CeraVe SA Cream for Rough and Bumpy Skin: a Guru Score of 77%

What the experts use it for.

The concerns the experts tie this product to, in their own words. Paid and founder takes don't count.

Keratosis pilaris (bumpy arms)5 experts

“some people just find that salicylic acid helps their KP more than alpha hydroxy acid does.”

Dr Dray, watch at 13:43

Clogged or visible pores1 expert

“I get those clogged pores sometimes on my legs from like my workout clothes, and this totally helps, even by itself.”

Darnell Cox | 50+ Healthy Aging Expert, watch at 47:10

Eczema1 expert

“I love this for eczema and also like the little bumps that people get on the back of their arm, keratosis pilaris.”

Darnell Cox | 50+ Healthy Aging Expert, watch at 33:13

Skin barrier support1 expert

“Not only does the salicylic acid help to soften that rough bumpy stuff but then the formula overall helps to address the needs of the skin barrier as it relates to having dry skin.”

Dr Dray, watch at 11:44

Rough or uneven texture1 expert

“Salicylic acid helps unclog follicles, reducing bumpy texture.”

Dr. Aleksandra Brown, watch at 8:49

Cracked hands and heels1 expert

“If you have deep cracks in your heels, I don't think this is going to repair your heel, but [...] this is great for maintaining your heels or your feet once you've done the corrective work.”

Dr. Sam Ellis, watch at 6:22

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.

All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored

Dr. Daniel Sugai

723k subs

✓Yay

"Consider CeraVe SA Cream with salicylic acid. That's a beta hydroxy acid that will also help exfoliate the skin gently. I really love those products. Those are great to start off with, especially applying after a shower. It will help with those dry, ashy knees and elbows."

Darnell Cox | 50+ Healthy Aging Expert

55k subs

✓Yay

"This is a very good product, everybody, for not a lot of money. An SA cream is [...] a salicylic acid cream. It's made for rough and bumpy skin. Imagine what it does for smooth skin, right? It's an exfoliant. So I'll use it on those places where I've got keratosis polaris or I've got like little imperfections."

All 6 takes from Darnell Cox | 50+ Healthy Aging Expert

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"This is a very good product, everybody, for not a lot of money. An SA cream is [...] a salicylic acid cream. It's made for rough and bumpy skin. Imagine what it does for smooth skin, right? It's an exfoliant. So I'll use it on those places where I've got keratosis polaris or I've got like little imperfections."

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"This is a very good product, everybody, for not a lot of money. An SA cream is [...] a salicylic acid cream. It's made for rough and bumpy skin. Imagine what it does for smooth skin, right? It's an exfoliant. So I'll use it on those places where I've got keratosis polaris or I've got like little imperfections."

At-Home Body Treatments

"This CeraVe SA cream is salicylic acid for rough and bumpy skin. Even if your skin is not rough and bumpy, [...] it's going to exfoliate. It's going to help with cell turnover and create younger functioning skin. You can get this at CVS or Raidate."

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"This is a [...] salicylic acid cream for rough and bumpy skin. I use this on my body sometimes in lieu of a retinoid for the body and it works great on those little bumpy spots that happen. It's like [...] a light exfoliation without peeling for your body."

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"This is the SA Cream for Rough and Bumpy Skin. It's a salicylic acid. I get those clogged pores sometimes on my legs from like my workout clothes, and this totally helps, even by itself. It's not a retinoid but it still helps and it's relatively inexpensive. [...] A dime-size amount will last a very long time."

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"I actually love [...] the CeraVe SA Cream for Rough and Bumpy Skin. It's a salicylic acid cream that has three essential ceramides. It helps, it moisturizes, it helps with the skin barrier, and it helps to treat. I love this for eczema and also like the little bumps that people get on the back of their arm, keratosis pilaris. This is great for that. So even though I might not have rough and bumpy skin, this is something that I use almost nightly."

Dr. Vanita Rattan

1.23M subs

✓Nay

"Just any time you see alcohol as a solvent in the top sort of 10 ingredients in a product list, I would run away in the opposite direction. The damage actually continues even after you've worn it, even after you've washed it off. The damage doesn't end when you put alcohol on the skin. It really does damage your skin barrier. So it's a shame. I would avoid it. They could have very easily sidestepped it and used glycol instead."

James Welsh

1.58M subs

✓Yay

"Their Renewing Salicylic Acid Cream, which was formulated to exfoliate and soften rough, bumpy skin, making it suitable for conditions like keratosis pilaris."

Nadine Baggott

164k subs

✓Yay

"That is in my house all the time"

Dr. Somji Skin

361k subs

✓Yay

"I really like it. [...] It's a salicylic acid based smoothing cream for dry rough and bumpy skin. If you [...] get those bumpy little bumps, that you see with keratosis pilaris, salicylic acid washes in the shower and then using something like the SA smoothing cream is going to be really really useful. [...] You've got urea, you've got glycerin, you've got cetyl alcohol."

Dr. Jenny Liu

324k subs

✓Yay

"If you are doing exfoliation on a regular basis, this is where I recommend going with a chemical exfoliate like maybe something with salicilic acid like for example the CeraVe rough and bumpy line."

