A fragrance-free, glycerin-based gel skin protectant with panthenol (vitamin B5), designed to hydrate, soothe and support the skin barrier on dry, irritated or post-procedure skin.
Made for post-procedure skin, this glycerin gel keeps getting borrowed for the eyes, where a tiny drop plumps and smooths fine lines without feeling greasy. It can go on a touch sticky, but it sinks in fast and finishes shiny rather than tacky. The one grumble is a small tube that's hard to justify for all-over use, so a tiny drop, a millimeter from the lash line, is the move.
Synthesized from 5 expert reviews · most recent take August 2026
“I really can see so many different uses with this one: calming breakouts, dry chapped winter skin, after skin procedures, hydrating skin, using with retinoids, using it with eczema or dermatitis cases.”
“I really can see so many different uses with this one: calming breakouts, dry chapped winter skin, after skin procedures, hydrating skin, using with retinoids, using it with eczema or dermatitis cases.”
“For me personally, [...] what has been an absolute game changer not just for keeping eyelid skin hydrated but also helping to diminish the appearance of little fine dehydration lines is a glycerin skin protectant.”
“I've been using it, totally has brightened up my under eye area, smoothed out fine lines, and it's protecting the delicate eyelid skin from irritants because it is a skin protectant.”
"I love to use the La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Gel around the eyes. It's a glycerin skin protectant."
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"The Cicaplast gel is a skin protectant, and so to use it all over the face is an option as a moisturizer, but can be kind of cost prohibitive because it's a pretty small tube for the price. It's a glycerin-based skin protectant. Glycerin is both a humectant, but at higher percentages, it's also occlusive. So that's great for barrier recovery and repair. In contrast to petroleum jelly, it doesn't feel greasy on the skin."
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"This is a holy holy grail. The glycerin skin protectant [...] has transformed the look of my under eye area just through the action of hydration and protection from irritants. It has been amazing. Love putting a little tiny drop of this under my eyes, taking a little bit up to the upper eye area at night before I go to bed. I wake up the following morning and the area around my eyes looks so much better in comparison to when I do not use this. This is my [...] second tube of this."
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"The La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Gel B5, it goes on a little sticky but it absorbs quickly, it sinks down in and then you're good to go."
"Glycerin is actually a skin protectant at high percentage strengths like the La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Gel B5. I do still use it around my eyes. I've tried this under the eyes. It's not as good as the Cicaplast Gel is as far as the under eye brightening effect, but it does work there. [...] I also tried using this underneath Vaseline to see if that really did a lot. It's not like my skin was drastically different on my body appearance-wise, but it was a great way to moisturize."
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"This is a must-have for me. Probably one of my most repurchased products. I have to have it. I use it around my eyes. This is a glycerin-based skin protectant, meaning it works to both attract hydration into the skin as well as reduce water loss. [...] The La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Gel is not as sticky, but compared to petroleum jelly, it does not add that greasy texture to it. It's a lot more lightweight and breathable while still supporting the skin barrier and helping to optimize healing."
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"For me personally, [...] what has been an absolute game changer not just for keeping eyelid skin hydrated but also helping to diminish the appearance of little fine dehydration lines is a glycerin skin protectant. I started doing this in 2024 and I have not looked back. It's great for protecting from eyelid irritants and hydrating. [...] The one I like to use is the La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Gel. [...] Not an eye cream, but here we are. That was my gateway."
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"It creates a nice protective hydrating film on the skin surface that for me personally I find really performs well around the eyes. I highly recommend this around your eyes for limiting penetration of things into eyelid skin that can be irritating. If you're dealing with dry irritated eyelids this is a great option. It doesn't feel heavy, it doesn't feel greasy, love it. [...] Glycerin as a skin protectant is fantastic."
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"I finish the La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Gel B5 that I've been putting around my eyes and I need to reorder another tube of that because that stuff really plumps up the skin around the eyes and I just love it."
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"I've been using this La Roche-Posay B5 Cicaplast gel around my eyes for a couple weeks now and I have really seen a visible improvement in just the overall look of fine lines around my eyes as well as I feel like my under eyes are a little bit tighter and brighter and smoother more radiant. It's a glycerin based skin protectant which is [...] really hydrating but I just put a little tiny bit there and rub it in."
