CeraVe Moisturizing Cream On your shelf ✓
€0.05 an application · about 270 usesOur review, in one look
Ceramide 3 is the reason to consider this moisturizer, with Ceramide 6-II behind it.
The case for it
- Ceramide 3, strong evidence for the barrier
- Ceramide 6-II, strong evidence for the barrier
- No fragrance, alcohol or parabens
Mind this
- Morning or evening, whichever suits your routine
- Add it on its own for a week or two, so you know what your skin is answering to
Maya's readCeraVe Moisturizing Cream is a moisturizer built around Glycerin, Petrolatum and Ceramide 3. It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair. Best suited to dry, dehydrated and very dry skin. Nothing in it we'd flag for most people.
Cost per use: what a day of it costs
€0.05 an applicationabout 270 uses from 340 ml
measured: 2.5 fingertip units for face and neck, about 1.25 g; from €14 as read in September 2026 and a 340 ml pack.
how this is counted
About €0.05 an application, about 270 uses from 340 ml.
- Long & Finlay 1991, Clin Exp Dermatol: face and neck 2.5 fingertip units (PMID 1806320, abstract read)
- Long, Finlay & Averill 1992, Arch Dermatol: 4 hand areas = 2 FTU = 1 g (PMID 1497374)
- Finlay, Edwards & Harding 1989, Lancet: the fingertip unit defined (PMID 2567912, a letter)
- density taken as 1 g per ml: assumed, as on the sunscreen calculator
- Measured or assumed: the rule, and the dose table
Skip it if you already own something similar: it's a solid, honest basic rather than a must-have upgrade.
Fragrance, texture and film: what the label says of its feel
- fragrance-free by the label: no parfum, none of the 26
- a moisturiser in a tube
- leaves a film: petrolatum, dimethicone
Facts off the label and the pack only. How it feels on a face is not something this page will say without having used it.
The formula, in order
every ingredient at its place on the label
Coloured by the job each one does here.
8 of the 24 sit above the 1% line. The other 16, hatched, are each under 1%. Widths show the ORDER on the label and nothing else: the label never discloses amounts, so we never draw them.
- Actives & signals
- Texture & base
- Preservation
- Not in our library yet
- fed it in culture
- fed M. furfur only
- inferred from the chain length
- did not feed it
- never tested
- No fragrance anywhere on the label
Fungal acne: what on this label feeds the yeast (Malassezia)
the yeast: Malassezia furfur, globosa, restricta
2 ingredients on this label fed Malassezia in culture (cetearyl alcohol, petrolatum), 2 are inferred to; the follicle species grew on one of them; petrolatum: M. furfur only, not the folliculitis species.
Each result is a pure ingredient on a lab dish, never this product on skin.
where this comes from
- cetearyl alcohol
Unexpectedly, the growth of some Malassezia spp., especially M. furfur, was observed in the presence of a primary fatty alcohol, cetylstearyl alcohol.
DOI 10.3390/cosmetics6030045 - cetyl alcoholInferred from the chain length: The growth of all Malassezia spp. in the presence of free acids, free acid esters, and fatty alcohols with a fatty chain length above 12 carbon atoms was observed.DOI 10.3390/cosmetics6030045
- petrolatumM. furfur only
Obvious growth of M. furfur on GYEP agar plate was noted in the presence of white petrolatum, purified white petrolatum, hydrophilic ointment and heparinoid in hydrophilic ointment, and also M. sympodialis showed similar growth when they were cultured with hydrophilic or heparinoid in hydrophilic ointment.
PMID 12234705 - sodium lauroyl lactylateInferred from the chain length: The yeast, Pityrosporum orbiculare, isolated from lesions from lesions of tinea versicolor, grows in vitro only if fatty acids from the C12 to C24 series are added to the culture medium.PMID 1249447
What does it do? What its ingredients deliver
How it feels A rich, cushiony cream that sinks in slowly. Comforting on dry skin, possibly too much for oily skin in summer. (estimated from the formula)
Key ingredients: what in it does the work
Classic humectant with strong evidence for improving skin hydration and supporting barrier when combined with emollients.
Glycerin: This one works on contact: there is nothing to wait for.
how it was measured
Measured on stratum corneum hydration, corneometer capacitance after a single application; on contact, by mechanism.
Highly effective occlusive that prevents water loss and is gold standard for barrier repair, but feels heavy and greasy on oily skin.
Skin-identical ceramide that plays a key role in restoring and strengthening the skin barrier.
Ceramide that supports barrier integrity and helps smooth rough, dry skin when combined with other skin lipids.
Skin-identical sterol that is essential in barrier lipid mixtures and helps restore normal lamellar structure when combined with ceramides and fatty acids.
Water-binding molecule that increases hydration; works best under occlusive/emollient layers to reduce evaporation.
What only this label says
Ceramide 3 is 16th of 24, under the 1% line: a trace, not a treatment.
why
The 1% line is inferred from Phenoxyethanol at position 9; below it the order is the brand's choice and 16 ingredients share that tail.
≈ €0.041/ml, below the median moisturizer in our catalogue (€0.18/ml).
why
~€14 for 340 ml, checked September 2026; the median of the 28 moisturizers in the catalogue with a known size.
Ceramide 3 is the 16th of 24 ingredients: below the 1% line.
why
Position 16 of 24 on the label as printed; compared with the 34 other labels in the catalogue that carry a ceramide.
Shares 5 of its 6 known actives with CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion: the closest formula we have.
why
Actives our base knows on both labels: Glycerin, Ceramide 3, Ceramide 6-II, Cholesterol and Hyaluronic acid.
All 6 actives carry strong evidence in our base.
why
evidence_level in our base, per row, as printed on each glossary page.