No BS Beauty

89k subs

✓Yay

"The Crave Great Barrier relief is also another dupe for it so uh the grave is going to be probably the most affordable one"

Dr Dray

2.69M subs

✓Yay

"The salicylic acid cream from CeraVe, the SA Cream for Rough and Bumpy Skin, [...] these are good for keratosis pilaris or if you want something more lightweight in consistency the lotion option is good. [...] Not only does the salicylic acid help to soften that rough bumpy stuff but then the formula overall helps to address the needs of the skin barrier as it relates to having dry skin."

All 4 takes from Dr Dray

*NEW* DRUGSTORE ANTI-AGING SKIN CARE 🛍 Dermatologist @DrDrayzday

"The salicylic acid cream from CeraVe, the SA Cream for Rough and Bumpy Skin, [...] these are good for keratosis pilaris or if you want something more lightweight in consistency the lotion option is good. [...] Not only does the salicylic acid help to soften that rough bumpy stuff but then the formula overall helps to address the needs of the skin barrier as it relates to having dry skin."

NEW SKINCARE AT WALMART 2023 🛍 Dermatologist @DrDrayzday

"It was featured in my best moisturizers of 2022. If you don't like heavy greasy moisturizers and you like more of a gel cream, try this. It works really well as a facial moisturizer too, even though it's not marketed as one, it's nice and lightweight, and I use it that way. It works well."

Dark Underarms & Winter Skincare Tips *Vlog* @DrDrayzday

"For those of you who like the CeraVe SA creams, they're a great option for rough and bumpy skin. Although if you have KP, technically alpha hydroxy acids are better on paper, some people just find that salicylic acid helps their KP more than alpha hydroxy acid does."

SIGNS OF EXTREME DRY SKIN // ICHTHYOSIS VULGARIS @DrDrayzday

"CeraVe SA Cream contains salicylic acid, a keratolytic ingredient that [...] helps with corneocyte disaggregation in the upper portion of the stratum corneum, which makes it helpful for ichthyosis vulgaris."

Dr. Sam Ellis

902k subs

✓Yay

"One moisturizer I really like for dry feet is the CeraVe SA Cream. This has salicylic acid which is a beta hydroxy acid and an exfoliant, and it also has lactic acid which is an alpha hydroxy acid which helps with exfoliation but also helps with hydration because lactic acid is a humectant. If you have deep cracks in your heels, I don't think this is going to repair your heel, but [...] this is great for maintaining your heels or your feet once you've done the corrective work."

Dr Alexis Stephens

582k subs

✓Yay

"CeraVe has the ceramides in there but it's also got salicylic acid and niacinamide and glycerin plus urea and lactic acid and it's fantastically formulated to actually be gentle enough to use every day."

The Budget Dermatologist

725k subs

✓Yay

"These also have ceramides in them and other skin nourishing ingredients like hyaluronic acid and niacinamide. So this is a great all-in-one product to hydrate, nourish, and exfoliate."

Dr. Aleksandra Brown

153k subs

✓Yay

"The CeraVe SA Cream for Rough and Bumpy Skin, I primarily think of as a body product. It contains salicylic acid and lactic acid along with niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and ceramides. I use it and recommend it for keratosis pilaris, rough elbows, rough knees, bumpy arms, and bumpy thighs, and for those concerns I really like it. But if your goal is simply moisturizing normal skin, you probably don't need all these exfoliating ingredients, and I'd pick the moisturizing cream instead."

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

Urea

Urea both holds water in the skin and gently loosens dead surface cells. At higher strengths it has good evidence for very dry or thickened skin.

Source: DermNet

Frequently asked.

What is CeraVe SA Cream for Rough and Bumpy Skin?

A salicylic acid body cream designed to smooth and soften rough, bumpy skin and dry areas such as the knees, elbows and feet.

Is CeraVe SA Cream for Rough and Bumpy Skin worth it?

Mostly yes. 13 of the 14 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 77%.

What is CeraVe SA Cream for Rough and Bumpy Skin's Guru Score?

CeraVe SA Cream for Rough and Bumpy Skin holds a Guru Score of 77%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 14 expert reviewers we have collected.

Who is CeraVe SA Cream for Rough and Bumpy Skin best for?

CeraVe SA Cream for Rough and Bumpy Skin is generally suited to dry skin.

What is CeraVe SA Cream for Rough and Bumpy Skin good for, according to the experts?

In their reviews, experts say CeraVe SA Cream for Rough and Bumpy Skin is good for keratosis pilaris (bumpy arms) (5 experts), clogged or visible pores (1 expert), eczema (1 expert), skin barrier support (1 expert), rough or uneven texture (1 expert) and cracked hands and heels (1 expert).

Is CeraVe SA Cream for Rough and Bumpy Skin good for keratosis pilaris (bumpy arms)?

5 experts who reviewed CeraVe SA Cream for Rough and Bumpy Skin say it is. Dr Dray put it this way: “some people just find that salicylic acid helps their KP more than alpha hydroxy acid does.”