A fragrance-free, gel-to-lotion facial cleanser formulated with ceramides and hyaluronic acid, designed to remove dirt and impurities without stripping the skin's moisture.
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
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Guru Score
The Guru Score: every expert's verdict on a product, in one simple number.
Under the score you'll see how many experts weighed in, or "Early verdict" while only a few have. Paid takes count for half in the score.
Guru Certified means at least 6 experts, a score of 85% or more, and almost no Nays.
How we score →Yay
28 experts · Strong agreementWhat the gurus are saying
Dry, sensitive or acne-treated skin is where this blue-bottle cleanser keeps winning: it's fragrance-free, packed with ceramides and glycerin, and leaves skin soft rather than stripped. The one real split is feel, since it can read as lotion on your face, which puts some off and delights dry skin. It isn't the pick for a first cleanse to melt off makeup and sunscreen.
What they liked
What they flagged
The concerns the experts tie this product to, in their own words. Paid and founder takes don't count.
“You're reinforcing the barrier while cleansing at the same time, not just trying to avoid damaging it.”
Dr. Aleksandra Brown, watch at 3:24
“The green and white hydrating CeraVe has been an OG for my patients with acne who are having dryness from their prescription medications.”
Dr. Daniel Sugai, watch at 2:12
“This should be the one you go for [...] if you have eczema.”
Dr. Vanita Rattan, watch at 2:09
“I feel like it's calming my skin.”
Dr. Vanita Rattan, watch at 2:09
“Among the gentle cleansers I'm a big fan of for rosacea is the CeraVe hydrating cleanser.”
208SkinDoc, watch at 6:27
“I tend to lean towards this one when someone's skin feels tight after washing or is it dry year-round or maybe it's already compromised from retinoid or acne treatments.”
Dr. Aleksandra Brown, watch at 3:24
“Ceramide is helpful in maintaining and repairing your skin barrier, and niacinamide in small concentrations is known to help with the skin barrier, help with inflammation, help regulate sebum production.”
Dr. Daniel Sugai, watch at 1:47
“It has niacinamide, which is really good for the moisture barrier and also good for hyperpigmentation.”
Dr Dray, watch at 1:08
Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.
Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.
Ceramides are part of the skin's own barrier, and moisturisers built around them have evidence for holding water in and settling the tightness and flaking that come with a damaged barrier.
Source: DermNet
Ingredients like these draw water into the surface layers and slow how fast it leaves. The evidence is for comfort, softness and hydration rather than for changing the structure of the skin.
Source: DermNet
Vitamin E is an antioxidant, and it is often in a formula to keep the other ingredients stable rather than as the active itself. It pairs well with vitamin C, though on its own the evidence for visible change is limited.
A fragrance-free, gel-to-lotion facial cleanser formulated with ceramides and hyaluronic acid, designed to remove dirt and impurities without stripping the skin's moisture.
Mostly yes. 24 of the 28 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 85%.
CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser holds a Guru Score of 85%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 28 expert reviewers we have collected. It is also Guru Certified, our mark for products that hold broad approval across many expert reviewers.
CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser is generally suited to dry skin and sensitive skin.
In their reviews, experts say CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser is good for skin barrier support (9 experts), breakouts and acne (5 experts), eczema (4 experts), irritated or reactive skin (3 experts), rosacea (2 experts) and calming retinoid irritation (2 experts).
9 experts who reviewed CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser say it is. Dr. Aleksandra Brown put it this way: “You're reinforcing the barrier while cleansing at the same time, not just trying to avoid damaging it.”
Products built around the same core actives as this one, with what the experts make of each.
See how they stack up →Other products the same gurus have weighed in on, plus more from this brand and category.
Compare side by side →Stories where our editors dug into this product or its brand.
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