CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser On your shelf ✓
€0.11 an application · about 120 usesOur review, in one look
Niacinamide is the reason to consider this cleanser, with Ceramide 3 behind it.
The case for it
- Niacinamide, strong evidence for the barrier
- Ceramide 3, strong evidence for the barrier
- No fragrance, alcohol, silicones or parabens
Mind this
- Sunscreen the next day, acids leave skin more sun-sensitive
- Add it on its own for a week or two, so you know what your skin is answering to
Maya's readCeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser is a cleanser built around Glycerin, Niacinamide and Ceramide 3. It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair, brightening / tone. Best suited to dry, dehydrated and oily skin. Go slow: the active is potent enough to irritate if overused.
Cost per use: what a day of it costs
€0.11 an applicationabout 120 uses from 236 ml
a usual amount, not a measured dose: a nickel-sized amount, about 2 ml; from €13 as read in September 2026 and a 236 ml pack.
how this is counted
About €0.11 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 your barrier is already sensitised or compromised: the acids can sting broken or over-exfoliated skin.
What it washes off: sunscreen, makeup, the day
medium
a medium system: sodium lauroyl sarcosinate, sodium methyl cocoyl taurate, sodium lauroyl lactylate; beside them, cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine.
- Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
- Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
- Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
- Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
- 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.
11 of the 24 sit above the 1% line. The other 13, 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
- 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
Nothing on this label was measured to feed Malassezia; 1 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
- 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.
Multitasking vitamin that improves barrier, reduces redness, regulates oil, helps with pores and pigmentation with strong clinical support.
Skin-identical ceramide that plays a key role in restoring and strengthening the skin barrier.
Oil-soluble exfoliant that penetrates pores to reduce blackheads and breakouts; can be drying or irritating if overused.
Polyhydroxy acid that gently exfoliates while drawing water into the skin, offering smoother texture with much lower irritation than classic AHAs.
Ceramide that supports barrier integrity and helps smooth rough, dry skin when combined with other skin lipids.
What only this label says
Salicylic acid (BHA) is 14th of 24, under the 1% line: a trace, not a treatment.
why
The 1% line is inferred from Carbomer at position 12; below it the order is the brand's choice and 13 ingredients share that tail.
Niacinamide is the 5th of 24 ingredients: above the 1% line.
why
Position 5 of 24 on the label as printed; compared with the 111 other labels in the catalogue that carry a vitamin.
≈ €0.055/ml, below the median cleanser in our catalogue (€0.067/ml).
why
~€13 for 236 ml, checked September 2026; the median of the 26 cleansers in the catalogue with a known size.
Shares 4 of its 6 known actives with CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser: the closest formula we have.
why
Actives our base knows on both labels: Glycerin, Niacinamide, Ceramide 3 and Ceramide 6-II.
4 of the 6 actives carry strong evidence in our base (Glycerin, Niacinamide, Ceramide 3 and Ceramide 6-II); Salicylic acid (BHA) and Gluconolactone are moderate.
why
evidence_level in our base, per row, as printed on each glossary page.
Water, then sodium lauroyl sarcosinate: 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 (Cleansing agent).
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 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
- humectantsIts glycerin has about a minute on the skin; the evidence for it comes from leave-on use - here its job is to keep the wash from drying the skin, not to hydrate it afterwards.Glycerin
- activesIts niacinamide has about a minute on the skin; the evidence for it comes from leave-on use - here its job is to do what a minute of contact allows, not what the leave-on trials measured.Niacinamide
- exfoliantsIts salicylic acid and gluconolactone have about a minute on the skin; the evidence for them comes from leave-on use - here their job is to loosen what the wash takes with it, not the leave-on dose the trials used.Salicylic acid (BHA) · Gluconolactone
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
In the evening, and not every night: 2–3 times a week is plenty. Follow with a moisturiser, and wear sunscreen the next day.
What not to layer it with
- Retinoids (retinol, tretinoin)
- Benzoyl peroxide
- Other exfoliating acids the same night
Where in your skin it works
1 of its 6 placed actives acts below the dead surface layer, 5 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 3derived from what it is
- Ceramide 6-IIderived from what it is
- Gluconolactonederived from what it is
- Glycerinderived from what it is
- Salicylic acid (BHA)derived from what it is
The living epidermis
- Niacinamideestablished, 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.
How it compares with the average cleanser
It scores higher than the median cleanser on brightening, oil control and barrier repair.
On hydration 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
19 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 5 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)
- Sodium Lauroyl SarcosinateCleansing agent
- Cocamidopropyl HydroxysultaineCleansing agent
- GlycerinHumectant
- NiacinamideVitaminmild irritant
- GluconolactoneExfoliant
- Sodium Methyl Cocoyl TaurateSurfactant
- PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl TetrastearateThickener
- Ceramide NPBarrier lipid
- Ceramide APBarrier lipid
- Ceramide EOPBarrier lipid
- roughly the 1% lineThe rules only require descending order above 1%. From Carbomer down, these 13 can be listed in any order the brand likes, so position stops telling you anything.
- CarbomerThickener
- Calcium GluconateMineral
- Salicylic AcidExfoliantmild irritant
- Sodium BenzoatePreservative
- Sodium Lauroyl LactylateSurfactantmild irritant
- CholesterolBarrier lipid
- PhenoxyethanolPreservativemild irritant
- Disodium EDTAChelator
- Tetrasodium EDTAChelator
- Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic AcidHumectant
- PhytosphingosineSphingoid base
- Xanthan GumThickener
- EthylhexylglycerinPreservative booster
Copy the raw INCI list
Aqua/Water, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Gluconolactone, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Carbomer, Calcium Gluconate, Salicylic Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Cholesterol, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium EDTA, Tetrasodium EDTA, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Phytosphingosine, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin
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 4 of its 6 actives
shares 4 of its 6 actives
Compare it with…
13 duels are built for this cleanser, CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser and CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser among them: type a name, or pick one below.
Common questions
Is the salicylic acid (BHA) in CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser enough to do anything?
Salicylic acid (BHA) is 14th 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.
How high up the list is the niacinamide in CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser?
Niacinamide is the 5th of 24 ingredients: above the 1% line. Position is the only amount the law makes a brand declare, so 5th of 24 is the one number on this label a reader can check.
Is CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser expensive per ml?
≈ €0.055/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.
What is the base of CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser?
Water, then sodium lauroyl sarcosinate: a light, water-led base. The first ingredients are the bulk of a formula; the actives come after them.
Is CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser good for dry skin?
By our read of the formula, it suits dry, dehydrated, oily skin. CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser is a cleanser built around Glycerin, Niacinamide and Ceramide 3. It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair, brightening / tone. Best suited to dry, dehydrated and oily skin. Go slow: the active is potent enough to irritate if overused.
How do you use CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser?
In the evening, and not every night: 2–3 times a week is plenty. Follow with a moisturiser, and wear sunscreen the next day.
What are the key ingredients in CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser?
The actives that do the work are Glycerin, Niacinamide, Ceramide 3, Salicylic acid (BHA), Gluconolactone, Ceramide 6-II. The rest of the list is texture, preservatives and emulsifiers that hold the formula together.
Does CeraVe SA Smoothing 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 SA Smoothing Cleanser beside a cross-section of skin, with 4 of its ingredients drawn at the layer each one acts on and at one shared molecular scale: Ceramide 3 and Gluconolactone and Glycerin and Salicylic acid (BHA) 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.
