CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum On your shelf ✓
€0.11 an application · about 150 usesOur review, in one look
Retinol is the reason to consider this serum, with Niacinamide behind it.
The case for it
- Retinol, strong evidence for lines and firmness
- Niacinamide, strong evidence for the barrier
- No fragrance or parabens
Mind this
- Avoid in pregnancy: Retinol
- Evenings only, sunscreen the next morning
- Retinol: sits high on irritation, so ease it in
Maya's readCeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum is a serum built around Niacinamide, Ceramide 3 and Retinol. It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair, brightening / tone. Best suited to oily, combo and dry skin. One caveat: it's best skipped during pregnancy.
Cost per use: what a day of it costs
€0.11 an applicationabout 150 uses from 30 ml
a usual amount, not a measured dose: 3-5 drops, about 0.2 ml; from €16 as read in September 2026 and a 30 ml pack.
how this is counted
About €0.11 an application, about 150 uses from 30 ml.
- a convention: no trial has measured a serum dose
- Measured or assumed: the rule, and the dose table
Skip it if you're pregnant or breastfeeding: it contains retinol, best paused until after.
Fragrance, texture and film: what the label says of its feel
- fragrance-free by the label: no parfum, none of the 26
- a serum in a pump
- leaves a film: dimethicone, dimethiconol
- 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.
12 of the 33 sit above the 1% line. The other 21, 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
- Hydrators
- 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
- Retinol sits at position 19 of 33
- No fragrance anywhere on the label
Fungal acne: what on this label feeds the yeast (Malassezia)
the yeast: Malassezia furfur, globosa, restricta
5 ingredients on this label fed Malassezia in culture (hydrogenated lecithin, cetearyl alcohol, lecithin, isopropyl myristate, polysorbate 20), 1 is inferred to; the follicle species grew on four of them; polysorbate 20: 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
- hydrogenated lecithin
The addition of DPPC or surfactant to the media enhanced the growth of most Malassezia yeasts and some Cryptococcus species.
PMID 39644437 - 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 - lecithin
The addition of DPPC or surfactant to the media enhanced the growth of most Malassezia yeasts and some Cryptococcus species.
PMID 39644437 - 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
- isopropyl myristate
The strongest growth was observed in the presence of natural oils and waxes, primary alcohols, as well in the presence of fatty acid esters with fatty chain lengths above 12 carbon atoms.
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
What does it do? What its ingredients deliver
How it feels A light, fast-absorbing texture that layers cleanly under the rest of your routine, with no greasy film. (estimated from the formula)
Key ingredients: what in it does the work
Multitasking vitamin that improves barrier, reduces redness, regulates oil, helps with pores and pigmentation with strong clinical support.
Niacinamide: Give it two to four weeks: that is when the change first became measurable.
how it was measured
Measured on facial hyperpigmentation and skin lightness versus vehicle, computer image analysis and visual grading of high-resolution facial images; the first visit at which the change was measurable.PMID 12100180PMID 16029679
Skin-identical ceramide that plays a key role in restoring and strengthening the skin barrier.
Gold-standard over-the-counter retinoid with strong anti-aging data; can easily irritate and requires careful introduction and good barrier support.
Ceramide that supports barrier integrity and helps smooth rough, dry skin when combined with other skin lipids.
Structural ceramide important for a resilient, well-organized barrier lipid matrix.
Water-binding molecule that increases hydration; works best under occlusive/emollient layers to reduce evaporation.
What only this label says
Retinol is 19th of 33, under the 1% line: a trace, not a treatment.
why
The 1% line is inferred from Carbomer at position 13; below it the order is the brand's choice and 21 ingredients share that tail.
Niacinamide is the 5th of 33 ingredients: above the 1% line.
why
Position 5 of 33 on the label as printed; compared with the 111 other labels in the catalogue that carry a vitamin.
Isopropyl Myristate (Fulton 5) sits 25th, but below the 1% line, where the rating means less.
why
Fulton comedogenic rating 5 on the published rabbit-ear scale, from the row in our base; position 25 of 33 on the label.
Alcohol is 24th of 33 on the label, below the 1% line.
why
A drying alcohol by name (alcohol, alcohol denat., ethanol - not the fatty alcohols) at position 24 of 33.
≈ €0.53/ml, about the median serum in our catalogue (€0.57/ml).
why
~€16 for 30 ml, checked September 2026; the median of the 47 serums in the catalogue with a known size.
why
Actives our base knows on both labels: Niacinamide, Ceramide 3, Retinol, Ceramide 6-II and Ceramide 1.
Fragrance allergens: the ones this label names
This label names none of the 26 EU fragrance allergens. What the 26 are →
Does it expire? Light, air and the pack
a pump and one light-sensitive active: the packaging is doing work here.
where this comes from
The pack form is read off the packshot; the light-sensitive actives are the base's photostability rows, sourced on each glossary page; the period after opening is not read yet. Catalogue checked September 2026.
