CeraVe

Acne Control Gel.

Acne

About this product

CeraVe Acne Control Gel is a leave-on salicylic acid treatment (2%) with niacinamide, designed to treat acne and control excess oil.

Best for

Oily skin Acne-prone skin

Type

AcneGel

Key actives

Niacinamide Hyaluronic acid Salicylic acid (BHA)AHACeramides

Formula notes

Fragrance-freeNo drying alcohol

Full ingredients

Aqua/Water, Glycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, Salicylic Acid, Niacinamide, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Carbomer, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Triethyl Citrate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Cholesterol, Chlorphenesin, Disodium EDTA, Hydroxypropyl Guar, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Phytosphingosine, Benzoic Acid

Guru Score

84%

Approved

Early verdict · Few reviews so far

2Gurus

2Approved

0Mixed

0Skip

What the gurus are saying

Its 2% salicylic acid penetrates deep into cystic pimples, reaching the oil gland to dry them up even when they haven't surfaced. It's a leave-on gel that works all over the face or as a spot treatment, and reviewers note it has niacinamide to regulate oil and performs similarly to pricier competitors but at roughly half the cost.

Synthesized from 2 expert reviews · most recent take November 2025

Where to buy

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How it works Independent by design. Every take comes from a creator we have no relationship with. We do not ask anyone to review, and affiliate links never move a score.

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

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Dr Dray

2.68M subs

✓Approved

"For leave-on salicylic acid, this CeraVe Acne Control Gel is amazing. It's got glycolic and lactic, which are alpha hydroxy acids that gently exfoliate and hydrate. It has salicylic acid, which is good for exfoliating the pore. Good for not only blackheads, whiteheads, and pores, but for hyperpigmentation as well."

All 4 takes from Dr Dray

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"The actual product is the CeraVe Acne Control Gel, which is one ounce and also has the 2% salicylic acid. The texture, the performance, the feel, the spread, everything is pretty much the same, and it's $15.74, so you get more product, less money. That's the one to get. This is actually really good. This is great for all the things that 2% salicylic acid does. CeraVe is a L'Oreal company, so we're talking huge, huge, huge industrial scale science, bench decades in the making with some of their formulations and ingredients."

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"CeraVe Acne Control Gel has very similar ingredients, larger volume of product, like half the price."

SKINCARE ROUTINE FOR BLACKHEADS @DrDrayzday

"Speaking of combination products that have both glycolic and salicylic acid, CeraVe has their Acne Control Gel. Similar to that blackhead product from Neutrogena, these are marketed for people who have acne, but these ingredient families and formulations can also be helpful for rough and bumpy skin, keratosis pilaris, hyperpigmentation. They have a lot of other benefits, anti-aging, just as a mild exfoliant for improving skin tone. This one combines salicylic acid with alpha hydroxy acids, and it's more of a gel, like the Neutrogena one, whereas the Ordinary is more of a liquid. I find gels, or just products that have a little bit more texture to them, are easier to apply more precisely as opposed to a liquid."

208SkinDoc

2.09M subs

✓Approved

"The CeraVe Acne Control Gel is a 2% salicylic acid, a really great leave-on treatment. It can be used all over or as a spot treatment."

All 2 takes from 208SkinDoc

Do You Have Sebaceous Filaments or Blackheads?

"The CeraVe Acne Control Gel is a 2% salicylic acid, a really great leave-on treatment. It can be used all over or as a spot treatment."

Do This if You Have Oily Skin

"The CeraVe Acne Control Gel has a 2% salicylic acid, which helps dry up pimples while also removing excess oil from the skin. It's designed to be a leave on product, so you can put it on and leave it on all day, and it also has niacinamide to help regulate oil production. This gel does a really good job taking care of pimples that have already surfaced. I find that salicylic acid at 2% is really quite effective for those deep cystic pimples because you get a little bit of penetration down to the oil gland to help dry it up, even if they don't come to a head."

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Niacinamide

Niacinamide has evidence behind it for redness, uneven tone and supporting the skin barrier, and it is usually well tolerated even by skin that reacts to most things.

Source: DermNet

Salicylic acid

Salicylic acid dissolves in oil, so it can get into a pore rather than just working on the surface. That is why it has long-standing evidence for blackheads and milder acne.

Source: DermNet

Alpha hydroxy acids

Alpha hydroxy acids loosen the bonds holding dead cells at the surface. The evidence supports smoother texture and more even tone over time, and they can leave skin more sensitive to sun.

Source: NIH, National Library of Medicine

Frequently asked.

What is CeraVe Acne Control Gel?

CeraVe Acne Control Gel is a leave-on salicylic acid treatment (2%) with niacinamide, designed to treat acne and control excess oil.

Is CeraVe Acne Control Gel worth it?

Yes. All 2 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 84%.

What is CeraVe Acne Control Gel's Guru Score?

CeraVe Acne Control Gel holds a Guru Score of 84%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 2 expert reviewers we have collected.