Water, then glycerin: a light, water-led base.
why
The first two ingredients on the label, in the order printed; the second's role is read from its name (a row in our base).
Fragrance allergens: the ones this label names
This label names none of the 26 EU fragrance allergens. What the 26 are →
How to use it, and when
Morning and/or night, after your thinner water-based steps and before heavier creams.
Where in your skin it works
All 6 of its placed actives act on or in the dead surface layer, none below it: the same cross-section as our 500 dalton page, with this formula's actives on the layer each one works on. Depth is the anatomy's, never an ingredient's.
Skin surface
On top of the skin
- Petrolatumderived from what it is
The stratum corneum
- Ceramide 3derived from what it is
- Ceramide 6-IIderived from what it is
- Cholesterolderived from what it is
- Glycerinderived from what it is
- Hyaluronic acidderived from what it is
6 of this product's actives have a layer we can defend.
How it compares with the average moisturizer
It scores lower than the median moisturizer on brightening.
On hydration, barrier repair, oil control and anti-aging it is level with the median, so that is not what sets it apart.
A median, not an average: one unusual formula should not move the middle. The numbers are the same 0 to 10 reads the comparison pages use.
Full ingredients list, decoded
23 of these 24 ingredients are in our library, linked and named for what each one does, with anything that can irritate or clog flagged; the 1 we cannot place is left plain, nothing is hidden. Every ingredient on the label, in the order it appears (highest amount first).
All 24 ingredients, decoded
- Aqua/WaterSolvent (base)
- GlycerinHumectant
- Cetearyl AlcoholEmollient
- Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideEmollient
- Cetyl AlcoholEmollient
- Ceteareth-20Emulsifiermild irritant
- PetrolatumOcclusive
- DimethiconeOcclusive
- roughly the 1% lineThe rules only require descending order above 1%. From Phenoxyethanol down, these 16 can be listed in any order the brand likes, so position stops telling you anything.
- PhenoxyethanolPreservativemild irritant
- Behentrimonium MethosulfateConditioning agent
- Potassium PhosphateBuffer
- EthylhexylglycerinPreservative booster
- Sodium Lauroyl LactylateSurfactantmild irritant
- Disodium EDTAChelator
- Dipotassium PhosphateBuffer
- Ceramide NPBarrier lipid
- Ceramide APBarrier lipid
- PhytosphingosineSphingoid base
- CholesterolBarrier lipid
- Xanthan GumThickener
- CarbomerThickener
- Sodium HyaluronateHumectant
- TocopherolAntioxidantmild irritant
- Ceramide EOPBarrier lipid
Worth knowing: Cholesterol sits below that line. It is in there, and the label does not tell you how much. That is not the same as saying it is too little to matter.
Copy the raw INCI list
Aqua/Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Petrolatum, Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Potassium Phosphate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Disodium EDTA, Dipotassium Phosphate, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, Ceramide EOP
Worried about clogged pores specifically? The pore-clogging checker reads this same list against the published comedogenic ratings.
Add it to your shelf and the app puts it in the right step and checks it against what you already use.
Read enough? Find it on amazon.com →
We don't make or sell skincare of our own. So there's nothing here we're trying to push, just an honest read of whether this formula suits your skin.
Against your shelf
Read from your own shelf, in your browser. We never see it.
Dupes? The closest formulas we have
The 3 products of the same kind sharing the most of its 6 actives. A count, not a likeness: the rest of each label, its base and its preservation, is what the count leaves out.
Compare it with…
19 duels are built for this moisturizer, Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream and CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion among them: type a name, or pick one below.
Common questions
Is the ceramide 3 in CeraVe Moisturizing Cream enough to do anything?
Ceramide 3 is 16th of 24, under the 1% line: a trace, not a treatment. Below the 1% line the rules stop requiring descending order, so an ingredient there can be any trace amount the brand likes.
Is CeraVe Moisturizing Cream expensive per ml?
≈ €0.041/ml, below the median moisturizer in our catalogue (€0.18/ml). A price per millilitre says nothing about what the formula does; it only tells you how the bottle compares with the others of its kind we have priced.
How high up the list is the ceramide 3 in CeraVe Moisturizing Cream?
Ceramide 3 is the 16th of 24 ingredients: below the 1% line. Position is the only amount the law makes a brand declare, so 16th of 24 is the one number on this label a reader can check.
What is the base of CeraVe Moisturizing Cream?
Water, then glycerin: a light, water-led base. The first ingredients are the bulk of a formula; the actives come after them.
Is CeraVe Moisturizing Cream good for dry skin?
By our read of the formula, it suits dry, dehydrated, very dry skin. CeraVe Moisturizing Cream is a moisturizer built around Glycerin, Petrolatum and Ceramide 3. It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair. Best suited to dry, dehydrated and very dry skin. Nothing in it we'd flag for most people.
How do you use CeraVe Moisturizing Cream?
Morning and/or night, after your thinner water-based steps and before heavier creams.
What are the key ingredients in CeraVe Moisturizing Cream?
The actives that do the work are Glycerin, Petrolatum, Ceramide 3, Ceramide 6-II, Cholesterol, Hyaluronic acid. The rest of the list is texture, preservatives and emulsifiers that hold the formula together.
Does CeraVe Moisturizing Cream contain fragrance?
No. By our reading of the ingredient list it is fragrance-free, which is a plus for sensitive or reactive skin.
What the 3D scene shows
The scene shows CeraVe Moisturizing Cream beside a cross-section of skin, with 3 of its ingredients drawn at the layer each one acts on and at one shared molecular scale: Ceramide 3 and Cholesterol and Glycerin in the stratum corneum, the dead outer layer where most skincare works. Depths come from the same sourced layer data as the rest of this site, and any ingredient whose layer is not established is left out rather than guessed.