How to use it, and when
Night only. Start 2–3 nights a week and build up as your skin adjusts, and always wear sunscreen the next morning, because retinoids make skin more sun-sensitive.
What not to layer it with
- Exfoliating acids (AHA / BHA)
- Benzoyl peroxide
- Strong vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid)
Where in your skin it works
2 of its 6 placed actives act below the dead surface layer, 4 on or in 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
- Hyaluronic acidderived from what it is
The living epidermis
- Niacinamideestablished, sourced
- Retinolestablished, sourced
6 of this product's actives have a layer we can defend.
Sources for the sourced ones: Boo 2021: mechanistic basis for topical nicotinamide; Ebanks et al. 2009: mechanisms regulating skin pigmentation; Szymanski et al. 2020: retinoic acid and its derivatives in skin.
How it compares with the average serum
It scores higher than the median serum on oil control, anti-aging and barrier repair.
It gives up ground on hydration.
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
30 of these 33 ingredients are in our library, linked and named for what each one does, with anything that can irritate or clog flagged; the 3 we cannot place are left plain, nothing is hidden. Every ingredient on the label, in the order it appears (highest amount first).
All 33 ingredients, decoded
- Aqua/Water/EauSolvent (base)
- PropanediolHumectant
- DimethiconeOcclusive
- Cetearyl EthylhexanoateEmollient (ester)
- NiacinamideVitaminmild irritant
- Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl TaurateThickener
- Dipotassium GlycyrrhizateSoothing
- Hydrogenated LecithinEmulsifier
- Potassium PhosphateBuffer
- Ceramide NPBarrier lipid
- Ceramide APBarrier lipid
- Ceramide EOPBarrier lipid
- roughly the 1% lineThe rules only require descending order above 1%. From Carbomer down, these 21 can be listed in any order the brand likes, so position stops telling you anything.
- CarbomerThickener
- Cetearyl AlcoholEmollient
- Behentrimonium MethosulfateConditioning agent
- DimethiconolEmollient
- LecithinEmulsifier
- Sodium CitratePh adjuster
- RetinolRetinoidpregnancy: avoidcan irritate
- Sodium HyaluronateHumectant
- Sodium Lauroyl LactylateSurfactantmild irritant
- CholesterolBarrier lipid
- PhenoxyethanolPreservativemild irritant
- AlcoholSolventcan irritate
- Isopropyl MyristateEmollientmay clog pores
- Caprylyl GlycolPreservative booster
- Citric AcidExfoliantmild irritant
- Pentylene GlycolHumectant
- PhytosphingosineSphingoid base
- Xanthan GumThickener
- Polysorbate 20Emulsifiermild irritant
- EthylhexylglycerinPreservative booster
Worth knowing: Retinol 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/Eau, Propanediol, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Niacinamide, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Potassium Phosphate, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Carbomer, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Dimethiconol, Lecithin, Sodium Citrate, Retinol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Cholesterol, Phenoxyethanol, Alcohol, Isopropyl Myristate, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Pentylene Glycol, Phytosphingosine, Xanthan Gum, Polysorbate 20, Ethylhexylglycerin
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.
shares 5 of its 6 actives
shares 3 of its 6 actives
Compare it with…
28 duels are built for this serum, The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion and The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% in Squalane among them: type a name, or pick one below.
Common questions
Is the retinol in CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum enough to do anything?
Retinol is 19th of 33, 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.
How high up the list is the niacinamide in CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum?
Niacinamide is the 5th of 33 ingredients: above the 1% line. Position is the only amount the law makes a brand declare, so 5th of 33 is the one number on this label a reader can check.
Is isopropyl myristate a problem for clogged pores in CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum?
Isopropyl Myristate (Fulton 5) sits 25th, but below the 1% line, where the rating means less. The Fulton scale rates an isolated ingredient on rabbit ears, not a finished formula on a face, so the position on the label is as much of the answer as the number.
Is CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum expensive per ml?
≈ €0.53/ml, about the median serum in our catalogue (€0.57/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.
Is CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum good for oily skin?
By our read of the formula, it suits oily, combo, dry skin. CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum is a serum built around Niacinamide, Ceramide 3 and Retinol. It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair, brightening / tone. Best suited to oily, combo and dry skin. One caveat: it's best skipped during pregnancy.
How do you use CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum?
Night only. Start 2–3 nights a week and build up as your skin adjusts, and always wear sunscreen the next morning, because retinoids make skin more sun-sensitive.
What are the key ingredients in CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum?
The actives that do the work are Niacinamide, Ceramide 3, Retinol, Ceramide 6-II, Ceramide 1, Hyaluronic acid. The rest of the list is texture, preservatives and emulsifiers that hold the formula together.
Is CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum safe during pregnancy?
Avoid in pregnancy: Retinol. When in doubt, check with your doctor before using it.
What the 3D scene shows
The scene shows CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum 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 in the stratum corneum, the dead outer layer where most skincare works; Niacinamide and Retinol in the living epidermis, among the cells that are still dividing. 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.
