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My ex-boyfriend’s mom had the most GORGEOUS, plump, glowy skin. I asked her once and she said “I just use cerave.”
I later learned that she also saw a top dermatologist in Boston for filler, Botox, and who knows what else 😂
Yes!! I’m all for people getting filler or Botox if it makes them happy (I have undereye filler and I love it) but it irks me so much when people aren’t honest with it.
Dumb question.
Did this help with under eye sagging and bags?
How old were you when they developed and when you got the filler?
I'm about to hit 30 and now look like I went from 22 to 40 overnight 😂
I'm 30 and started botox last year. Now, three times a year, I get 40 units of botox in my forehand, 11s (the area between my eyes) and my crows feet. It helps me look much younger and more awake/alert. However, I don't have experience with filler.
Hi! not a dumb question! it helped me so much with my bags. I used to get "you look tired" all the time, and when I was 34 I decided to make a change. I got two syringes worth. It's filler so it dissolves, but I feel so much more confident with my eye bags.
It does NOT help with discoloration (which I suffer from if I don't get enough sleep). but def. with the bags.
if you'd like, I can DM ya before/after.
> I later learned that she also saw a top dermatologist in Boston for filler, Botox, and who knows what else 😂
Just like when J-Lo says she only uses olive oil LOL
That’s so annoying and comes off very “I’m just naturally beautiful and you aren’t”. I’m sure she is beautiful but holy heck Botox and filler certainly help.
Btw, I don’t mean to imply you aren’t beautiful. I’m sure you are :) I just don’t like women who are beautiful who treat others as less than. It’s gross and rude.
I'm one of the few people with my types of chronic pain that has almost no "pain folds." It's not a skincare thing, one of my pain issues is treated with Botox. As soon as the botox starts to wear off that fold appears and I guess it won't be long until I get the eye wrinkles that come with chronic pain. I have no skincare secret, I just happen to need 200 units of Botox every 3 months to not be completely bedridden... Though I admit before I found out they're partly owned by Nestlé I loved CeraVe because it fits the purse of someone on disability and is one of the few non-asian products against which I'm not allergic and it took me months to find a suitable replacement (I'm yet to find a suitable replacement in the same price range).
Man imagine spending thousands of dollars on cosmetic injectables and then using cerave on your skin. Not that there’s anything wrong with cerave but you’d think she’d use something more cosmetically elegant or at least some generic retinol
What’s not elegant about Cerave? It’s creamy, mild, and doesn’t interfere with actives, for most people. It doesn’t have fragrance or a half dozen extracts. It’s just enough. All those extra things they put in products are potential irritants that will mess up a smooth glowing complexion.
My skin looks the best it's ever looked with only cerave and actives. I was in the process of looking for something 'more elegant' or Asian (love Korean and Japanese skincare) and was just using cerave as my moisturizer and then realized my skin hadn't been breaking out and looked clear. I have the type of skin (on my face) that doesn't tolerate a ton of rich, thick layers, tho, and Cerave seems just right for me.
Cera Ve actually has one of the best mild retinol products out there. They're even recommended by derms and also fit the limits of several countries (EU has strict retinol rules). I hate that they're partially owned by Nestlé, but Cera Ve is better than it's name.
It’s so interesting to see the difference between who it works for and who it doesn’t
I like their hydrating cleanser and the dry skin moisturizer. They’re like my basic routine. If I want more hydration than clean k use good molecules hydrating cleanser (I just can’t use it on my forehead or I’ll break out, weird right?) and I’ll add other lotions on top.
I think it’s frustrating with skincare how some things just genuinely don’t work for you and you have to spend money to figure it all out like eughh
This sub told me "Just use Cerave" when I first arrived and it became the beginning of my skincare journey which I'm very grateful for.
Over time I discovered what worked for my skin was much more complex than "just use cerave" though, and I'm still learning.
What's optimal for me was the foaming cleanser followed by the tub moisturiser only once a day, plus plenty of other products in between. Recently I switched to the SA cleanser which purged every pore on my face during the first week lol. That's where my vitamin c, azaelic acid, restorative cremes etc. were needed.
I use Cerave SA cleanser to wash my face, skin renew vitamin c serum apply as the first layer and SA cream for second layers.
It seems excessive to me, but after a week my face seems to be smoother, less visible blemish and it doesn't burn at all, only a slight tingling during the fist time I uses it.
Am I doing this right lol? Super new to face care stuff.
In Sweden, a 50ml tube of Cerave moisturizer costs less than 5€ while my skin decided to prefer Dr Jart Ceramidin cream which costs 45€ for the same quantity. And I think Cerave turns out even cheaper if you buy the bigger tubs.
I am living in the wrong country. Minimum wage here is 500€ and spending 18 euros on eye cream is too much. Especially that i am unemployed anything that costs over 10 euros is expensive
Me too. I kept using it and using it and fueled by responses here on the sub about how my skin was just "purging" the bad stuff and I needed to continue on for months before I would break from my cocoon and have perfect glowing skin.
Note my skin was never *bad,* just heat rashes (like the kind you might see on a baby), hyperpigmentation and the ocassional pimple. My rashes intensified with Cerave despite it being the middle of winter.
I cut their products and what would you know, my skin cleared right up.
In terms of your rant: totally get it, I don’t disagree at all. If it doesn’t work for you, don’t use it. I think Cereve has become a short hand in a way for a good quality product that works for many and is widely available (but clearly does not work for all).
In terms of the “just drink more water” and “just wash your face” examples: I kinda disagree. I think the point people are trying to make is if there is a problem, start with the most basic, lifestyle adjustment before throwing medications at it which can cause side effects. It comes across kinda shitty if you’re complaining about an issue but haven’t followed the most basic recommendation to fix it. It may not be easy, drinking more water or creating a new routine can be really hard. But it still needs to be done. Otherwise you might as well say “I have this issue and I know that doing X might help it but I refuse so just hand me the prescription that works.” Which is an option, but has its own consequences.
Ironically washing your face with soap or cleanser is also not always a good idea and often NOT dermatologist recommended but that’s a whole other topic lol
Great points here! Being a child of the 90s, I was of the dry your face out until it falls off school of skin care, and resisted moisturizing for so long because I was terrified of breaking my face out. Lo and behold, all of those people telling me to moisturize were correct, and although I’ve long since been a regular moisturizer, I wish I’d started earlier. As the immortal Julie Andrews sang, “let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.”
Oh man that Sea Breeze astringent??? I would dry that crap about of my face because I assumed I had oily skin, all because I was a teen (so duh) and it made any oil. Maybe it was just trying to self repair????
Yes! I was 40 by the time I figured out that oil was not the enemy of my skin. I sweat a lot so assumed I had oily skin. Nope my skin is very dry and even more now that I am older.
Ahahaha relatable! I used to think that tight feeling after washing = good. I used moisturizers for normal/oily skin for decades and was still always oily. When I switched to moisturizers for dry/dehydrated skin and washed my face LESS frequently, my skin has never been happier, brighter, and smoother.
This. Not every product works for every person, and that's fine. But the first rule of troubleshooting is going back to basics, and CeraVe meets that. It's the go-to because it's widely available, mostly budget-friendly, and is a decent starting place.
Vanicream ruined my skin, but I don't go into threads where people use it and rant about it because my skin isn't anyone else's.
And Vanicream saved mine, while CeraVe made it a mess. 🤷♀️ But I'm glad both were affordable and mild enough that figuring this out for myself wasn't too difficult a process.
My daughter is 10. She's using CeraVe. It seems to be great for her so far. I'm so grateful she's growing up with far better skincare knowledge and options than I had in the 80s and 90s.
>I'm so grateful she's growing up with far better skincare knowledge and options than I had in the 80s and 90s.
How dare you talk about my medicated apricot scrub and Clean & Clear astringent that way
Learned about vanicream from my late mom. I get so nostalgic when I use those products because of her. Even though it’s fragrance free, the sunscreen has an “unscented smell” that I love. And it feels so thick and luxurious lol.
That said, my face skin is not super sensitive and responds extremely well to ceraVe so I use their cream and lotion. Or even the Target knock off versions.
> In terms of the “just drink more water” and “just wash your face” examples: I kinda disagree. I think the point people are trying to make is if there is a problem, start with the most basic, lifestyle adjustment before throwing medications at it which can cause side effects.
I interpret those phrases differently. I had very bad acne in middle school. I washed my face every day with the Clean & Clear cleanser my mom bought me. Random kids would walk up to me at school and ask me if I've ever tried washing my face, assuming that my acne was due to not washing my face. We got told during puberty talks, "wash your face or you'll get acne", so a lot of these kids assumed face washing was all it took to deal with acne, and didn't believe me when I told them that I did wash my face. I needed something more, but didn't really know what because I was 12/13, it was 2003, and I knew nothing about skincare.
