What is CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum?

A lightweight retinol serum designed to deliver anti-aging benefits with minimal irritation, formulated with encapsulated retinol, ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide to support the skin barrier.

Is CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum worth it?

Yes. All 9 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 91%.

What is CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum's Guru Score?

CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum holds a Guru Score of 91%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 9 independent expert reviewers we have collected. It is also Guru Certified, our mark for products that hold broad approval across many expert reviewers.

Who is CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum best for?

CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum is generally suited to mature skin.

CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum: a Guru Score of 91%

Every take, in full

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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No BS Beauty

89k subs

✓Approved

"The CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum is $17. The star of the show is the encapsulated retinol they use. It also contains niacinamide, licorice root, and ceramides, which are in everything CeraVe does. It reduces the appearance of post-acne marks and pores, and three essential ceramides help the skin barrier and improve skin smoothness. It's really affordable, and this is one of the good ones, especially if you have acne-prone skin."

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"CeraVe has two different retinol products, and this one, the CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum, is the one I really like. They're both wonderful, but this one's got retinol, which will help brighten your skin as well as being great for anti-aging and preventing breakouts, and then it's good for dark spots and hyperpigmentation issues as well because it contains licorice root as well as niacinamide as well as several ceramides, which is kind of their hook line, they've got ceramides. But this stuff is really wonderful and really affordable. If you're an experienced retinol user I would probably recommend something stronger, but if you're newer to retinoids or looking for help with dark spots and things like that, this is a great two-in-one type serum, so worth checking out."

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"The ones from CeraVe are really good. The Skin Renewing Retinol Serum or the Resurfacing Retinol Serum, they're both good and very affordable."

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"The CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum, this one's really nice. They have a couple different retinol products, this one is my favorite, especially if you suffer from hyperpigmentation issues. It can help with brightening skin up, and the retinoids in here are great for anti-aging as well. They have two different retinoid products and this is my favorite of the two, and it's really lovely."

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Dr. Daniel Sugai

718k subs

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"CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum has licorice root extract that's soothing but also works on dark spots as well as niacinamide too. So those are great brightening retinoids to consider."

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"Next would be CeraVe's Resurfacing Retinol Serum. I like this more than the purple air-tight pump. This blue one, much better, especially if you have hyperpigmentation. I had steered patients towards this direction if you have dark spots, melasma, and you want to gently work on those dark spots with a retinol. This one actually is targeting dark spots more effectively with niacinamide, but also licorice root extract. I like the texture of it. I've done a compares video between the blue and the purple retinol serums, and I have to go with this one. This blue one is still one of my favorites. And of course, you get the three essential ceramides in all CeraVe products, which is an essential component of your skin barrier, helps repair the skin barrier. So, for those with sensitive skin, CeraVe's great."

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"Something very affordable you can consider is the CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum. This has licorice root extract, so if you have hyperpigmentation on your neck that's something you can consider."

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"The CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum is good, it has the hyaluronic acid and encapsulated retinol, but I like the resurfacing Retinol Serum more than the skin renewing one. I feel like the texture is better on my skin with the resurfacing one, so I use that one more often than this one. You only need a pea-size amount for your entire face, so just a pump on your fingertip, break it up into dots on your face, connect the dots, and that will be all you need. If you put more than that you will get a dry peeling face or even red and swollen, so really be careful. After applying, apply your moisturizing lotion."

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"I also like CeraVe's Resurfacing Retinol Serum. I like that more than the Skin Renewing, the purple one."

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"You can consider CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum if you want something over the counter. I'm still able to tolerate my Alpharet, but sometimes you might not be able to do that every night, so you might want to alternate that with something like an over the counter retinol."

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"For beginners, you can do the CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum if you have hyperpigmentation because it has licorice root extract and niacinamide."

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"CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum is very fun, but there are times when we have trouble with the skin irritation that comes with it."

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"First up, CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum. I like this more than their skin renewing purple serum, I like the texture more in this. If you have hyperpigmentation, go for this, because it has licorice root extract and niacinamide, both of those ingredients are great at brightening your skin, reducing dark spots. I feel like this is a great start to the world of retinol, I like this one over the purple one. Use a pea sized amount to your entire face at bedtime."

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"If you're a beginner, if you have sensitive skin, if you have rosacea, you might want to stick with an over-the-counter retinol that you can find at your store, whether it's the CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum... those are gentle over-the-counter options to start off with."

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"Olay and CeraVe and Rock just feel so much nicer. CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum, I like that a lot."

