CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser On your shelf ✓
Our read, in one look
Ceramide 3 is the reason to consider this cleanser, 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, silicones 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 Hydrating Cleanser is a cleanser built around Glycerin, Ceramide 3 and Ceramide 6-II. It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair. Best suited to dry, dehydrated and sensitive skin. Nothing in it we'd flag for most people.
Skip it if you're looking for a treatment step: this cleanses, and nothing more.
What it delivers
How it feels A gentle wash that lifts the day away without leaving skin tight or squeaky. (estimated from the formula)
What's in it that matters
Classic humectant with strong evidence for improving skin hydration and supporting barrier when combined with emollients.
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.
Structural ceramide important for a resilient, well-organized barrier lipid matrix.
How to use it
Massage over damp skin, then rinse. Morning and/or night, gentle enough for twice a day.
Where it acts
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
The stratum corneum
- Ceramide 1derived from what it is
- 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.
Against the average cleanser
It scores lower than the median cleanser 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.
The full ingredients list, decoded
Every ingredient on the label, in the order it appears (highest amount first). We link the 22 our library knows, name what each one does, and flag anything that can irritate or clog. The rest we leave plain, nothing is hidden.
All 24 ingredients, decoded
- Aqua/WaterSolvent (base)
- GlycerinHumectant
- Cetearyl AlcoholEmollient
- PhenoxyethanolPreservativemild irritant
- Stearyl AlcoholEmollient
- Cetyl AlcoholEmollient
- PEG-40 StearateEmulsifier
- Behentrimonium MethosulfateConditioning agent
- Glyceryl StearateEmulsifier
- Polysorbate 20Emulsifiermild irritant
- EthylhexylglycerinPreservative booster
- Potassium PhosphateBuffer
- Disodium EDTAChelator
- Dipotassium PhosphateBuffer
- Sodium Lauroyl LactylateSurfactantmild irritant
- Ceramide NPBarrier lipid
- Ceramide APBarrier lipid
- PhytosphingosineSphingoid base
- CholesterolBarrier lipid
- Sodium HyaluronateHumectant
- Xanthan GumThickener
- CarbomerThickener
- TocopherolAntioxidantmild irritant
- Ceramide EOPBarrier lipid
Copy the raw INCI list
Aqua/Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, PEG-40 Stearate, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Glyceryl Stearate, Polysorbate 20, Ethylhexylglycerin, Potassium Phosphate, Disodium EDTA, Dipotassium Phosphate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Tocopherol, Ceramide EOP
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.
Compare it with…
All 6 comparisons
- Hydrating Cleanser vs CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser
- Hydrating Cleanser vs CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser
- Hydrating Cleanser vs Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser
- Hydrating Cleanser vs Bioderma Sébium Gel Moussant
- Hydrating Cleanser vs COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser
- Hydrating Cleanser vs Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micellar Water
Common questions
Is CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser good for dry skin?
By our read of the formula, it suits dry, dehydrated, sensitive skin. CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser is a cleanser built around Glycerin, Ceramide 3 and Ceramide 6-II. It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair. Best suited to dry, dehydrated and sensitive skin. Nothing in it we'd flag for most people.
How do you use CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser?
Massage over damp skin, then rinse. Morning and/or night, gentle enough for twice a day.
What are the key ingredients in CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser?
The actives that do the work are Glycerin, Ceramide 3, Ceramide 6-II, Cholesterol, Hyaluronic acid, Ceramide 1. The rest of the list is texture, preservatives and emulsifiers that hold the formula together.
Does CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser 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 Hydrating Cleanser 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.