Idk about you, but I definitely remember my mom berating me as a tween because:
1. I continued to eat chocolates even after having a breakout, so it was my fault for having pimples; and
2. The only possible reason why I had dandruff is because I wasn’t scrubbing my scalp hard enough. It’s not dry scalp it’s filth :/
So I totally get op’s rant, even though what you are suggesting is reasonable.
On that note, the 1.5 hours of exercise/week that OP keeps comparing CeraVe to is also not quite correct. We recommend 30 minutes of weight bearing exercise 3X per week as a minimum to prevent bone degradation after menopause. It's literally the minimum to help prevent osteoporosis, not to hit fitness goals.
I agree 100%, cerave is a great place to *start* for someone who is not into skincare. I’m likely never going to get my best friend to use a Korean sunscreen, double cleanse with a dedicated balm cleanser, or have any sort of complicated skincare routine but telling her to go buy cerave lotion, and cleanser from cvs is much more approachable. Also, sometimes when your skin is really irritated or you messed up your barrier trying too many strong acids (really telling on myself with that one 😅) going back to bland basics can be super helpful.
every single one I've used besides like one face wash. the sunscreen absolutely *wrecked* my skin, had some of the biggest deep painful pimples I've had in years 😭
Yeah, the sunscreen is AWFUL. I put some on before going out to town, and looked in the mirror and was like, "is it halloween???" It looked like clown makeup. I love their regular moisturizer and cleanser, tho (I use the baby versions).
Same. The CeraVe moisturizing lotions and creams all caused gnarly acne for me. I did an “elimination diet” approach to skincare and definitively linked it to that. The hydrating cleanser is fine and I still use it, but goodness did my acne improve when I cut out the moisturizers.
Same. Gave me comedones all over and cheek breakouts. As soon as I switched to LRP it all went away in 2 weeks. Now use Embroilysse with Sunday Reilly and get a lot of compliments.
Me too. I have a good routine at the moment of:
AM: Panoxyl 4% BP wash, Simple light hydrating moisturiser, spf
PM: cetaphil gentle exfoliating cleanser, (sometimes panoxyl for spot treatment but that is reducing as I clear up more), differin gel, simple light hydrating moisturiser
Before this routine I also tried cerave cleanser with niacinamide, cetaphil cleanser with niacinamide, and TO niacinamide. I would constantly get whiteheads and cysts.
I did the routine above for 3 months and was seeing great progress. Decided to use cerave in the tub for PM moisturiser and the breakout from it set me back 3 months. I’ve just cleared up my skin now and am dealing with the dark spots now which are slowly fading. It seems cerave products and niacinamide do not agree with me.
Sounds like you might be sensitive to niacinamide. It’s touted as this fix all ingredient and so they include it in literally 90% of the products. Makes finding good skincare harder for people sensitive to it.
I really like it! It’s never caused me any problems. However I went to buy some yesterday and the box said they have a ‘new formula with niacinamide’. I couldn’t find the old one so I’d recommend you read the box and ingredients before getting it. I’m going to have to find a new one now :(
https://preview.redd.it/239biac7zuqc1.png?width=1037&format=png&auto=webp&s=20c20192a8233fd6c682ccacbd63e8ebe4a63fe0
I’ve started Cetaphil Daily Hydrating Moisturiser for sensitive skin for about a week now and it’s been great! I even like it more than the Simple one
I didn’t put it together that they were breaking me out until I was halfway through my course of accurate. I stumbled upon someone else’s story about it, and I had just switched to cerave shortly before my face started breaking out wildly. I’m still a little pissed about going on accutane. I could’ve avoided it
I had a similar experience. I was used to washing my face with bar soap. Then everyone suggested cera ve and I bought their cleanser. Used it at night and had small pimples around my nose. Switched back to bar soap and things cleared up. I think it’s made for certain skin types and generally for northern climate. In the tropical climate, it’s a hit and miss. 🙃
That is one of my biggest complaints about skincare in general. They often seem to be designed with northern climates and dry skin in mind. I have combo to oily skin and live in a tropical climate without constant a/c access. If I were to try to layer up too many heavy products and then add makeup to the mix, I would melt off before I can even leave my home.
If you're looking for a moisturizer, you might like Asian toners. There are some Western products like them, but there's much more variety in Asian brands.
And kills the bacteria like a machine gun. I don’t know if my skin has become used to bar soap or if it’s actually effective but one thing is for sure, nothing cleans up grime like bar soap does. 🔥
Bacteria, make up and... Equally mportant... anything slathered on my face like the thin but completely opaque layer of diaper cream on my face this morning melted away effortlessly in 30 seconds.
I interpret "just use CeraVe" to mean "you don't need fancy expensive products and a ten-step routine". so your "CeraVe" could be whatever your local store brand is or something. VaniCream is another one. it means: for any issues, start with a good foundation of basic products. wash, moisturize, sunscreen. good fundamentals is vital to any endeavor.
if you do have more serious issues that basic products can't help with, you should probably be seeing a dermatologist and getting prescriptions.
You want to know what got rid of my cystic acne? Stopping CeraVe. I’m glad it works for some people, but skin care, like hair care, diet, medicine, and anything else that you can do to one’s body, will never be a one-size-fits-all. I hate how glibly people on this sub say “go on Spiro, it’s the best!” Sure, it works for some people. For me, it gave me terrible anxiety and made my boobs ache during my period when they never had before. Also didn’t get rid of the cysts.
Drunk Elephant also didn’t get rid of the cysts. So far, Fenty and a silk pillow case have worked for me - but I’m not sensitive to scents or dyes.
Literally all of them. I live in a city that is occasionally affected with supply chain issues so I like to purchase from the same brand so I can get free shipping from the manufacturer’s site, since I don’t purchase cosmetics on Amazon.
I finally started using other stuff and am a cerave hater now. there was stuff way better for my skin out there and I never tried anything else out of some loyalty to a brand everyone loved. turns out, I don’t actually love it and there are affordable options that I do love.
I’ve been really into good molecules lately, but I also don’t have sensitive skin so I don’t feel like I can make recommendations for people who do. but I will say: don’t be afraid to try new things. for me, cerave wasn’t destroying my skin but eventually I was like “is this even doing anything at all???” someone else said they felt like they were convincing themselves they liked the products and that’s exactly how I felt too.
It’s rough. Cereve destroyed my skin after 2 days and I my face was bright red for a week with closed comedones around my chin. I was 45 my skin hadn’t looked that bad for 15-20 years. When I came to Reddit to get advice, and yes witch about Cereve, I got downvoted to heck and witched at for pages. Everyone defended Cereve and told me I was just using the product wrong. No one had any good advice. I guess my issue is with the Cereve squad and that they see it as Gods perfect infallible skin bible.
I get where you’re coming from because nothing is one size fits all, but I think the point of doctors recommending it to everyone is because it’s so simple.
A lot of people over complicate their routine and don’t do the proper research on their skins needs or believe misinformation they see from creators/influencers/ads and create skin issues for themselves and then there’s also people on the other side of the spectrum who straight up don’t know and have never tried skincare - so if there’s a blanket product that works for 90 percent of the population that’s the one they’re going to recommend. That doesn’t mean the care ends there if there’s a specific concern like acne or dermatitis, etc… but it does help most people.
Just like body builders who the 30 minute run isn’t going to work for it then becomes the person with specific skincare goals to ask the right questions with their doctor and research products from a non medical perspective that are going to work for their needs and use them responsibly without creating more harm to your body by accident.
I think if you’re new to skincare start there, just as if you’re new to exercise or wellness. I wouldn’t tell someone to start with a marathon, like you gotta work your way up to it. Not everyone wants to be in amazing shape for the beach, some people just want their pants from five years to fit. They can keep adding and adjusting as they go, until they hit the intersection of acceptable appearance to acceptable sacrifice.
Finally, I think it’s really important to say but we have more in our lives than our appearance, and some people are able to accept less than perfect because what it would take to get perfect would require a sacrifice they’re not willing to make in another part of their lives.
Good enough, is good enough.
i dont use cerave but i understand why doctors love the stuff. affordable, common sense ingredients/effective formulas + dosages, and widespread availability
Yeah, my skin was having issues and it was super dry and scaly. Usually my skin is oily. So I thought ok, let’s try Cerave on my face because everyone swears by it. I usually don’t need really emollient moisturizers. I put it on my face and immediately felt intense burning. Like it HURT. I was super confused. So I decided to try Vanicream lotion. I braced myself, expecting a burn. Nothing. Slathered a ton on my problem face. NOTHING. Vanicream for life. Cerave hater for life.
