Each CeraVe cleanser has one clear job. Match the job to your skin and you're done.
Dry or sensitive skin: Hydrating Cleanser, a non-foaming cream with ceramides and hyaluronic acid. Oily or combination skin: Foaming Facial Cleanser, a gel with niacinamide and no exfoliating acids. Normal to dry skin that wears makeup or sunscreen daily: Hydrating Cream-to-Foam, which starts as a cream and lathers to lift makeup. Blackheads, clogged pores or rough texture: Renewing SA Cleanser, with salicylic acid. Red, inflamed breakouts: Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser, with 4% benzoyl peroxide.
All five share CeraVe’s three ceramides (NP, AP and EOP) and a form of hyaluronic acid. The SA and acne cleansers are the two built around an active ingredient, so use one of them at most, and only if your skin has something to treat.
The best CeraVe cleanser for your skin type
Two questions pick your cleanser
Every cleanser here has three ceramides and hyaluronic acid. What changes is the texture and whether there’s an active ingredient.
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Texture: cream, cream-to-foam or foam
Hydrating is a non-foaming cream, the softest option for dry skin. Cream-to-Foam starts creamy and lathers, which helps lift makeup. Foaming and SA lather up and cut through oil.
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Active: none, salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide
SA Cleanser exfoliates with salicylic acid, which works inside pores against blackheads. The Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser uses 4% benzoyl peroxide, which kills acne-causing bacteria and suits red, inflamed pimples. Use one of them at a time, not both.
If your skin feels tight or stings after washing, your cleanser is too strong for you. Step down to Hydrating Cleanser.
CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser: best for dry and sensitive skin
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Non-foaming cream cleanser for dry, sensitive skin.
This is CeraVe’s gentlest cleanser: a creamy wash that doesn’t foam. Glycerin is the second ingredient, followed by fatty alcohols, ceramides NP, AP and EOP, cholesterol, sodium hyaluronate and vitamin E. There are no exfoliants and no added fragrance, and it’s non-comedogenic.
It removes dirt, oil and everyday makeup without the tight feel a foaming wash can leave. That makes it the right pick if your skin is dry, flaky or easily irritated, and a good night cleanser for anyone using a retinoid.
Skip it if your skin is oily, since it won’t feel clean enough. For heavy makeup, Cream-to-Foam is the better choice.
- No foam, no exfoliants, no added fragrance
- Ceramides, cholesterol and hyaluronic acid
- Pairs well with a retinoid at night
- Feels like too light a clean for oily skin
- Not the best choice for heavy makeup
- No lather, if you like foam
Yes. It’s the gentlest of the five: no foam, no exfoliants, no added fragrance, and a base of glycerin, ceramides and hyaluronic acid. If you wear a lot of makeup, use Cream-to-Foam instead, or take your makeup off first.
CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser: best for oily and combination skin
Foaming gel cleanser for oily skin.
Foaming Facial Cleanser is a gel that lathers to remove excess oil, dirt and makeup. It uses mild cleansers (cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine and sodium lauroyl sarcosinate) with niacinamide, three ceramides, cholesterol and hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid. There are no exfoliating acids and no fragrance.
That makes it the right everyday wash for oily or combination skin, including acne-prone skin that already gets its treatment from a separate retinoid, acid or benzoyl peroxide product. It does contain methylparaben and propylparaben as preservatives.
If your skin is dry, it’s more cleanser than you need. Use Hydrating Cleanser instead.
- Removes oil, dirt and makeup
- No exfoliants, so it fits any treatment routine
- Niacinamide, ceramides and hyaluronic acid
- Too much cleanser for dry skin
- Won’t treat clogged pores on its own
- Contains parabens, if you avoid them
CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser: best for blackheads and rough texture
Salicylic acid cleanser for clogged pores.
SA Cleanser uses the same mild foaming base as Foaming Facial Cleanser, then adds two exfoliants: gluconolactone, a gentle PHA, near the top of the list, and salicylic acid further down. Salicylic acid is oil-soluble, so it works inside pores, which is why it’s the standard pick for blackheads and clogged pores. Niacinamide, three ceramides, cholesterol and hyaluronic acid round it out. It’s fragrance-free and non-comedogenic.
You can also use it on your body for rough, bumpy skin on your arms or legs. Because it rinses off, it’s milder than a leave-on BHA.
Skip it if you already use a retinoid, an acid toner or benzoyl peroxide, or if your skin is dry or sensitive. Start once a day and add a second wash only if your skin stays comfortable.
- Salicylic acid and gluconolactone exfoliate while you wash
- Same niacinamide and ceramide base as Foaming
- Works on face and body
- Adds up with retinoids and other acids
- Milder than a leave-on exfoliant
- Too much for dry or sensitive skin
CeraVe Hydrating Cream-to-Foam: best for normal to dry skin with makeup
Cream-to-foam cleanser that removes makeup.