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"I'm now on my second tube of it, almost finished, about to buy my third. This gel around the eyes is amazing. Just a tiny little drop under the eyes, upper eyelid, don't get it within a millimeter of your lash line to avoid getting it directly into the eyes, but it really helps plump the skin there and limit penetration of irritant. It's easy for irritant to settle on the eyelid skin [...] and it's thin so it's a lot more vulnerable to irritation."
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"I've been impressed using this around the eyes. It's not what it's intended for, but man it really is nice and it doesn't feel greasy. [...] If I'm a little bit too overzealous with the squeeze, [...] it stays in place like it doesn't roll up and get into my eyes. [...] It helps soothe a disrupted skin barrier. This also has panthenol in it, which is hydrating, and that's the B5."
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"La Roche-Posay has a Cicaplast gel that's not meant as an eye cream, it's not marketed as an eye cream, but it works really well around the eyes. I've been using it, totally has brightened up my under eye area, smoothed out fine lines, and it's protecting the delicate eyelid skin from irritants because it is a skin protectant. [...] I've never experienced the degree of fine line smoothing with the balm as I am with the gel."
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"This has really made a difference in just hydrating the skin around my eyes, cutting down on eyelid irritation and plumping and smoothing the appearance of little fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes. It's one of my favorite products from La Roche-Posay."
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"Just put a little bit on your finger rub it into the redness. This product has glycerin as a skin protectant and also has compounds from centella, which is a botanical ingredient with extracts that can actually be helpful for healing. So another great option."
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"So it's the La Roche-Posay Cicaplast gel, not the balm, but I also love the balm for like dry, flaky skin. The gel is a glycerin skin protectant and I love to use it around my eye area because it's a protectant and eyelid skin is a lot more vulnerable to dryness and irritation for a few reasons. First of all, it's delicate skin. Second of all, the shape of your eye and the way your eyelid skin behaves when you blink."
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"It has 20% glycerin in it. For the eye area, I much prefer this. I get amazing results around my eyes with this product. Much less expensive and without the issue of it running into my eyes, causing the stinging sensation or feeling tacky. It's around $22.99 for a decent size tube of it. [...] It contains 20% glycerin, which is super hydrating. Contrary to glycerin's reputation, however, this product is not really sticky or tacky. It's a lot less tacky than that eye serum."
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"In the Cicaplast line they came out with a Cicaplast Gel B5 with 21% glycerin. [...] I'm going to put a little around my eyes because I like to put some kind of skin protectant around my eyes. In theory this can help also hydrate up the skin a bit and improve the look of fine lines. I still stand though by the Cicaplast Baume for facial irritation."
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"This is probably going to be a 2024 skin care favorite. I have since repurchased it. [...] It is a nice lightweight dimethicone based skin protectant which is wonderful. You can use it really anywhere where you have a lot of irritation, especially from friction, but it's comfortable to wear on the face. It also has compounds from centella in it which are anti-inflammatory. [...] In contrast to the balm, I find this one is a bit more actively hydrating."
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"It's the cast gel, those of you who watch my vlogs and you know my skincare routine, you know already I'm a huge fan of using this around the eyes to help with dry eyelids, but it's also great on the cheeks."
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"I'm going to stick with the La Roche-Posay one because I get a little bit more bang for my buck in terms of the under eye brightening effect with that compared to the Prequel one. [...] I take a tiny tiny tiny amount, not very much at all, which as a side note is one of the reasons why I'm paying the markup on the La Roche-Posay product because it takes me a long time to go through it. [...] I put a dot under my eye and then I pat it into the under eye area and take it up to the upper lid."
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"The Cicaplast Gel from La Roche-Posay, I just use this around my eyes and it's amazing. I love this."
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"I also really love the La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Gel. It's another glycerin skin protectant, and it can help optimally reduce water loss and limit penetration of irritating stuff, especially for a compromised skin barrier."
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"I love to use the La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Gel around the eyes. It's a glycerin skin protectant."
"This is the La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Gel B5. This is going to be a great olusive for very oily skin that can't stand heavy layers because the olusive here is actually a high quantity of glycerin that acts as a skin protectant. Not only to hydrate the skin but also to help prevent water loss."
"I also really love the La Roche-Posay Cicaplast gel, which contains 21% glycerin, panthenol, hyaluronic acid, centella asiatica, and zinc copper and manganese gluconate. This one is a little thicker than the COSRX gel and has a little bit more of an almost dimethicone feel, [...] and isn't quite as transparent in the way it dries down on the skin."