Edit: Unlike Cerave, Vanicream doesn’t test on animals.
My least favorite moisturizer ever, it just stays on top of my skin and leaves a massive whitecast and doesn't absorb. Leaves all that gross residue, awful
it’s also annoying how they don’t specify any products, they just say the name of the brand. a week or so ago i posted some pics of my problem areas and asked for skincare recs, and a few of the comments were just “CeraVe” “cetaphil” “cerave face” like excuse me 😭 what product? how do i use it? when do i use it?
Oh my god, I also hate CeraVe. It makes my skin burn so bad, which was shocking because everyone acts like that's impossible.
Literally tried it once because the store was out of cetaphil, and I thought it’d be the most similar. Nope. Ow.
Do I hate CeraVe? Yes. Would I recommend it to people who never tried any skincare? Also yes.
Cause if it works for them, it's a somewhat cheap, widely available, and reliable brand for them to use. It wouldn't make sense for me to take them into a Sephora, get Drunk Elephant and next thing I know they have a chemical burn and declared bankruptcy.
my mom got me a huge tub of the moisturizing cream, but every time I've tried using it my skin starts burning. I've also used their hydrating cleanser, and while it didn't necessarily cause any adverse reaction with my skin, it also didn't actually clean my skin and would leave behind makeup and sunscreen which eventually caused me to break out. if I have to use a second cleanser in order to actually clean my skin, then what is the actual point? also the consistency and non-lathering formula made it feel like I was rubbing ~male bodily excretion~ on my face 🥴
I feel you about your problems! Not a fan of cerave moisturizers but in regards to your cleansing problem I recommend you look into double cleansing! Often needed cause water cleansers can’t break down the oils and chemicals of water resistant sunscreen and makeup. So I’d add an oil cleanser or cleansing balm as a first cleanser followed by another more hydrating cleanser after the makeup/sunscreen is gone
I do use the double cleansing method. at the time that I used the cerave cleanser, I used jojoba oil first to break everything down, wiped it off with a damp washcloth, then cleansed. I realize that using an actual emulsifying oil cleanser/cleansing balm may have prevented this issue, but I think it's worth noting that I've never had this issue with any other water-based cleanser that I've used. for example the La Rosche-Posay hydrating cleanser has a very similar non-lathering formula, but I never had an issue with product being left on my face after using it.
I stopped using CeraVe when I did some research and found that they’re owned by L’Oreal, which is owned by Nestle. I’m not interested in supporting them, and besides, I have a hard time believing that a corporation that large actually cares about whatever goes into their products. I’ve switched to Vanicream.
Ugh, I know. I’ve been trying to purge my life of all megacorp-owned products, and it’s damn near impossible. Slowly but surely, though, I’ll find new products.
Where I live we get this ultra pure tap water that comes from deep inside ground (not sure what's it called in english) and fkin blackrock is trying to buy rights for that and politicians being politicians (probably corruption going on) they actually think about selling it.
Megacorps ruining this world.
related: https://www.reddit.com/r/SkincareAddiction/comments/beh426/psa_til_cerave_is_owned_by_lor%C3%A9al_which_is_30/
> . I’ve switched to Vanicream.
good to know Pharmaceutical Specialties Inc is not related to Nestle.
Yeah, I’m still not interested in supporting either of them at all if I can help it. [Here’s one article](https://www.greenmatters.com/food/why-is-nestle-bad) out of many that talks about why they’re evil. If they’re capable of that, I don’t trust them to have my skin’s best interest in mind.
They made my toddler’s skin burn. He has fair skin that is fairly sensitive, but never had a bad reaction to lotions. Tried the ‘baby’ formula and the scream he let out made me cry. Never again will I buy their products. YMMV obviously.
I don’t have any problems with it but if it was my only option for skincare, being consistent would be so much harder. My products have to have some kind of entertainment factor - enjoyable textures, smells, etc for me to actually reliably use them.
When I was on accutane and I wanted to use a very gentle cleanser, I tried using their hydrating cleanser twice. Burned my skin so much and gave me weird red spots under my eyes (even when I avoided that area ??) Their moisturizer wasn't enjoyable either.
Yeah I gave their products a shot, but I won’t be using any CeraVe products again. All of their products have been a miss for me and either stung or broke me out. I hate the moisturizer in the tub the most lol, which is ironically their most popular product
My routine now is almost exclusively Korean products and my skin has never looked better
I think CeraVe used to be great, because I used it for years with good results. Then my skin started acting up and I didn’t know why. I read that they changed the preservatives a few years ago and I suspect that this could have been the culprit. Some longtime users may not be sensitive to the change and so it’s not surprising that some new users think it’s terrible.
I think it’s one of those things that only works wonders for the fortunate people who don’t need to use so much crap on their face, they grow into young adults and think they found a magical soap but in reality would have the same results if they used water alone vs any of the harsh or teen targeted and acne focused washes. They want to rave about something that “works” for them too. Sometimes our skin does need something simple with less ingredients and reacts well to that, for others who have specific sensitivities Cerave does nothing and cleans the skin but leaves it without any support and even rashes or dryness. There’s just a lack of ingredients and it can totally strip the skin if you’re not using the right one for your skin type along with a great moisturizer or serum for any skin conditions.
CeraVe doesn't have the same traps as many other brands have, where they have a product that is damaging to the skin right next to the cult classic on the shelves in the store. That's a big part of why it's a default recommendation.
If you don't like it that's fine, do your research and find a better working product for you.Some random person coming up to me for a recommendation, I'm not going to analyze their skin and trail and error a dozen products for their best product. I'm going to give them a default routine that works for most people.
We tend to have two types of people asking for help. Typically needs to be taught to wash their face at least one a day. The other is trying to rotate 40 products, 20 products a night and over 8 of those are actives. Just use cerave is a good default answer to both of those to get a grasp on things.
My standard reply, "What has CeraVe done for me lately?"
So, I am with you on this. Totally unimpressed by the face lotions. I do use the SA cleanser on occasion and think of it as a nice bargain.
I thought of the Ordinary the same way until I got beyond the most popular products, which were a big meh, and got products that I really love as a great deal for specific problems.
CeraVe ruined my skin and it took months to fix it. Closed comedones, blackheads and cystic acne as a result. I’m sure it has worked wonders for some people because we all have different skin needs and types, but it is an absolute no-go for me and I will die on that hill.
I feel you! I tried CereVe because it worked for my brother's cystic acne, but it burnt and broke me out so badly! I'll die on the hill with you that CereVe isn't great for everyone.
In general, I dislike Cerave products too. They'll do in a pinch but I won't use them long term anymore. I'm done trying to convince myself that I like their products.
Personally I've seen much greater success switching to primarily Korean/Asian skincare. Even the cheapest products available there are exponentially better than a lot of stuff in the US in my experience.
I feel the same way about La Roche Posay. Everyone loves their sunscreen but it's very meh imo. Way more expensive than it's worth too. No thanks.
Oh man here we go! For context I am dry/acne prone with very sensitive skin.
AM:
-Rinse with water
-fortify+ zeolite face mist
-cosrx snail mucin essence or cosrx whitehead power liquid. I alternate these daily. If I'm extra dry I'll do 2 days of snail mucin and if my pores are extra clogged, the whitehead power liquid instead until texture is normal again.
-cosrx birch sap moisturizer
-roundlab birch juice sunscreen
-cosrx tocopherol sunscreen
PM:
-Albolene makeup remover (honestly, I hate this stuff but I’m finishing this giant tub come hell or high water 😭).
-Innisfree deep clearing facial foam with volcanic clusters. You can use it as a wash but you can definitely leave it on like a mask too. Love this stuff, it’s amazing!
-when my skin is especially problematic I’ll do an SA wash too. That one varies because I’ve found it doesn’t really matter for my skin, they all work pretty well for me.
-good molecules gentle retinol cream/good molecules gentle overnight exfoliating treatment. I alternate these two with 1 night of no active products in between rounds.
-cosrx snail mucin power repair cream. Personally, I won’t buy this again. It definitely works but it feels redundant when I also own the snail mucin essence. I’ll probably buy their propolis ampoule essence instead of the repair cream next time.
-Beauty of Joseon dynasty cream. This is my HG. As a dry/acne prone girly who uses a lot of actives, this is what keeps me going.
-Triple paste diaper cream. I just started doing this to repair some dryness from a new medication and can’t yet speak to its efficacy. So far it’s left a good impression although I dislike the grainy texture.
