Clinique Dramatically Different: Lotion+, Gel or Cream?

The answer in one table

The Lotion+ and Gel come in 0.5, 1.7, 4.2 and 6.7 fl oz. The Cream comes in one 1.7 oz jar.

What the ingredient lists show

• Lotion+: the list opens with water, mineral oil, glycerin, petrolatum and stearic acid, then sesame seed oil, urea, lanolin alcohol, barley and cucumber extracts and sodium hyaluronate. Glycerin draws water into the outer skin, and mineral oil and petrolatum slow its loss. The American Academy of Dermatology names mineral oil, petrolatum, lanolin and dimethicone as helpful in creams for dry skin, so none is a warning sign by itself.
• Cream: water, glycerin, dimethicone and petrolatum, then softeners including behenyl and cetyl alcohol. Those fatty alcohols are waxy, not the drying alcohol the AAD warns about. It is the only one of the three with both petrolatum and dimethicone.
• Gel: water, dimethicone, isododecane, butylene glycol and glycerin, with caffeine, trehalose and sodium hyaluronate further down. It is a lighter, silicone-based gel, and Clinique calls it oil-free.

All three use the preservative phenoxyethanol, and none lists a retinoid or a peptide. They are basic moisturizers.

Why Clinique’s moisturizer is yellow. All three list certified colorants: Yellow 5, Yellow 6 and Red 33 in the Lotion+ and Cream, and Yellow 5, Red 4 and Yellow 6 in the Gel. Those give the color. They are there for appearance, not for your skin.

Lotion+: who it suits and who should skip it

The Lotion+ suits dry or tight facial skin when you want a lotion rather than a thick cream and have no known reaction to anything on the list. Clinique’s directions are face and throat, twice a day or where needed. Its “free from” line names alcohol, fragrance, parabens, phthalates, SLES and SLS. The 0.5 fl oz size is a small way to see how your skin responds.

Skip it, or ask a clinician first, if:

• You know you react to lanolin or sesame. DermNet NZ reports lanolin allergy in about 1.7 to 3.3 percent of people patch-tested for dermatitis and under 0.5 percent of the general population.
• Your skin is oily or breakout-prone. Clinique labels the Lotion+ non-acnegenic. That is a brand label, not a guarantee.
• Your skin is stinging or newly reactive. Clinique says the Gel is safe for sensitive skin. Its Lotion+ page makes no such claim. Start with our guide to menopausal skin that has suddenly become sensitive.
• You want to avoid dyes.

Cream: when the step up makes sense

Clinique describes the Cream as raising the hydration intensity of the Lotion+, and lists the same skin types for both. The AAD says creams and ointments add more moisture than lotions. Reading the lists, the Cream looks like the richer formula, though that is our reading, not a Clinique statement.

Choose it if the Lotion+ leaves your skin tight before the day is over, or if you want a formula without lanolin alcohol, sesame oil or mineral oil. That is not the same as safer: it still carries the dyes and petrolatum.

Clinique directs it for face and neck, morning and night. Its limit is the single 1.7 oz jar.

Gel and Hydrating Jelly: usually not the dry-skin pick

The Gel is listed for combination, oily and sensitive skin, and Clinique calls it oil-free. That makes it a reasonable light layer for oily or combination skin. For dry skin after menopause it has less to slow water loss: no petrolatum and no mineral oil.

Another formula in the line, the Hydrating Jelly, is water-based, with glycerin, hyaluronate, caffeine, hydroxyethyl urea and seaweed extracts. Clinique says it is free from alcohol, fragrance, oil and synthetic colors, and the list shows no colorant. It is the one to look at if you want to avoid dyes. Dry skin may want a richer layer on top.

What Clinique claims, and how far it goes

Clinique’s Lotion+ page promises 8 hours of hydration. It claims barrier repair of 21 percent within 2 hours in a test of 21 women, and an instant 119 percent boost in skin moisture in a test of 24 women. It also says the lotion is dermatologist developed and allergy tested.

These are brand claims. The page gives the sample sizes but not the study design, and nothing on it addresses menopausal skin. “Dermatologist developed” is not “dermatologist recommended.”

Lotion+ or CeraVe Moisturizing Cream?

