CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser On your shelf ✓
€0.10 an application · about 120 usesOur review, 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.
Cost per use: what a day of it costs
€0.10 an applicationabout 120 uses from 236 ml
a usual amount, not a measured dose: a nickel-sized amount, about 2 ml; from €12 as read in September 2026 and a 236 ml pack.
how this is counted
About €0.10 an application, about 120 uses from 236 ml.
- a convention: no trial has measured a cleanser dose
- Measured or assumed: the rule, and the dose table
Skip it if you're looking for a treatment step: this cleanses, and nothing more.
What it washes off: sunscreen, makeup, the day
medium
a medium system: sodium lauroyl lactylate; beside it, polysorbate 20.
- daily oil and sunscreenlifts itthe day’s oil and a daily sunscreen film
- a mineral or water-resistant SPFa balm or oil firsta water-resistant film is made to stay through a wash
- heavy makeup or waterproofa balm or oil firstthe app seats a second cleanse for an evening with makeup
Fragrance, texture and film: what the label says of its feel
- fragrance-free by the label: no parfum, none of the 26
- a cleanser in a pump
- no film-former or occlusive named on the label
- no silicone on the label
- no plant or mineral oil on the label
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.
24 ingredients. 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
3 ingredients on this label fed Malassezia in culture (cetearyl alcohol, glyceryl stearate, polysorbate 20), 3 are inferred to; the follicle species grew on two of them; polysorbate 20: M. furfur only, not the folliculitis species.
If your breakouts are the fungal kind: the CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser carries none of the ingredients measured to feed it; one is inferred to from the chain length (sodium lauroyl lactylate).
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 - stearyl 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
- 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
- glyceryl stearate
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 - polysorbate 20M. furfur only
Also, the growth of both Malassezia spp. is efficient with Tween 20 (Fig. 2D) which contains especially shorter FAs C12:0, C14:0 and C14:1 (Fig. S1).
PMID 40838980 - 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 gentle wash that lifts the day away without leaving skin tight or squeaky. (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.
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.
What only this label says
≈ €0.051/ml, below the median cleanser in our catalogue (€0.067/ml).
why
~€12 for 236 ml, checked September 2026; the median of the 26 cleansers in the catalogue with a known size.
Shares 5 of its 6 known actives with CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser: the closest formula we have.
why
Actives our base knows on both labels: Glycerin, Ceramide 3, Ceramide 6-II, Hyaluronic acid and Ceramide 1.
All 6 actives carry strong evidence in our base.
why
evidence_level in our base, per row, as printed on each glossary page.
Ceramide 3 is the 16th of 24 ingredients: well down the list.
why
Position 16 of 24 on the label as printed; compared with the 34 other labels in the catalogue that carry a ceramide.
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).
We can place 22 of 24 ingredients; the two we cannot are named plainly below.
why
22 of 24 tokens on the label matched a row in our ingredient base at build; the rest are printed as written.
How long to leave it on: a cleanser’s minute on the skin
rinse-off reality
- on the skinabout a minute, assumed: no source times a washassumed
- the rinsewhat the water takes
- what staysnot claimed: nothing here measures the residue
- barrier lipidsIts ceramides and cholesterol have about a minute on the skin; the evidence for them comes from leave-on use - here their job is to keep the barrier from drying while you wash, not to rebuild it.Ceramide 3 · Ceramide 6-II · Cholesterol · Ceramide 1
- humectantsIts glycerin and hyaluronic acid have about a minute on the skin; the evidence for them comes from leave-on use - here their job is to keep the wash from drying the skin, not to hydrate it afterwards.Glycerin · Hyaluronic acid
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
Massage over damp skin, then rinse. Morning and/or night, gentle enough for twice a day.
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
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.
How it compares with the average cleanser
It scores higher than the median cleanser on barrier repair.
It gives up ground on brightening.
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
22 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 2 we cannot place are 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
- 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
Worried about clogged pores specifically? The pore-clogging checker reads this same list against the published comedogenic ratings.
Using a retinol or an acid? Put this cleanser on your shelf and the app says whether the wash is gentle enough for them.
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.
shares 5 of its 6 actives
shares 4 of its 6 actives
Compare it with…
13 duels are built for this cleanser, CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser and Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser among them: type a name, or pick one below.
Common questions
Is CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser expensive per ml?
≈ €0.051/ml, below the median cleanser in our catalogue (€0.067/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 Hydrating Cleanser?
Ceramide 3 is the 16th of 24 ingredients: well down the list. 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 Hydrating Cleanser?
Water, then glycerin: a light, water-led base. The first ingredients are the bulk of a formula; the actives come after them.
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.