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"Let's talk about CeraVe, a very affordable option. I like the resurfacing Retinol Serum a lot. It has licorice root extract as well as niacinamide, and niacinamide is a jack of all trades that works on sebum but also helps brighten the skin. The licorice root extract in this is good if you have hyperpigmentation because that also works on decreasing melanin production, it helps with brightening your skin. So this is a nice lightweight serum, you only need a pea size amount, whether you use a prescription retinoid or an over-the-counter one. Yes, you can layer this with your vitamin C, but I usually like to break up vitamin C in the morning and doing your retinoid at night. That one is I don't know, 20, 25 bucks for one fluid ounce, which seems pretty standard. It is encapsulated, so technically maybe it is photo stable, but I always say just in case use your retinoids at bedtime on dry skin, you don't want it to be on damp skin because it will absorb too much and cause irritation."

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"I like it mixed in with my retinol, say the CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum, that retinol serum is great and it has licorice root extract as well as niacinamide to help brighten the skin."

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"They've done a great job with the retinol. CeraVe is a nice gentle option, good if you have some hyperpigmentation and you want to help with those dark spots and the fine lines and wrinkles, in your mid-20s and up. It's got licorice root extract, you've got niacinamide in this, very affordable for the youngins. You can check these out at your local store."

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"You can do CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum, their resurfacing retinol serum. That one is a good one that's very affordable."

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"Niacinamide is a great versatile ingredient you can see in retinols like CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum, which has niacinamide in it. That's great to pair with your retinol because niacinamide is brightening, it can regulate sebum production, and this vitamin B3 analog can also work on barrier repair."

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"I also like CeraVe resurfacing retinol in the blue uh pump that one's a nice one but they don't disclose how much retinol is in that one"

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"CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum has licorice root extract that's soothing but also works on dark spots as well as niacinamide too. So those are great brightening retinoids to consider."

Dr. Aleksandra Brown

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✓Approved

"If you're somebody just starting, you may want to consider CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum. It's a really good starting point."

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"If you have more sensitive skin or you're new to retinoids, this is a really good place to start. It uses that encapsulated retinol, which means it's going to be more slowly released and less irritating to the skin. Less irritation means you're going to get better anti-aging benefits because you're more likely to use it. I really like this option because it's lightweight, easy to layer, and it's very focused on barrier support. This is a really good choice if you want to be consistent with retinoids without dealing with a lot of dryness, peeling, or irritation."

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"If you've never used a retinoid before, this is hands-down one of my favorite places to start. The biggest reason people quit retinol early isn't that it doesn't work, it's that they get hit with way too much irritation too fast, and they give up. CeraVe designed this formula specifically to prevent that. The retinol is encapsulated, which means it's released gradually over time instead of all at once. So, you're getting steady, consistent benefits without the irritation spike that scares most beginners off. It's also paired with ceramides to reinforce your skin barrier, niacinamide to calm redness, and hyaluronic acid for hydration. That combination right there is so thoughtful because barrier disruption is exactly what leads to that peeling, burning, tight feeling, and this formula is built to get ahead of that. It's also under 25 bucks and available at any drugstore, which makes it a genuinely really low-risk first step."

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"If you're somebody just starting, you may want to consider CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum. It's a really good starting point."

Dr Dray

2.67M subs

✓Approved

"The retinol in that line is amazing."

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"This one from CeraVe, the Skin Renewing Retinol Serum, is wonderful because it's really formulated to address the needs of skin types that tend to lean to development of uneven skin tone, discoloration, persistent redness, but are also seeking that smoothing effect from a topical retinol and are also seeking the anti-aging benefits of improved collagen production. One of the reasons I always recommend this is that L'Oreal, they are doing so much R&D behind the scenes. You can't go wrong with a retinol from a L'Oreal brand, but this in particular I like because no fragrance. It has ceramides, which are lipids that are naturally found in your skin, and applying them helps with the moisture barrier, so it can ultimately help offset the dryness and irritation that you might experience with this, although it's going to be less than a topical prescription retinoid. But it's got licorice root and niacinamide. Both of those ingredients are amazing for dark spots and for redness."

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"This is one of my favorites, the CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum. It has hyaluronic acid which is hydrating and helps combat the dryness. It's a really effective retinol. It has niacinamide which also helps with the redness and irritation that you might develop with getting used to the retinol. It has ceramides which are good for the moisture barrier."

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"You might find the CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum, which I've recommended, and it's got niacinamide in it. I don't like niacinamide, so you kind of have to pay attention to the ingredients more with a retinol like this."

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"Their Skin Renewing Retinol Serum is great if you're looking for an affordable effective retinol formula."

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"Retinol is a version of topical vitamin A that also can have some benefits. It's not an FDA approved treatment for anything, it's a cosmetic ingredient, but with long-term consistent use it may also improve collagen production. This particular product is the CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum, and it has licorice root and niacinamide. Licorice root is helpful for redness, and the niacinamide is also helpful for both redness and hyperpigmentation, so this can be really helpful for overlying surface changes and possibly subtly soften the appearance of depressed scars."