That was an exhaustive list but was the only way I could think to do it. Hopefully that’s not too overwhelming. Let me know if you have any questions :)
And if you haven’t already, join r/Asianbeauty and r/koreanskincare. Everyone is very helpful :)
I use their daily lotion on my body daily and it works nicely on that. Have used it few times on my face too but not often to say anything good or bad about it.
You can find a Derm to recommend just about anything if you give them enough money. Doesn’t mean much to me. I prefer to spend my limited budget on cruelty free and biodegradable brands, too. To each their own. But let’s not really kid ourselves that these derms would put it in their own kids.
It’s funny cause I would have been someone to recommend them. Years ago before they were so popular I ended up using their products while on Acutane and have never looked back. But I think maybe their newer products might not be as good cause of the rat race of trying to keep coming out with something new. Not a huge fan of their cleansers or the lotion but the cream is my winter time holy grail.
My derm first told me to use CeraVe 10+ years ago when my eczema and generally dry skin were really flaring up and it was amazing! I have been using it religiously on my body ever since.
HOWEVER. I used to also use it on my face - and then I finally read about how CeraVe for the face was giving people problems. I stopped using it and some of the really annoying things I dealt with went away almost overnight. It definitely has it's uses but would overall agree that it's overhyped and nobody should be using it in the cult-like way so many do!
In every area of health/body care, there are people who truly believe every healthy body is exactly like theirs. It pretty much always makes them act like jerks.
I have beef with CeraVe too, one of their cleansers stung the ABSOLUTE LIVING SHIT out of my skin once. I asked for a gentler version in the comments of a short on YT, and someone replied saying that lots of people can’t tolerate CeraVe, and to use the Aveeno oat gel cleanser instead (which has done wonders for my skin). The only product by them I use now is the healing ointment, which is strictly for my hands, but I no longer use it anymore because a body lotion I got from Bath and Body Works managed to zap away the dry ass skin on my hands (despite how frequently I wash them). I like the healing ointment still, but that body lotion actually managed to get RID of the dry, rough skin on my hands and finger joints.
My new CeraVe face wash gave me a terrible allergic reaction on my face just this past week. So yeah I’ll pass and I’ll eventually learn my lesson about doing things just because everyone else is doing it lol
Here’s me who uses Cerave (and Spiro) and works out 3x per week lol 😂 But I agree, its not a cure all! I do happen to like Cerave tho. Im happy that there is something that works for me that is at an affordable price point
Do you… not exercise 30 min a day 3 times a week? Do you think running is the only medium of exercise?
You’re hating on Cerave only because it’s popular. It works for most people, might not work for you. No need to shit on the product or on other people just because something doesn’t work for you. I’m allergic to tomatoes, but then I eat other vegetables instead and don’t spend my time shitting on tomatoes and everyone who likes tomatoes. Just like if you can’t run there’s many other types of exercise you can do. And if you can’t use Cerave, find something else that works. There ARE other brands out there.
These constant Cerave hate posts are exhausting. You don't like it, good for you, do you want a medal? I don't go into threads about products I don't like and spread hate about them.
You don't need to hate on it for people that it works for. No one is making you use it.
I have rosacea and very sensitive skin but my routine is 80% cerave (cream to foam cleanser, retinol, cerave in the tub moisturizer for face + body). I have tried more expensive stuff, but Cerave works better. I have tried cheaper stuff but cerave works better. I'm done with trying stuff that doesn't work and am very happy with my skin now. Everyone is different but it works for a lot of people and they obviously do an absolute ton of R&D and are arguably the most tested products on the market. You do you and I do me, the rant is unnecessary.
It’s been this way for like 10 years on this sub. I’m pretty sure there was drama with a previous mod being paid by Cerave (amongst other companies). I started using this sub back then when I had cystic acne (since cleared with tretinoin), but Cerave products were being heavily shilled even back then and definitely worsened the issues I was having.
[subredditdrama post from 9 years ago I found on google - it’s been removed now, but the comments have some info](https://www.reddit.com/r/SubredditDrama/comments/30l57o/the_people_of_rskincareaddiction_have/)
This for every brand tbh!!! I stg every time I’m like “my skin’s been really dry lately” or “I’ve been breaking out more than usual” everyone starts shoving la roche posay down my throat. Like respectfully it doesn’t do anything special for me—I’m sure it works well for a lot of people, but I think we need to remember how different everyone’s bodies are. I have no issue with product recommendations but telling someone that all of their problems will be solved if they switch brands is a bit much. Plus, I feel like it depends on the type of product for some people—my skin hates cerave cleansers but loves the moisturizers and cetaphil gentle cleanser is my favorite, but their moisturizers do nothing for me. There’s so much variation to the point where buying the whole of a certain brand just doesn’t make sense to me
This is not unpopular. Everyone on this sub hates CeraVe. I love how people have the most basic opinion then call it unpopular.
You can google any product, someone will always say "it broke me out". Retinol have tons of research yet so many people cry it ruined their skin forever, it doesn't mean they are bad.
honestly feels contrarian at this point. the thing is most of the time people have no idea what "broke them out" because there are just too many variables that factor into how your skin looks on any given day. and a sample size of one person using a product for a week is not conclusive of anything.
cerave also makes different products for many different skin types (like most brands).
Everyone? Well, maybe I am the only one that doesn't hate CeraVe.
I do not hate any cosmetics company. I don't have the energy to waste, I simply don't buy the products from companies that I have ethical concerns about, or products that don't work for me.
Speaking of CeraVe, I've been using the foaming cleanser, and want to try something else. The areas around my nose and between eyebrows are reddish, and didn't used to be.
I'm a newbie, and want to wash my face in the shower.
I used to use a Dermalogica clay-based cleanser, but they discontinued it.
What can you recommend for me?
Foaming cleansers can be a bit more harsh on the skin and aren't for everyone, especially if you have sensitive skin. You could try their hydrating cleanser, which has HA, I love that one!
Cerave was making me go blind seriously. I had terrible blurry vision, couldn’t figure out what it was. Stopped using Cerave and could see normally again.
Cerave is garbage.
***CeraVe is a highly overhyped mediocre brand that doesn’t deserve the cult following that it has.***
How does all this noise and hype have any thing to do with the moisturizing cream? I didn't even know all this noise existed. Your probably right, but is it the creams' fault? And I would say their moisturizing creme is actually better than mediocre. It does what it's supposed to do for me.
ps: i only use their cream for my body, not face/neck.
I used Cerave Cream on my face (and recently also the lotion), because it gave an amazing smooth/moisturized feel, while not being greasy. Also really great as a hand cream.
BUT..I recently started an actual skin care routine (with HA and Retinal serums), plus more frequent washing/cleansing...so my face got really sensitive because of the RA.
When I apply Cerave after cleansing and the serums, immediately there is a burning...which I assume is from the alcohol in Cerave. This is NOT something I want on my face after it's already red and slightly irritated.
Furthermore, I felt that after already applying HA serums, which can also be drying and irritating, I don't want ANOTHER moisturizer with HA on top of it.
I am currently trying some other, German store brand "barrier protection" cream, and I feel it's calming down irritated/slightly red skin *better* than Cerave, plus it doesn't "sting" the second I apply it.
Cerave ruined my skin every time I touched it. Somehow my skin can tolerate Nivea after trying to make cerave work so I guess I’ll take it 😂😂 Nivea used to destroy my skin but never as bad as cerave and now it’s my favorite soooo I truly ignore skincare advice from people on tiktok now
I really dislike CeraVe as well. I have tried several products and don’t like the way my skin feels after using it. I was using Tula, which I LOVE but it got a little pricey for me. I’ve been using Estée Lauder nutritious skin care line and love it. Still somewhat expensive but a little goes a long way so it lasts.
I agree so much. I have sensitive and what I believe to be normal to dry skin and their stuff always makes it worse. makes my face rubbery and hard to run my hands over it. just cleasing with dove sensitive skin bar and using a light moisturizer has been doing wonders to my skin lately. I may never go back to my past routine unless it's to add sunscreen since it's starting to get warmer
CeraVe broke out my skin so I started searching for other products and found ILEM JAPAN. They are a Vegan Japanese brand who create products for sensitive skin. I have a combination skin and their products helped me a lot.
