Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer: a Guru Score of 90%

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.

Breakouts and acne2 experts

“It's really good for acne prone skin, really any skin type, dry all the way to sensitive, even combination to oily.”

Dr. Aleksandra Brown, watch at 3:20

Irritated or reactive skin2 experts

“It's ideal if your skin feels dry, tight, irritated from the treatments.”

Dr. Aleksandra Brown, watch at 3:20

Skin barrier support1 expert

“It is the simplest, most barrier friendly moisturizer you're going to find out there.”

Dr. Aleksandra Brown, watch at 8:02

Calming retinoid irritation1 expert

“If you have very sensitive skin go with Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer that works really well with your retinoids.”

Dr. Daniel Sugai, watch at 2:36

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

HotandFlashy

1.23M subs

✓Yay

"The Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer is a moisturizer for people who really want something really basic but really nice. It's got ceramides in it. It's got glycerin in it, hyaluronic acid, but it doesn't have niacinamide. And if you're sensitive to niacinamide, you might be looking for something that just doesn't have it."

All 4 takes from HotandFlashy

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"If you guys like a niacinamide-free moisturizer, because I know like everything has niacinamide in it, the Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer doesn't have niacinamide. It's one of the few things that doesn't. It's a really nice moisturizer for day. It's very lightweight."

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"The Vanicream face moisturizer is a super basic moisturizer. It [...] doesn't contain niacinamide, but it does have ceramides and hyaluronic acid. So, that's a really nice basic moisturizer for you."

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"I recently switched over to Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer. I switched over to this mainly because my Agency future formula contains niacinamide four percent and my skin tends to be a little bit sensitive if I go over like five percent with niacinamide. [...] With the exception of the niacinamide this contains all the same ingredients as the CeraVe so you're getting the ceramides, the hyaluronic acid, the glycerin, all in a nice inexpensive drugstore priced package."

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"The Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer is a moisturizer for people who really want something really basic but really nice. It's got ceramides in it. It's got glycerin in it, hyaluronic acid, but it doesn't have niacinamide. And if you're sensitive to niacinamide, you might be looking for something that just doesn't have it."

Dr. Vanita Rattan

1.23M subs

✓Yay

"I like the Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer. It's fragrance-free."

Doctorly

3.59M subs

✓Yay

"The Vanicream facial moisturizer is another one you can just simply rely on. [...] People love it, people repurchase a ton of it. It's affordable and has really low allergen potential as well."

All 3 takes from Doctorly

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"[Vanicream] makes really nice products for sensitive skin. This moisturizer is [...] great for sensitive skin. It's not as thick as the remedy rich cream moisturizer and not as lightweight as the remedy gel moisturizer. So, it's somewhere in between the two."

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"The Vanicream facial moisturizer is another one you can just simply rely on. [...] People love it, people repurchase a ton of it. It's affordable and has really low allergen potential as well."

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"Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer is really almost like a go-to for people coming out of dermatology offices. If you're not using a facial moisturizer, this is the perfect place to start. So, if even for normal facial skin, the Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer is kind of a go-to."

Abbey Yung

887k subs

✓Yay

"Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer [...] is one I usually use as a morning [...] moisturizer. I haven't been using it recently, but it's something [...] I can always go back to when I need something that isn't going to irritate my skin, isn't going to break me out, and wears really well under makeup."

Top Pick: daytime moisturizer

All 3 takes from Abbey Yung

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"Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer [...] is one I usually use as a morning [...] moisturizer. I haven't been using it recently, but it's something [...] I can always go back to when I need something that isn't going to irritate my skin, isn't going to break me out, and wears really well under makeup."

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"They never make any of the issues I have worse. They just allow my skin to heal while it goes back to the state it was in before. But even if you don't have skin issues, this is such an amazing moisturizer, and something I will continue to go back to time and time again. [...] What I really love about this is that it's a versatile product for me in my routines. I can use it however I feel. I could just use this as a lightweight, all-over daytime moisturizer."

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"It's my perfect daytime moisturizer, [...] a lightweight lotion that dries down really well without a dewy finish that makes me look greasy, [...] just a naturally glowy finish, while still feeling incredibly hydrating and moisturizing enough to last all day. I can also wear this at night in summer when I don't want a thick cream. [...] I know it's not the cutest packaging, but I don't care cuz it works so good."

Dr. Daniel Sugai

723k subs

✓Yay

"If you just have sensitive skin and you want to stick with a brand that's just very reliable for those with sensitive skin, Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer works so well for my patients."

All 4 takes from Dr. Daniel Sugai

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"One of my favorites here is Vanicream's facial moisturizer. It's very lightweight and it has the three essential ceramides, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid. [...] It's so lightweight [...] and it works well with other actives if you want to do vitamin C at bedtime, if you want to do your retinoid, if you want to do prescription topicals for acne. It's so gentle."

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"You can do [Vanicream] daily moisturizer"

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"If you have very sensitive skin go with Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer that works really well with your retinoids."

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"If you just have sensitive skin and you want to stick with a brand that's just very reliable for those with sensitive skin, Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer works so well for my patients."