This one starts as a cream and turns into a light foam with water. It’s built on mild cleansers like sodium methyl cocoyl taurate and sodium cocoyl isethionate, with glycerin, amino acids, three ceramides and hyaluronic acid, and it’s made to remove makeup, including long-wear formulas, in one step. It’s fragrance-free and non-comedogenic.
Choose it if your skin is normal to dry but you want a cleanser that takes off sunscreen and makeup in one wash. It also lists a little salicylic acid partway down its long ingredient list, so if your skin is very reactive, Hydrating Cleanser is the safer start.
It’s for your face only. Keep it out of your eyes.
- Made to remove makeup and sunscreen in one wash
- Cream start, foaming rinse
- Amino acids, ceramides and hyaluronic acid
- Large 19 oz bottle
- Much longer ingredient list than Hydrating Cleanser
- Face only
CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser: best for inflamed acne
4% benzoyl peroxide cleanser for acne.
This is the only cleanser here that’s an acne drug: 4% benzoyl peroxide. Benzoyl peroxide kills the bacteria behind red, inflamed pimples, which salicylic acid doesn’t target. The base is a foaming cream with glycerin, niacinamide, three ceramides, cholesterol and hyaluronic acid, plus a little glycolic acid.
It bleaches fabric, so use white towels and pillowcases. Start once a day, because benzoyl peroxide often causes dryness and peeling at first, and follow with a plain moisturizer.
Skip it if you only get the occasional blackhead (use SA) or if your skin is dry and reactive. It comes in a smaller 5 oz size than the others.
- 4% benzoyl peroxide, a standard acne treatment
- Niacinamide, ceramides and hyaluronic acid in the base
- Targets inflamed breakouts, which SA doesn’t
- Bleaches towels, pillowcases and clothing
- Can dry and irritate skin, especially at first
- Small 5 oz size costs more per ounce
Start once a day and add a second wash only if your skin tolerates it. Don’t pair it with SA Cleanser or another exfoliant at first, follow with a plain moisturizer, and rinse well because it bleaches fabric. If your acne doesn’t improve after a few months of regular use, or your skin gets very irritated, see a dermatologist.
Dry or sensitive skin CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser for Dry Skin | Normal to dry skin with makeup CeraVe Hydrating Cream to Foam Facial Cleanser | Oily or combination skin CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser for Oily Skin | Blackheads and clogged pores CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser | Inflamed acne CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser | |
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| Best for | Dry, sensitive skin | Normal to dry skin + makeup | Oily, combination skin | Blackheads, rough texture | Red, inflamed breakouts |
| Texture | Non-foaming cream | Cream to foam | Foaming gel | Foaming | Foaming cream |
| Exfoliant or active | None | Salicylic acid, mid-list | None | Salicylic acid + gluconolactone (PHA) | 4% benzoyl peroxide |
| Supporting ingredients | Ceramides, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E | Amino acids, ceramides, hyaluronic acid | Niacinamide, ceramides, hyaluronic acid | Niacinamide, ceramides, hyaluronic acid | Niacinamide, ceramides, hyaluronic acid |
| Size | 16 oz | 19 oz | 16 fl oz | 16 oz | 5 oz |
| View | View | View | View | View |
Quick answers before you buy
Foam doesn't mean harsh, and oily skin doesn't automatically need an acid. Foaming Facial Cleanser lathers but has no exfoliants, and if your skin is oily and clear, it's all you need. Add SA or the benzoyl peroxide cleanser only when you have clogged pores or breakouts to treat.
Before you use SA or the benzoyl peroxide cleanser on your whole face, wash a small patch along your jaw once a day for a few days. If it stays comfortable, move to your full face once a day. If it stings or flakes, cut back to every other day or switch to Foaming.
Does oily skin always need a foaming cleanser?
Most oily skin feels best with one, and Foaming Facial Cleanser is the pick. If your face feels tight after every foaming wash, use Hydrating Cleanser at night and Foaming in the morning.
Is salicylic acid necessary for oily skin?
No. Salicylic acid is for clogged pores and blackheads, not oil. If your skin is oily but clear, Foaming Facial Cleanser is enough.
Can one wash remove makeup and sunscreen?
For everyday makeup and sunscreen, yes: Hydrating Cream-to-Foam is made for it. For waterproof mascara or water-resistant sunscreen, use a micellar water or cleansing balm first, then your CeraVe cleanser.
Should an active cleanser be used every day?
Start once a day. If your skin stays comfortable after a week or two, you can use it twice a day. If it gets dry, tight or flaky, drop to every other day. Don’t use the SA and benzoyl peroxide cleansers on the same day while you’re starting out.
Dry or sensitive skin: CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser. Normal to dry skin with daily makeup or sunscreen: Hydrating Cream-to-Foam. Oily or combination skin: Foaming Facial Cleanser. Blackheads and clogged pores: Renewing SA Cleanser. Red, inflamed acne: Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser with 4% benzoyl peroxide.
If you’re not sure, start with Hydrating (dry skin) or Foaming (oily skin). Add one of the acne cleansers only when you have something to treat, and use one exfoliating or acne product at a time.