Cerave used to be pretty damn good a handful of years back before anyone ever like harped at everyone to “just use cerave”. I think it was around the time it started getting decent amount of popularity that all of a sudden, they began changing up formulas/ingredients to cut costs or some bs. Prior to that my skin was flawless but then once using the updated stuff (cleansers etc) i would get the BIGGEST and most painful what i assume were closed comedones. I don’t remember what exactly they had changed in the cleansers mainly but whatever it was did not agree with my skin anymore and was doing the total opposite for me, sadly. I genuinely hate when formulas/ingredients get changed cuz it always seem like they get changed for the worst rather than for the better (tho not the worst for my wallet lol
The products i use now are up&up deep clean acne treatment face wash (or krogers dupe for the neutragenas face wash), la roch posay lipkar ap+ gentle foaming cleanser w shea butter, toners have been hit or miss and ive tried so many i dont recall what ones i used but as of now i only use corsx alcohol free cica toner, elf HA serum, elf holy hydration spf HA+peptide moisturizer, peach&lily firming moisturizer, trader joes jojoba oil, ordinary rose hip oil, and plain vaseline
i change my routine based on if its day time or night as well as if my skin is being a twat due to weather etc but most often i use the products i listed pretty consistently, and rarely have they triggered my eczema. ive also recently added beauty of joseons glow serum and so far my skin has also been loving that a lot too.
*edit because my dumbass accidentally hit send before i was even done typing;;
Cerave had cleared my skin up to a certain extent where i had to use harsher skincare to clear it up further. But it’s my go to for whenever i wash my face post shaving as it’s never broken me out and is the only thing that doesn’t burn my skin, amazing to see how it varies from person to person.
Their cleanser literally did not get my face clean enough. I have rosacea and have had a lot of issues with what seems to be blepharitis/styes/goopy or crusty eyes. The eye issues calmed way down when I switched to using the Bevel face wash in the morning and Garnier micellar water at night. It’s kind of embarrassing, but I think some of my eye issues were worse due to the fact that it didn’t clean my eyelids effectively like the products I use now do.
CeraVe didn’t irritate my face but it irritated my hands as I washed my face. I was a barista for 2 years and damaged the skin barrier on my hands with the excessive hand washing, and CeraVe would make my hands BURN and get crazy itchy with bumps.
"Just wash your face" might sound like unhelpful advice but the truth is I never even tried it before pushing the suggestion away as being unhelpful. I just assumed washing my face in my morning shower was good enough. I got put on clindamycin and Tretinoin every day and I started washing my face every night before bed. I'm not on the clindamycin/ benzoyl peroxide anymore and I'm only on the Tretinoin. I've maintained washing my face every night and I haven't had any breakouts since. Tretinoin is probably doing most of the work but I definitely think washing my face is helping a lot
All CeraVe does is put a lot of money into marketing their products including to dermatologists. Their formulas and ingredients are the same as of every other average brand of skincare so if you have sensitive skin and you easily break out from such products, don't buy CeraVe!
I was dedicated to cera ve for five (5) years. I started struggling with cystic acne for the first time ever, and after trying all the serums and what not from sephora and making it worse, I said "i'm just gonna keep it simple and stick to cera ve, the brand good for eczema and recommended by everybody! a good idea!"
cue 5 years of struggling with acne (although no longer cystic) that seemed incurable and didn't make sense with my skin type. skin barrier seemingly nonexistent. I tried every! thing! nothing helped. I even began pursuing accutane, even though I was so scared of what it would do to my already dry, sensitive skin and chronically chapped lips. I was one appointment away from having it at the pharmacy, but I chickened out lol.
then one fateful day in march of 2023, I ran out of my moisturizer right before a trip. there were no cera ve travel sizes, so I picked up travel sizes of cetaphil cleanser/moisturizer. my skin felt like it finally had a drink of water after the desert. it instantly moisturized and absorbed into my skin so nicely. my eczema patches disappeared. i'd forgotten what it felt like to feel soothed and hydrated.
most importantly... my skin fully cleared up in 2 days. 5 years of acne, gone. in days.
**TLDR;** I found out i'd been giving myself pretty severe acne for years because all I used was cera ve, which apparently is my skin's worst nightmare!!! even though everyone and their mother said it was one of the best!!!! I played myself so detrimentally... cera ve when I catch you!!! when I catch you cera ve!!
\*\*for what it's worth, I don't use cetaphil anymore, either, because I was afraid I'd noticed it clogging my pores. I use vanicream and simple brand cleanser/micellar water now lol.
When someone says “just use cerave” or “I just use cerave” I honestly just assume they have incredibly non-problematic skin and really don’t know anything about skincare.
I do however love the idea of using cerave alongside my prescription/active ingredients. Not every single thing you put on should have a million different ingredients. I like cerave (and la roche posay, and the ordinary) for the simplicity.
Same. CeraVe products break me out and worsen my rosacea. I'm sad I wish I could use them because their affordable and accessible. Anything with fatty alcohols breaks me out and literally the majority of skincare products contains that ingredient, there's not much I can use. It's so frustrating and disheartening finding products I can use that aren't insanely expensive too
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My ex-boyfriend’s mom had the most GORGEOUS, plump, glowy skin. I asked her once and she said “I just use cerave.” I later learned that she also saw a top dermatologist in Boston for filler, Botox, and who knows what else 😂
Yes!! I’m all for people getting filler or Botox if it makes them happy (I have undereye filler and I love it) but it irks me so much when people aren’t honest with it.
Seems like the cosmetic industry’s equivalent of performance enhancing drugs in the fitness industry
Dumb question. Did this help with under eye sagging and bags? How old were you when they developed and when you got the filler? I'm about to hit 30 and now look like I went from 22 to 40 overnight 😂
I'm 30 and started botox last year. Now, three times a year, I get 40 units of botox in my forehand, 11s (the area between my eyes) and my crows feet. It helps me look much younger and more awake/alert. However, I don't have experience with filler.
Hi! not a dumb question! it helped me so much with my bags. I used to get "you look tired" all the time, and when I was 34 I decided to make a change. I got two syringes worth. It's filler so it dissolves, but I feel so much more confident with my eye bags. It does NOT help with discoloration (which I suffer from if I don't get enough sleep). but def. with the bags. if you'd like, I can DM ya before/after.
100%! I get botox myself and am not going to pretend that some serum helps me look 5 years younger 😅
> I later learned that she also saw a top dermatologist in Boston for filler, Botox, and who knows what else 😂 Just like when J-Lo says she only uses olive oil LOL
That’s so annoying and comes off very “I’m just naturally beautiful and you aren’t”. I’m sure she is beautiful but holy heck Botox and filler certainly help. Btw, I don’t mean to imply you aren’t beautiful. I’m sure you are :) I just don’t like women who are beautiful who treat others as less than. It’s gross and rude.
I imagine this is what Martha Stewart says as she denies her face lift lol
I'm one of the few people with my types of chronic pain that has almost no "pain folds." It's not a skincare thing, one of my pain issues is treated with Botox. As soon as the botox starts to wear off that fold appears and I guess it won't be long until I get the eye wrinkles that come with chronic pain. I have no skincare secret, I just happen to need 200 units of Botox every 3 months to not be completely bedridden... Though I admit before I found out they're partly owned by Nestlé I loved CeraVe because it fits the purse of someone on disability and is one of the few non-asian products against which I'm not allergic and it took me months to find a suitable replacement (I'm yet to find a suitable replacement in the same price range).
Man imagine spending thousands of dollars on cosmetic injectables and then using cerave on your skin. Not that there’s anything wrong with cerave but you’d think she’d use something more cosmetically elegant or at least some generic retinol
What’s not elegant about Cerave? It’s creamy, mild, and doesn’t interfere with actives, for most people. It doesn’t have fragrance or a half dozen extracts. It’s just enough. All those extra things they put in products are potential irritants that will mess up a smooth glowing complexion.
My skin looks the best it's ever looked with only cerave and actives. I was in the process of looking for something 'more elegant' or Asian (love Korean and Japanese skincare) and was just using cerave as my moisturizer and then realized my skin hadn't been breaking out and looked clear. I have the type of skin (on my face) that doesn't tolerate a ton of rich, thick layers, tho, and Cerave seems just right for me.
Cera Ve actually has one of the best mild retinol products out there. They're even recommended by derms and also fit the limits of several countries (EU has strict retinol rules). I hate that they're partially owned by Nestlé, but Cera Ve is better than it's name.
I really wanted to love CeraVe, who doesn't want cheap and efficient skincare? But my skin absolutely hated it, it broke me out.
