To compare two moisturizers fairly, put them side by side on seven points: format and size, the full ingredient list, the named key ingredients, texture, directions, price per ml, and return terms. Front-label claims are the least useful part of the comparison.
A simple comparison table
Draw two columns and fill in each row from the product pages:
| Check | Moisturizer A | Moisturizer B |
|---|---|---|
| Format and size (ml or g) | ||
| Price and price per ml | ||
| Key ingredient, exact INCI name | ||
| Anything you avoid in the full list? | ||
| Fragrance or essential oils? | ||
| SPF? | ||
| Texture | ||
| Directions (amount, times a day) | ||
| Returns if it doesn’t suit you |
1. Format and size
A 50 ml bottle and a 30 ml jar aren’t the same purchase. Note the unit, too: jars are often sold by weight (g or oz) and bottles by volume (ml or fl oz). Pumps and airless bottles reduce how often you dip your fingers into the product.
2. The full ingredient list
Read the whole list, not the highlights. Check for anything you know you react to, such as fragrance, essential oils, specific plant extracts or lanolin. Ingredients are listed in descending order of amount, with those at 1% or less allowed in any order after that. How to read an ingredient list.
3. The key ingredients, by exact name
“Peptides,” “ceramides” and “vitamin C” are families. Write down the specific names. Two “copper peptide” creams can contain different copper ingredients entirely. Copper Lysinate/Prolinate and GHK-Cu aren’t the same.
4. Fragrance
If you avoid fragrance, look for “fragrance” or “parfum” and for essential oils in the list, whatever the front label says. What fragrance-free means.
5. SPF
A moisturizer with SPF is regulated differently and has its own directions. A moisturizer without SPF needs a separate sunscreen in the morning. Don’t compare one of each as if they were equivalent.
6. Texture
Emulsifiers, fatty alcohols and butters hint at a richer cream. Gums and polymers hint at a lighter gel-cream. The texture you will use every day is the right one. Why texture matters.
7. Directions
How much, how often, and any warnings. A product meant to be used generously twice a day costs more to keep up than one used sparingly once a day.
8. Price per ml
Divide price by volume. For example, $52 for 50 ml is about $1.04 per ml, and $32 for 30 ml is about $1.07 per ml. Price per ml makes comparisons fair. It doesn’t tell you which product is better for you.
9. Returns
Opened skincare usually can’t be resold, so many brands don’t accept opened returns. Check what happens if a product irritates your skin. Our refund policy refunds reactions without asking for the bottle back.
Claims to discount
- Percentages without context. What a percentage tells you.
- “Clinically proven” with no study described.
- Drug-like promises (“repairs,” “heals”).
- Undefined terms like “clean” or “non-toxic.” What clean beauty means.
Further reading: FDA: Cosmetics labeling guide · FDA: Is it a cosmetic, a drug, or both?
To run this comparison on ours, 001 Copper Peptide Cream publishes its complete ingredient list, size and directions on the page.
Photography: Noah Blaine Clark / Unsplash. Editorial photograph.