The Budget Dermatologist

725k subs

✓Yay

"Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer is a very great option. It's under $15. It has hyaluronic acid in it. It has ceramides in it. And it is very lightweight. So we don't have a heavy or greasiness if you want to put makeup over it. It's such a versatile [...] moisturizer. [...] Very budget friendly and it gets the job done. It is simple. It is a workhorse. Good for all skin types. It has the seal of approval from the eczema association."

All 3 takes from The Budget Dermatologist

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"Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer is a very great option. It's under $15. It has hyaluronic acid in it. It has ceramides in it. And it is very lightweight. So we don't have a heavy or greasiness if you want to put makeup over it. It's such a versatile [...] moisturizer. [...] Very budget friendly and it gets the job done. It is simple. It is a workhorse. Good for all skin types. It has the seal of approval from the eczema association."

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"This is so affordable and it's really nice to use in the mornings. It's [...] a cream gel-like consistency so it's really lightweight. I think it's great if you have normal combination skin type. If you're super dry you might want something a little heavier, but this is really nice. [...] It's so affordable and it's especially great if you have sensitive skin. [...] This is something I've been using more in the mornings and it is definitely a hit."

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"It can be your go-to daily lightweight moisturizer that you can either wear alone or under makeup. It is non-comedogenic so it won't cause acne, so I really love this one for acne prone and oily skin types but any skin type can use this and benefit from it. It's actually very hydrating on the skin. It has five types of ceramides in it and it has hyaluronic acid. This is actually only just over 13 dollars which is one of the cheapest moisturizers I own in my own skin care stockpile."

April Basi

72k subs

✓Yay

"One of my solid picks for combination skin is the Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer. It's a simple, balanced formula, and [...] simple balanced formulas always win for combination skin."

Dr. Aleksandra Brown

153k subs

✓Yay

"My number one recommendation by far here is the Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer. It is the simplest, most barrier friendly moisturizer you're going to find out there. It is fragrance-free, lightweight, non-comedogenic. It's ideal if your skin feels dry, tight, or irritated from any sort of other treatments or actives you're doing. The key ingredients are the ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and squalane."

Top Pick: barrier friendly moisturizer

All 3 takes from Dr. Aleksandra Brown

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"My first recommendation is the Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer. It's one of the simplest, most barrier friendly moisturizers you can find out there. It's completely fragrance-free, lightweight, non-comedogenic. It's ideal if your skin feels dry, tight, irritated from the treatments. It's really good for acne prone skin, really any skin type, dry all the way to sensitive, even combination to oily. The [...] key ingredients here are ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and squalane."

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"My number one recommendation by far here is the Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer. It is the simplest, most barrier friendly moisturizer you're going to find out there. It is fragrance-free, lightweight, non-comedogenic. It's ideal if your skin feels dry, tight, or irritated from any sort of other treatments or actives you're doing. The key ingredients are the ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and squalane."

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"You also want to switch to really lightweight non-comedogenic moisturizer. My recommendations here would be the La Roche-Posay Toleriane face moisturizer and Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer. These are very lightweight."

Dr. Jenny Liu

324k subs

✓Yay

"This is a lightweight nourishing lotion formula that is fast absorbing, non-greasy, and contains a blend of ceramides and hyaluronic acid and has minimal ingredients devoid of common allergens including preservatives, dyes and fragrances that could be triggers for contact dermatitis. It's just a really elegant moisturizer all around, but I really recommend it for those that have a history of sensitive skin and allergic contact dermatitis."

All 2 takes from Dr. Jenny Liu

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"Their Daily Facial Moisturizer contains ceramides, very creamy but not heavy, fast absorbing. I actually love this to use in the morning under sunscreen for those with sensitive skin."

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"This is a lightweight nourishing lotion formula that is fast absorbing, non-greasy, and contains a blend of ceramides and hyaluronic acid and has minimal ingredients devoid of common allergens including preservatives, dyes and fragrances that could be triggers for contact dermatitis. It's just a really elegant moisturizer all around, but I really recommend it for those that have a history of sensitive skin and allergic contact dermatitis."

Dr. Sam Ellis

902k subs

✓Yay

"The Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer is a bland moisturizer, a moisturizer that does not have active ingredients in it. It's just there to soften the skin and hold water and moisture within your skin."

What the evidence says.

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

Ceramides

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

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.

Source: DermNet

Frequently asked.

What is Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer?

A lightweight, fragrance-free daily facial moisturizer formulated with ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and squalane to hydrate and support the skin barrier.

Is Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer worth it?

Yes. All 10 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 90%.

What is Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer's Guru Score?

Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer holds a Guru Score of 90%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 10 expert reviewers we have collected. It is also Guru Certified, our mark for products that hold broad approval across many expert reviewers.

Who is Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer best for?

Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer is generally suited to dry skin and sensitive skin.

What is Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer good for, according to the experts?

In their reviews, experts say Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer is good for breakouts and acne (2 experts), irritated or reactive skin (2 experts), skin barrier support (1 expert) and calming retinoid irritation (1 expert).

Is Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer good for breakouts and acne?

2 experts who reviewed Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer say it is. Dr. Aleksandra Brown put it this way: “It's really good for acne prone skin, really any skin type, dry all the way to sensitive, even combination to oily.”