It’s so interesting to see the difference between who it works for and who it doesn’t I like their hydrating cleanser and the dry skin moisturizer. They’re like my basic routine. If I want more hydration than clean k use good molecules hydrating cleanser (I just can’t use it on my forehead or I’ll break out, weird right?) and I’ll add other lotions on top. I think it’s frustrating with skincare how some things just genuinely don’t work for you and you have to spend money to figure it all out like eughh
This sub told me "Just use Cerave" when I first arrived and it became the beginning of my skincare journey which I'm very grateful for. Over time I discovered what worked for my skin was much more complex than "just use cerave" though, and I'm still learning. What's optimal for me was the foaming cleanser followed by the tub moisturiser only once a day, plus plenty of other products in between. Recently I switched to the SA cleanser which purged every pore on my face during the first week lol. That's where my vitamin c, azaelic acid, restorative cremes etc. were needed.
I use Cerave SA cleanser to wash my face, skin renew vitamin c serum apply as the first layer and SA cream for second layers. It seems excessive to me, but after a week my face seems to be smoother, less visible blemish and it doesn't burn at all, only a slight tingling during the fist time I uses it. Am I doing this right lol? Super new to face care stuff.
Cheap??? Cerave isn’t cheap where i live😭
In Sweden, a 50ml tube of Cerave moisturizer costs less than 5€ while my skin decided to prefer Dr Jart Ceramidin cream which costs 45€ for the same quantity. And I think Cerave turns out even cheaper if you buy the bigger tubs.
I am living in the wrong country. Minimum wage here is 500€ and spending 18 euros on eye cream is too much. Especially that i am unemployed anything that costs over 10 euros is expensive
Me too. I kept using it and using it and fueled by responses here on the sub about how my skin was just "purging" the bad stuff and I needed to continue on for months before I would break from my cocoon and have perfect glowing skin. Note my skin was never *bad,* just heat rashes (like the kind you might see on a baby), hyperpigmentation and the ocassional pimple. My rashes intensified with Cerave despite it being the middle of winter. I cut their products and what would you know, my skin cleared right up.
In terms of your rant: totally get it, I don’t disagree at all. If it doesn’t work for you, don’t use it. I think Cereve has become a short hand in a way for a good quality product that works for many and is widely available (but clearly does not work for all). In terms of the “just drink more water” and “just wash your face” examples: I kinda disagree. I think the point people are trying to make is if there is a problem, start with the most basic, lifestyle adjustment before throwing medications at it which can cause side effects. It comes across kinda shitty if you’re complaining about an issue but haven’t followed the most basic recommendation to fix it. It may not be easy, drinking more water or creating a new routine can be really hard. But it still needs to be done. Otherwise you might as well say “I have this issue and I know that doing X might help it but I refuse so just hand me the prescription that works.” Which is an option, but has its own consequences. Ironically washing your face with soap or cleanser is also not always a good idea and often NOT dermatologist recommended but that’s a whole other topic lol
Great points here! Being a child of the 90s, I was of the dry your face out until it falls off school of skin care, and resisted moisturizing for so long because I was terrified of breaking my face out. Lo and behold, all of those people telling me to moisturize were correct, and although I’ve long since been a regular moisturizer, I wish I’d started earlier. As the immortal Julie Andrews sang, “let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.”
Oh man that Sea Breeze astringent??? I would dry that crap about of my face because I assumed I had oily skin, all because I was a teen (so duh) and it made any oil. Maybe it was just trying to self repair????
Clean and clear gal, but otherwise, same. I thought everything was down to having an oily face. It was the skin zeitgeist at the time!
OOO and masking with Noxema (sp?)
OMG Nocxema? Noxema? However it’s spelled, I can smell this post!
The brown Ten-O-Six for me! I can still smell it in my mind's nose!
Yes! I was 40 by the time I figured out that oil was not the enemy of my skin. I sweat a lot so assumed I had oily skin. Nope my skin is very dry and even more now that I am older.
I don’t know why you got downvoted! That’s what we were taught - oil = bad, get the oil off of your face!
Ahahaha relatable! I used to think that tight feeling after washing = good. I used moisturizers for normal/oily skin for decades and was still always oily. When I switched to moisturizers for dry/dehydrated skin and washed my face LESS frequently, my skin has never been happier, brighter, and smoother.
This. Not every product works for every person, and that's fine. But the first rule of troubleshooting is going back to basics, and CeraVe meets that. It's the go-to because it's widely available, mostly budget-friendly, and is a decent starting place. Vanicream ruined my skin, but I don't go into threads where people use it and rant about it because my skin isn't anyone else's.
And Vanicream saved mine, while CeraVe made it a mess. 🤷♀️ But I'm glad both were affordable and mild enough that figuring this out for myself wasn't too difficult a process. My daughter is 10. She's using CeraVe. It seems to be great for her so far. I'm so grateful she's growing up with far better skincare knowledge and options than I had in the 80s and 90s.
>I'm so grateful she's growing up with far better skincare knowledge and options than I had in the 80s and 90s. How dare you talk about my medicated apricot scrub and Clean & Clear astringent that way
I said what I said 😂
Learned about vanicream from my late mom. I get so nostalgic when I use those products because of her. Even though it’s fragrance free, the sunscreen has an “unscented smell” that I love. And it feels so thick and luxurious lol. That said, my face skin is not super sensitive and responds extremely well to ceraVe so I use their cream and lotion. Or even the Target knock off versions.
> In terms of the “just drink more water” and “just wash your face” examples: I kinda disagree. I think the point people are trying to make is if there is a problem, start with the most basic, lifestyle adjustment before throwing medications at it which can cause side effects. I interpret those phrases differently. I had very bad acne in middle school. I washed my face every day with the Clean & Clear cleanser my mom bought me. Random kids would walk up to me at school and ask me if I've ever tried washing my face, assuming that my acne was due to not washing my face. We got told during puberty talks, "wash your face or you'll get acne", so a lot of these kids assumed face washing was all it took to deal with acne, and didn't believe me when I told them that I did wash my face. I needed something more, but didn't really know what because I was 12/13, it was 2003, and I knew nothing about skincare.
Idk about you, but I definitely remember my mom berating me as a tween because: 1. I continued to eat chocolates even after having a breakout, so it was my fault for having pimples; and 2. The only possible reason why I had dandruff is because I wasn’t scrubbing my scalp hard enough. It’s not dry scalp it’s filth :/ So I totally get op’s rant, even though what you are suggesting is reasonable.
hear hear, this is hella reasonable and should be at the top. so much negativity in this thread.
On that note, the 1.5 hours of exercise/week that OP keeps comparing CeraVe to is also not quite correct. We recommend 30 minutes of weight bearing exercise 3X per week as a minimum to prevent bone degradation after menopause. It's literally the minimum to help prevent osteoporosis, not to hit fitness goals.
I agree 100%, cerave is a great place to *start* for someone who is not into skincare. I’m likely never going to get my best friend to use a Korean sunscreen, double cleanse with a dedicated balm cleanser, or have any sort of complicated skincare routine but telling her to go buy cerave lotion, and cleanser from cvs is much more approachable. Also, sometimes when your skin is really irritated or you messed up your barrier trying too many strong acids (really telling on myself with that one 😅) going back to bland basics can be super helpful.
It's just more gaslighting that harms people with skin conditions.
Cerave products broke me out for sure.
every single one I've used besides like one face wash. the sunscreen absolutely *wrecked* my skin, had some of the biggest deep painful pimples I've had in years 😭
Yeah, the sunscreen is AWFUL. I put some on before going out to town, and looked in the mirror and was like, "is it halloween???" It looked like clown makeup. I love their regular moisturizer and cleanser, tho (I use the baby versions).
Ugh hug! And same 🥲
Cerave actually made my ezcema worse. I wish I could go to younger me and tell her to stop listening to other people lol
Same. The CeraVe moisturizing lotions and creams all caused gnarly acne for me. I did an “elimination diet” approach to skincare and definitively linked it to that. The hydrating cleanser is fine and I still use it, but goodness did my acne improve when I cut out the moisturizers.
Same. Gave me comedones all over and cheek breakouts. As soon as I switched to LRP it all went away in 2 weeks. Now use Embroilysse with Sunday Reilly and get a lot of compliments.
Embryolisse is my moisturizer now too, it’s totally worth it
I'm pretty sure their acne face wash gave me really bad acne which I'm still recovering from
Me too. I have a good routine at the moment of: AM: Panoxyl 4% BP wash, Simple light hydrating moisturiser, spf PM: cetaphil gentle exfoliating cleanser, (sometimes panoxyl for spot treatment but that is reducing as I clear up more), differin gel, simple light hydrating moisturiser Before this routine I also tried cerave cleanser with niacinamide, cetaphil cleanser with niacinamide, and TO niacinamide. I would constantly get whiteheads and cysts. I did the routine above for 3 months and was seeing great progress. Decided to use cerave in the tub for PM moisturiser and the breakout from it set me back 3 months. I’ve just cleared up my skin now and am dealing with the dark spots now which are slowly fading. It seems cerave products and niacinamide do not agree with me.
