%Check prices

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser or The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%?

Based on 181 Reddit comments, CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser is the preferred choice with 73% positive sentiment vs The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%'s 65%. CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser leads by 8 percentage points.

Should I buy CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser or The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%?

If you want the safer choice based on community sentiment, CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser has stronger approval ratings (73% vs 65%). However, The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% may still be better depending on your specific needs, budget, or use case.

What do Redditors love about CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser?

CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser has 14 mentions on Reddit with 73% positive sentiment. Users consistently recommend it based on real ownership experiences.

What do Redditors say about The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%?

Reddit users highlight: Helps with dark spots.. Can help w/ visible pores & hyperpigmentation.. Some people are sensitive to niacinamide.. With 167 mentions and 65% approval, it remains a popular alternative.

How many Reddit reviews were analyzed?

This comparison analyzed 181 Reddit comments: 14 about CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser and 167 about The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%. Data was sourced from Curly hair products community discussions.

How accurate are these ratings?

Our sentiment analysis is approximately 80-85% accurate compared to manual review. Well-discussed products with many mentions tend to have more reliable scores than niche items with fewer data points.

Why trust Reddit over professional reviews?

Reddit users bought products with their own money and have no incentive to mislead. You're seeing hundreds of real opinions across different use cases, not just one reviewer's take. This crowdsourced approach surfaces both common praise and recurring complaints.

87 Reddit opinions analyzed · Last updated 6/15/2026

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