CeraVe Moisturizing Cream lists water, glycerin, cetearyl alcohol, caprylic/capric triglyceride, cetyl alcohol, ceteareth-20, petrolatum, three ceramides, dimethicone, sodium hyaluronate, cholesterol and phenoxyethanol. It lists no fragrance, no colorants, and no mineral oil, lanolin or sesame oil. Its page shows the National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance, and the directions cover face and body. Our fragrance-free moisturizer guide has the label check.

For the same dry-skin job, CeraVe adds ceramides and skips the dyes and lanolin, while the Lotion+ is a lighter lotion. Neither has sunscreen. Choose Clinique if you like the brand and the feel. Our menopause versus regular skincare comparison looks at what is worth paying for.

Is a Clinique holiday set worth it?

For dry skin, check the contents first. Clinique pairs the Lotion+ with Great Skin Everywhere: For Dry Combination Skin. It holds a full-size All About Clean Liquid Facial Soap Mild, a jumbo Clarifying Lotion 2 and a 4.2 fl oz Lotion+, plus travel sizes of each.

• The toner: Clarifying Lotion 2 lists Alcohol Denat. as its second ingredient, after water. Clinique sells it as an exfoliating lotion for twice-daily use on a cotton ball. The AAD advises people with dry skin to stop using products containing alcohol, and its menopause page says to see your dermatologist before trying exfoliation. The set’s own “free from” line names fragrance, parabens and phthalates, not alcohol.
• The soap: it lists sodium laureth sulfate and the preservatives methylchloroisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone. Read the label if you have reacted to preservatives.
• The mix: the largest item is the jumbo toner, and one of three steps runs against dry-skin advice.

Clinique also runs free-gift offers with a minimum purchase, “while supplies last.” One purchase-with-purchase set held four makeup items, plus a serum, a moisturizer, a body hydrator and the Liquid Facial Soap Mild. Offers and contents rotate, so check the current offer page before you add items to reach a threshold. If you want the Lotion+, buying it alone is simpler. For other ideas, see our skincare gifts for menopause.

How to use it more safely

Apply it while your skin is still damp after washing, as the AAD advises for moisturizers. Patch test on the inner forearm for a few days, add one new product at a time, and stop if you notice burning, stinging or redness that does not settle.

Wear a separate sunscreen by day. The AAD recommends broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher every day, and none of these three contains it. Our sunscreen picks for dry skin are a starting point. Persistent itch, a rash or burning needs a clinician, not a different cream.

The researched verdict

Start with the Lotion+ if your skin is dry, not oily, and you have no known problem with lanolin, sesame or mineral oil. Move to the Cream if the Lotion+ is not enough or you want a list without those three. Keep the Gel for oily skin. A set only pays off if you would use all three steps, and the toner conflicts with dry-skin advice.

Brand pages and ingredient lists were checked October 24, 2026. Read the ingredient list on your package.

Questions about Clinique Dramatically Different

Is Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+ fragrance-free?

Clinique says so, and the ingredient list has no fragrance entry. That is not a promise it will suit you. Our guide to fragrance-free versus unscented explains what the label can and cannot tell you.

Is it good for mature or menopausal skin?

It moisturizes. The list shows no retinoid, peptide or sunscreen, and it is not a treatment for itch, rash or thinning skin.

What is the difference between the Lotion+, Gel and Cream?

The Lotion+ is built on mineral oil and petrolatum. The Cream is built on petrolatum and dimethicone, with no mineral oil. The Gel is a light, silicone-based gel for oilier skin.

Does the Lotion+ contain lanolin, sesame oil or mineral oil?

Yes, all three, on the list read October 24, 2026. The Cream lists none of them.

Can I use it on my body or neck?

The Lotion+ directions say face and throat. The Cream says face and neck. Neither page states body use.

Is the SPF 35 version the same lotion?

No. Lotion+ Broad Spectrum SPF 35 is a separate product with its own formula, directed for mornings. Read its label. The plain Lotion+ has no sunscreen.

Is Clinique better than CeraVe?

Neither wins outright. CeraVe lists ceramides and no dyes or lanolin. The Lotion+ is a lighter lotion. See the comparison above.

Is a Clinique gift set worth it for dry skin?

Only if you would use every step. The Dry Combination set includes a toner with Alcohol Denat. high on its list.

Should I apply it on damp skin?

Yes. The AAD advises applying moisturizer while skin is still damp after a shower or bath.