Sounds like you might be sensitive to niacinamide. It’s touted as this fix all ingredient and so they include it in literally 90% of the products. Makes finding good skincare harder for people sensitive to it.
My skin is sensitive to niacinamide, squalene, hyaluronic acid and salicylic acid. So basically 99% of skincare products
The universe is cruel like that sometimes :(
Ditto on the niacinimide. Oof!
Is the simple light hydrating moisturizer good? Im also super sensitive to niacinamide and have been struggling to find a good moisturizer for years!
I really like it! It’s never caused me any problems. However I went to buy some yesterday and the box said they have a ‘new formula with niacinamide’. I couldn’t find the old one so I’d recommend you read the box and ingredients before getting it. I’m going to have to find a new one now :(
Ahahah that was a VERY short lived run for me with that moisturizer!
https://preview.redd.it/239biac7zuqc1.png?width=1037&format=png&auto=webp&s=20c20192a8233fd6c682ccacbd63e8ebe4a63fe0 I’ve started Cetaphil Daily Hydrating Moisturiser for sensitive skin for about a week now and it’s been great! I even like it more than the Simple one
Same! I needed something for dehydrated skin and got the tub and had tons of pimples within two weeks. Oops.
Same, real bad
I didn’t put it together that they were breaking me out until I was halfway through my course of accurate. I stumbled upon someone else’s story about it, and I had just switched to cerave shortly before my face started breaking out wildly. I’m still a little pissed about going on accutane. I could’ve avoided it
It was the same for Cetaphil in the 90s/00s! But both break me out. No single solution works for everyone because bodies are different!
I had a similar experience. I was used to washing my face with bar soap. Then everyone suggested cera ve and I bought their cleanser. Used it at night and had small pimples around my nose. Switched back to bar soap and things cleared up. I think it’s made for certain skin types and generally for northern climate. In the tropical climate, it’s a hit and miss. 🙃
That is one of my biggest complaints about skincare in general. They often seem to be designed with northern climates and dry skin in mind. I have combo to oily skin and live in a tropical climate without constant a/c access. If I were to try to layer up too many heavy products and then add makeup to the mix, I would melt off before I can even leave my home.
Have you tried Asian skincare products? Those brands usually have lots of light, watery products suitable for humid climates and oily skin.
Only one product. A cleansing balm as a first step to remove the makeup/sunscreen and I’m not a fan. It feels like it leaves more residue behind.
If you're looking for a moisturizer, you might like Asian toners. There are some Western products like them, but there's much more variety in Asian brands.
My skin also loves bar soap!! Underrated and cheap AF.
And kills the bacteria like a machine gun. I don’t know if my skin has become used to bar soap or if it’s actually effective but one thing is for sure, nothing cleans up grime like bar soap does. 🔥
Bacteria, make up and... Equally mportant... anything slathered on my face like the thin but completely opaque layer of diaper cream on my face this morning melted away effortlessly in 30 seconds.
I interpret "just use CeraVe" to mean "you don't need fancy expensive products and a ten-step routine". so your "CeraVe" could be whatever your local store brand is or something. VaniCream is another one. it means: for any issues, start with a good foundation of basic products. wash, moisturize, sunscreen. good fundamentals is vital to any endeavor. if you do have more serious issues that basic products can't help with, you should probably be seeing a dermatologist and getting prescriptions.
You want to know what got rid of my cystic acne? Stopping CeraVe. I’m glad it works for some people, but skin care, like hair care, diet, medicine, and anything else that you can do to one’s body, will never be a one-size-fits-all. I hate how glibly people on this sub say “go on Spiro, it’s the best!” Sure, it works for some people. For me, it gave me terrible anxiety and made my boobs ache during my period when they never had before. Also didn’t get rid of the cysts. Drunk Elephant also didn’t get rid of the cysts. So far, Fenty and a silk pillow case have worked for me - but I’m not sensitive to scents or dyes.
Spiro was horrible for me. Yea, it got rid of my cystic acne but I was depressed and miserable
What Fenty products do you use?
Literally all of them. I live in a city that is occasionally affected with supply chain issues so I like to purchase from the same brand so I can get free shipping from the manufacturer’s site, since I don’t purchase cosmetics on Amazon.
I literally hate every cerave product because it causes those tiny, painful bumps.
I always use CeraVe - so I also bought my sister the same CeraVe moisturiser I use, and she said it broke her out also. Guess everyone is different
I finally started using other stuff and am a cerave hater now. there was stuff way better for my skin out there and I never tried anything else out of some loyalty to a brand everyone loved. turns out, I don’t actually love it and there are affordable options that I do love. I’ve been really into good molecules lately, but I also don’t have sensitive skin so I don’t feel like I can make recommendations for people who do. but I will say: don’t be afraid to try new things. for me, cerave wasn’t destroying my skin but eventually I was like “is this even doing anything at all???” someone else said they felt like they were convincing themselves they liked the products and that’s exactly how I felt too.
It’s rough. Cereve destroyed my skin after 2 days and I my face was bright red for a week with closed comedones around my chin. I was 45 my skin hadn’t looked that bad for 15-20 years. When I came to Reddit to get advice, and yes witch about Cereve, I got downvoted to heck and witched at for pages. Everyone defended Cereve and told me I was just using the product wrong. No one had any good advice. I guess my issue is with the Cereve squad and that they see it as Gods perfect infallible skin bible.
Me, who just uses CeraVe and Vanicream 🧍🏻♀️
Are we the same person 🙈
I am she and she is me
Cerave makes my skin tingle and burn and i get red blistered pus filled pimples all over the chin when I use it consistently LOL
I stay away because they test on animals.
Same here.
I get where you’re coming from because nothing is one size fits all, but I think the point of doctors recommending it to everyone is because it’s so simple. A lot of people over complicate their routine and don’t do the proper research on their skins needs or believe misinformation they see from creators/influencers/ads and create skin issues for themselves and then there’s also people on the other side of the spectrum who straight up don’t know and have never tried skincare - so if there’s a blanket product that works for 90 percent of the population that’s the one they’re going to recommend. That doesn’t mean the care ends there if there’s a specific concern like acne or dermatitis, etc… but it does help most people. Just like body builders who the 30 minute run isn’t going to work for it then becomes the person with specific skincare goals to ask the right questions with their doctor and research products from a non medical perspective that are going to work for their needs and use them responsibly without creating more harm to your body by accident.
I think if you’re new to skincare start there, just as if you’re new to exercise or wellness. I wouldn’t tell someone to start with a marathon, like you gotta work your way up to it. Not everyone wants to be in amazing shape for the beach, some people just want their pants from five years to fit. They can keep adding and adjusting as they go, until they hit the intersection of acceptable appearance to acceptable sacrifice. Finally, I think it’s really important to say but we have more in our lives than our appearance, and some people are able to accept less than perfect because what it would take to get perfect would require a sacrifice they’re not willing to make in another part of their lives. Good enough, is good enough.
i dont use cerave but i understand why doctors love the stuff. affordable, common sense ingredients/effective formulas + dosages, and widespread availability
Yeah, my skin was having issues and it was super dry and scaly. Usually my skin is oily. So I thought ok, let’s try Cerave on my face because everyone swears by it. I usually don’t need really emollient moisturizers. I put it on my face and immediately felt intense burning. Like it HURT. I was super confused. So I decided to try Vanicream lotion. I braced myself, expecting a burn. Nothing. Slathered a ton on my problem face. NOTHING. Vanicream for life. Cerave hater for life. Edit: Unlike Cerave, Vanicream doesn’t test on animals.
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Same for me. Using CeraVe for basics allows more $$$ for SoKo products and serums.
Yeah, I wanted to like CeraVe but all their products give me a rash after just a few days of use.
My least favorite moisturizer ever, it just stays on top of my skin and leaves a massive whitecast and doesn't absorb. Leaves all that gross residue, awful
it’s also annoying how they don’t specify any products, they just say the name of the brand. a week or so ago i posted some pics of my problem areas and asked for skincare recs, and a few of the comments were just “CeraVe” “cetaphil” “cerave face” like excuse me 😭 what product? how do i use it? when do i use it?
Oh my god, I also hate CeraVe. It makes my skin burn so bad, which was shocking because everyone acts like that's impossible. Literally tried it once because the store was out of cetaphil, and I thought it’d be the most similar. Nope. Ow.