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"I have videos detailing how to do this. It's not off the table at all if you have rosacea, and in fact it can help rosacea, especially if you have papulopustular rosacea, the little bumps that look like pimples and the bumps that are full of pus. A topical retinoid or even a cosmetic retinol potentially can reduce the abundance of those. Cosmetics can't make the claim to treat rosacea."

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"The retinol in that line is amazing."

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"The resurfacing retinol serum is a great retinol that has licorice root and niacinamide. Both of those are going to be good for dark spots and redness. And the retinol is also going to be helpful for post acne marks, like dark marks and red marks. And it's got ceramides in there which are good for the moisture barrier."

Sincerely Miss Ash

195k subs

✓Approved

"This is a great affordable option for those that want to keep things budget friendly. This is also a great option for those that have sensitive skin or if you're a beginner to the retinol world. It's a great intro product. This has an encapsulated retinol, which means that this has more of a gentle approach, even more gentle than just regular retinol. Anything that is encapsulated will have more of that slower delivery system into the skin, which means it's going to be more gentle for you. I would definitely recommend that if you're a beginner and then as your skin adjusts to the retinol, then move up to something a little bit stronger. But I also like this one because it has hyaluronic acid to hydrate the skin, and there's also three essential ceramides to help repair and keep that skin barrier nice and strong. Plus, ceramides help to prevent water loss. So, it keeps the moisture in the skin to keep the skin more comfortable when you're using retinol. And this is a 30 ml size. It's fragrance-free."

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"I would recommend using the CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum. I like this formulation because it's great for beginners, it has that encapsulated retinol. Now even though it has that encapsulated retinol, it doesn't mean that it's not going to be as effective as another type of retinol that you might find at the drugstore. This is a great intro retinol to start off with, to see how your skin does before you move to something stronger. But the more consistent you are with it, honestly you will see results, you will, and I used to use this serum back in the day. This one also has hyaluronic acid in it, it has ceramides, ceramides help to strengthen and repair that skin barrier, and I really like ceramides in actives like this because it really helps to keep that barrier nice and strong. And then of course it does contain niacinamide as well."

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"The CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum has to be one of my favorite retinols from the drugstore. This formula is quite gentle in my opinion and it's also very moisturizing, but of course we all react differently to retinol so you could possibly still experience irritation with this or even dryness. This product has a lovely formula, it has an encapsulated retinol so it's going to be even more gentle, it has hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, your ceramides, and licorice root extract, so this product will help to improve uneven skin tone. If you have post acne marks or dark spots this can be lovely, this is great if you have texture and also signs of aging, and if you're acne prone then retinol can also be great to use. I use this at night time and I actually like to use this on my neck, my chest, and on the backs of my hands. You can totally use this on your face, but I use Tretinoin instead, that's why I don't put this on my face, but I really like the way that this applies to the skin. I do feel like this really is effective, especially when you're consistent with it. I've never had an issue with pilling either and this always sits nicely with all of my skincare products."

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Doctorly

3.57M subs

✓Approved

"This is more of their anti-aging line, whereas the CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum you find in the acne aisle. Both of them are good, I like the Resurfacing Retinol Serum a little better, but this is a product I've highlighted a million times before. It also has other supporting ingredients like licorice root and niacinamide, and it's a really good starter retinol for somebody who wants to start a retinol and wants something that's going to be gentle on the skin but also effective. It'll help with texture, discoloration, anti-aging benefits, large pores, so it's a great starter retinol with a lot of great supporting ingredients. I think this product was ahead of its time. Before this consolidated, minimalist style of formulation was a thing, this was actually a pretty stacked product. We have encapsulated retinol, so it's more stable, in theory you can use it in the daytime, it plays better with other ingredients, better dispersion, less irritation, better absorption, plus licorice, plus niacinamide, and there was a time that was revolutionary. Where I think this falls now is if you want to start a retinol and you have sensitive skin, for different aging changes, whether it's dark spots, fine lines, or texture, I think this is a great starting point. I still recommend it all the time for people looking to start retinol."

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"This has ceramides in it, it's got that dimethicone base so it's going to be reparative as well, it's got niacinamide in it, it's also got licorice root in it I believe, and of course it's got its retinol. I believe this is an encapsulated retinol at a .1% concentration, plus your hyaluronic acid in it, so this is going to be one of those products that has quite a bit in it, and it has that MVE technology that's going to keep your skin hydrated. So overall this is a winning product in my mind. This one was around $18, which is a good price point for a starter retinol. Now this is not an advanced retinol, but for somebody who just simply wants clear skin, healthy skin over time, this is a really good starting point."