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"I also really love the La Roche-Posay Cicaplast gel, which contains 21% glycerin, panthenol, hyaluronic acid, centella asiatica, and zinc copper and manganese gluconate. This one is a little thicker than the COSRX gel and has a little bit more of an almost dimethicone feel, [...] and isn't quite as transparent in the way it dries down on the skin."
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"I can really use it however I feel. I could just use this as a lightweight all over daytime moisturizer. I could layer it underneath a thicker moisturizing cream for additional protection. I could layer it under another thicker barrier cream if I have skin barrier damage. I can use it as an eye cream. She's really a multifaceted girl in that way. Because of how lightweight the texture is, it's not heavy and it's not greasy. It dries down and absorbs really well. Fabulous all around."
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"I use it as an all-over moisturizer including under my eyes, [...] after a serum and before a thicker moisturizer or sunscreen. It doesn't peel under makeup, [...] works well under anything I put on top of it, and dries down with no shiny finish, so it's a great lighter daytime option, especially for oily skin, though I also wear it at night as an extra layer."
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"It's not as liquidy as a traditional serum, but it serves the purpose of a serum in my routine [...] before moisturizer. [...] The texture is a nice gel that feels refreshing, [...] lightweight, and the dry down is great, not greasy. It's been the perfect addition to my routine, [...] calms my skin, and gives me amazing hydration. It's [...] also really nice around the eyes."
"It's very similar to the cicaplast balm but this one actually is a gel. [...] It's actually very nice and hydrating. It's really intended to be used on skin like post procedure but it is just so nice to use all over. You can't really go wrong with using this product. I've seen other dermatologists talk about using it like almost as a hydrating eye cream because it's very lightweight, fast absorbing, fragrance-free."
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"I love the Cicaplast Gel B5. I'm really curious first and foremost with the gel texture what it's gonna feel like, but it's actually you can use it post-procedure, so after lasers and peels I may imagine this would be great for like dermatologist office."
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"It's very similar to the cicaplast balm but this one actually is a gel. [...] It's actually very nice and hydrating. It's really intended to be used on skin like post procedure but it is just so nice to use all over. You can't really go wrong with using this product. I've seen other dermatologists talk about using it like almost as a hydrating eye cream because it's very lightweight, fast absorbing, fragrance-free."
"I absolutely love the texture. [...] I bought it and used it for a while, then kind of forgot I had it, and when I irritated my skin with a couple products I was testing, I found this again and it's like oh I love this stuff, I'm glad I found it. It has a good amount of glycerin, and glycerin usually makes products have a tacky or sticky finish, but I really didn't notice that so much with this. It really doesn't have much of a tacky finish. I'd say the finish is kind of shiny."
What the evidence says.
Independent of what the gurus think, this is what
the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.
Humectants and emollients
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.
What is La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Gel B5 Skin Protectant 21%?
A fragrance-free, glycerin-based gel skin protectant with panthenol (vitamin B5), designed to hydrate, soothe and support the skin barrier on dry, irritated or post-procedure skin.
Is La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Gel B5 Skin Protectant 21% worth it?
Yes. All 5 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 89%.
What is La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Gel B5 Skin Protectant 21%'s Guru Score?
La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Gel B5 Skin Protectant 21% holds a Guru Score of 89%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 5 expert reviewers we have collected. At least one expert has named it a Top Pick in its category.
Who is La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Gel B5 Skin Protectant 21% best for?
La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Gel B5 Skin Protectant 21% is generally suited to dry skin and sensitive skin.
What is La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Gel B5 Skin Protectant 21% good for, according to the experts?
In their reviews, experts say La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Gel B5 Skin Protectant 21% is good for irritated or reactive skin (3 experts), skin recovering after a procedure (2 experts), breakouts and acne (1 expert), excess oil and shine (1 expert), redness (1 expert) and eczema (1 expert).
Is La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Gel B5 Skin Protectant 21% good for irritated or reactive skin?
3 experts who reviewed La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Gel B5 Skin Protectant 21% say it is. Dr Dray put it this way: “If you're dealing with dry irritated eyelids this is a great option.”
Cheaper alternatives the gurus rate.
Lower-priced balms and ointments the gurus still rate highly, versus this mid-range pick.