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"I've got the budget option, this is the CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum. Now here's why I like it, because we're talking about mostly maintaining and preventing photoaging, this is very budget friendly. It also has multiple ingredients, so it has your retinol, your jack of all trades, niacinamide, and then licorice for the third component, and then like all CeraVe products it has ceramides in it as well. I think it delivers as a very comprehensive retinol product. It's a great product, it's even good as a starter retinol for people that are first getting into retinol, affordable, widely available. I've used it for a long time, didn't have any irritation with it, and it's quite effective. So love the product. They also have a Skin Renewing one that's meant more for even the anti-aging population, but I found personally that I like the Resurfacing Retinol better, so I would stick with that one."

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"One of my favorites is still the CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum. It's just so budget friendly, it kind of feels like the OG of a skinimalist product because it's inexpensive. It's a retinol that also has some ingredients to help with really just most aging concerns, uneven tone, dark spots, etc. So while it's probably not the most effective, and aesthetically it's good but not like lights out, I wouldn't take the time to talk about how good it feels. The CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum is still one of my favorites."

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"Something like the CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol, they pioneered retinol so they are the OGs in that category, but using a retinol is going to do a lot of the work that we described, so I do think it's foundational to your nighttime skincare routine if you're trying to minimize the appearance of the pores."

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"The CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum here is like one of my favorites. It's budget friendly, it uses encapsulated slow release retinol, it's not expensive, and it keeps it very simple because it's like one product. You just use this at night Monday through Saturday."

Dr. Jenny Liu

318k subs

✓Approved

"Another one I really like that helps improve the concerns of skin texture and skin tone, and is also lightweight and fast absorbing, is the CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum. It also contains licorice root, and this one is also great if you don't struggle with acne anymore. It's mostly concerned with things like pore congestion and post-acne marks, so this can be very helpful."

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"CeraVe has probably one of the most gentle drugstore retinols that you can find and definitely one that I think most individuals with sensitive and or rosacea prone skin can use and tolerate with minimal irritation. This one has a little bit more moisturizing property so great for those with more sensitive and dry skin. I certainly love this one and have definitely used this retinol all over my face but sometimes I would use it as my retinol eye cream and this one I've used around my eyes around my neck and I have not had any issues."

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"Retinol can be helpful, especially when it's formulated in a gentle way with other brightening ingredients. One of the most gentle ones I've talked about many times is the CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum, the one in that teal white bottle. It contains encapsulated retinol that's gentle but yet effective, as well as a liquid shoot that we now have, anti-inflammatory as well as brightening properties. So that's certainly something you can use on a nightly basis if tolerated."

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"Affordable ones include like CeraVe, their retinols are super gentle."

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"It contains encapsulated retinol that enhances delivery but it reduces irritation, also along with ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide, so all great ingredients to support the skin barrier and reduce irritation. I certainly love this one and have definitely used this retinol all over my face, but sometimes I would use it as my retinol eye cream, and I've used it around my eyes, around my neck, and I have not had any issues. I definitely feel CeraVe has probably one of the most gentle retinols that you can find, and definitely one that I think most individuals with sensitive and rosacea-prone skin can use and tolerate with minimal irritation."

Dr. Mamina

279k subs

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"If you have more sensitive skin, you may want to consider a more gentle option with a retinol, like the CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum."

Dr. Somji Skin

358k subs

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"There's actually niacinamide in there and niacinamide is great for all sorts of things: reducing redness, reducing pigmentation, reducing acne, well absolutely everything. So if you're going to put it in a product, fantastic. They've got their encapsulated ceramide MVE technology which they always talk about and it's kind of behind most of their success, which is fantastic. Using this retinol when I've tested it on the back of my hand, I think it's fantastic. It's something that can really help. They talk about dimethicone and the use of it, and it's a silicone that helps with skin softness and coverage without making things heavy, which is what makes a product feel quite nice. They really justify their use of it. I will always say it's not bad for the skin and it's definitely in so many other skin products, but if you're going to be building it up, limiting the amount of dimethicone in your layered skincare is going to be important. Also there's the impact on your environment. So the dimethicone is definitely not bad, but if you care about the world maybe don't use it so much, and if you're layering a lot of products you just have to limit the amount that you're using because you're going to gather debris, especially if you're acne prone."

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"There's niacinamide in there, and it's a great product for all sorts of things: reducing redness, reducing pigmentation, reducing acne. They've got their encapsulated ceramide MVE technology which is behind most of their success. Using this retinol, I've tested it on the back of my hand and I think it's fantastic. It's something that can really help. They use dimethicone, which is silicone that helps with skin softness and coverage without making things heavy, and that's what makes a product feel quite nice. It's not bad for the skin and it's definitely in so many other skin products. That said, if you're going to be building it up, limiting the amount of dimethicone in your layered skincare is important, especially if you're acne prone, because you're going to gather debris."

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