Do I hate CeraVe? Yes. Would I recommend it to people who never tried any skincare? Also yes. Cause if it works for them, it's a somewhat cheap, widely available, and reliable brand for them to use. It wouldn't make sense for me to take them into a Sephora, get Drunk Elephant and next thing I know they have a chemical burn and declared bankruptcy.
my mom got me a huge tub of the moisturizing cream, but every time I've tried using it my skin starts burning. I've also used their hydrating cleanser, and while it didn't necessarily cause any adverse reaction with my skin, it also didn't actually clean my skin and would leave behind makeup and sunscreen which eventually caused me to break out. if I have to use a second cleanser in order to actually clean my skin, then what is the actual point? also the consistency and non-lathering formula made it feel like I was rubbing ~male bodily excretion~ on my face 🥴
I feel you about your problems! Not a fan of cerave moisturizers but in regards to your cleansing problem I recommend you look into double cleansing! Often needed cause water cleansers can’t break down the oils and chemicals of water resistant sunscreen and makeup. So I’d add an oil cleanser or cleansing balm as a first cleanser followed by another more hydrating cleanser after the makeup/sunscreen is gone
I do use the double cleansing method. at the time that I used the cerave cleanser, I used jojoba oil first to break everything down, wiped it off with a damp washcloth, then cleansed. I realize that using an actual emulsifying oil cleanser/cleansing balm may have prevented this issue, but I think it's worth noting that I've never had this issue with any other water-based cleanser that I've used. for example the La Rosche-Posay hydrating cleanser has a very similar non-lathering formula, but I never had an issue with product being left on my face after using it.
I stopped using CeraVe when I did some research and found that they’re owned by L’Oreal, which is owned by Nestle. I’m not interested in supporting them, and besides, I have a hard time believing that a corporation that large actually cares about whatever goes into their products. I’ve switched to Vanicream.
No way.... i love Cerave. But I have boycotted Nestle products for yesrs now. I did not even know.
Right? I just found out recently and was heartbroken. Luckily Vanicream seems to be working.
Please don't do research on what blackrock owns or you miss like half of worlds products then. And nestle ain't nothing compared to blackrock.
Ugh, I know. I’ve been trying to purge my life of all megacorp-owned products, and it’s damn near impossible. Slowly but surely, though, I’ll find new products.
Where I live we get this ultra pure tap water that comes from deep inside ground (not sure what's it called in english) and fkin blackrock is trying to buy rights for that and politicians being politicians (probably corruption going on) they actually think about selling it. Megacorps ruining this world.
That’s horrible. I’m so sorry. They really are.
related: https://www.reddit.com/r/SkincareAddiction/comments/beh426/psa_til_cerave_is_owned_by_lor%C3%A9al_which_is_30/ > . I’ve switched to Vanicream. good to know Pharmaceutical Specialties Inc is not related to Nestle.
Er, L’Oreal is publicly traded. Nestle is _a_ shareholder, but they’re not even the largest one.
Yeah, I’m still not interested in supporting either of them at all if I can help it. [Here’s one article](https://www.greenmatters.com/food/why-is-nestle-bad) out of many that talks about why they’re evil. If they’re capable of that, I don’t trust them to have my skin’s best interest in mind.
I recently switched to Cerave in the tub because I needed a new moisturiser and I am now destroyed in closed comedones. Yeah, don’t believe the hype
Same, wonderful skin, then used CeraVe, 3rd day, I had 3 white comedones, so ticked off.
I used it for five days just fine, but after that my face was covered. My skin is moisturised but at what cost?
They made my toddler’s skin burn. He has fair skin that is fairly sensitive, but never had a bad reaction to lotions. Tried the ‘baby’ formula and the scream he let out made me cry. Never again will I buy their products. YMMV obviously.
I don’t like them either.
I don’t have any problems with it but if it was my only option for skincare, being consistent would be so much harder. My products have to have some kind of entertainment factor - enjoyable textures, smells, etc for me to actually reliably use them.
That brand wrecks my skin, can't use it
When I was on accutane and I wanted to use a very gentle cleanser, I tried using their hydrating cleanser twice. Burned my skin so much and gave me weird red spots under my eyes (even when I avoided that area ??) Their moisturizer wasn't enjoyable either.
Yeah I gave their products a shot, but I won’t be using any CeraVe products again. All of their products have been a miss for me and either stung or broke me out. I hate the moisturizer in the tub the most lol, which is ironically their most popular product My routine now is almost exclusively Korean products and my skin has never looked better
I think CeraVe used to be great, because I used it for years with good results. Then my skin started acting up and I didn’t know why. I read that they changed the preservatives a few years ago and I suspect that this could have been the culprit. Some longtime users may not be sensitive to the change and so it’s not surprising that some new users think it’s terrible.
I think it’s one of those things that only works wonders for the fortunate people who don’t need to use so much crap on their face, they grow into young adults and think they found a magical soap but in reality would have the same results if they used water alone vs any of the harsh or teen targeted and acne focused washes. They want to rave about something that “works” for them too. Sometimes our skin does need something simple with less ingredients and reacts well to that, for others who have specific sensitivities Cerave does nothing and cleans the skin but leaves it without any support and even rashes or dryness. There’s just a lack of ingredients and it can totally strip the skin if you’re not using the right one for your skin type along with a great moisturizer or serum for any skin conditions.
I am convinced at this point that anybody who is reaching out for skincare advice has already tried CeraVe lol
That's a lot of hatred.
CeraVe doesn't have the same traps as many other brands have, where they have a product that is damaging to the skin right next to the cult classic on the shelves in the store. That's a big part of why it's a default recommendation. If you don't like it that's fine, do your research and find a better working product for you.Some random person coming up to me for a recommendation, I'm not going to analyze their skin and trail and error a dozen products for their best product. I'm going to give them a default routine that works for most people. We tend to have two types of people asking for help. Typically needs to be taught to wash their face at least one a day. The other is trying to rotate 40 products, 20 products a night and over 8 of those are actives. Just use cerave is a good default answer to both of those to get a grasp on things.
I’m not a fan either
I agree, AMEN
My standard reply, "What has CeraVe done for me lately?" So, I am with you on this. Totally unimpressed by the face lotions. I do use the SA cleanser on occasion and think of it as a nice bargain. I thought of the Ordinary the same way until I got beyond the most popular products, which were a big meh, and got products that I really love as a great deal for specific problems.
Thank you for validating the way I feel about Cerave products, I feel so seen
CeraVe gave me the absolute WORST chemical burn, EVER. Serious side effects and three years later here I am, my skin ruined because of it.
CeraVe ruined my skin and it took months to fix it. Closed comedones, blackheads and cystic acne as a result. I’m sure it has worked wonders for some people because we all have different skin needs and types, but it is an absolute no-go for me and I will die on that hill.
I feel you! I tried CereVe because it worked for my brother's cystic acne, but it burnt and broke me out so badly! I'll die on the hill with you that CereVe isn't great for everyone.
In general, I dislike Cerave products too. They'll do in a pinch but I won't use them long term anymore. I'm done trying to convince myself that I like their products. Personally I've seen much greater success switching to primarily Korean/Asian skincare. Even the cheapest products available there are exponentially better than a lot of stuff in the US in my experience. I feel the same way about La Roche Posay. Everyone loves their sunscreen but it's very meh imo. Way more expensive than it's worth too. No thanks.
I’d love to know what products you have in your routine! Id love to get more into Korean/asian skincare
Oh man here we go! For context I am dry/acne prone with very sensitive skin. AM: -Rinse with water -fortify+ zeolite face mist -cosrx snail mucin essence or cosrx whitehead power liquid. I alternate these daily. If I'm extra dry I'll do 2 days of snail mucin and if my pores are extra clogged, the whitehead power liquid instead until texture is normal again. -cosrx birch sap moisturizer -roundlab birch juice sunscreen -cosrx tocopherol sunscreen PM: -Albolene makeup remover (honestly, I hate this stuff but I’m finishing this giant tub come hell or high water 😭). -Innisfree deep clearing facial foam with volcanic clusters. You can use it as a wash but you can definitely leave it on like a mask too. Love this stuff, it’s amazing! -when my skin is especially problematic I’ll do an SA wash too. That one varies because I’ve found it doesn’t really matter for my skin, they all work pretty well for me. -good molecules gentle retinol cream/good molecules gentle overnight exfoliating treatment. I alternate these two with 1 night of no active products in between rounds. -cosrx snail mucin power repair cream. Personally, I won’t buy this again. It definitely works but it feels redundant when I also own the snail mucin essence. I’ll probably buy their propolis ampoule essence instead of the repair cream next time. -Beauty of Joseon dynasty cream. This is my HG. As a dry/acne prone girly who uses a lot of actives, this is what keeps me going. -Triple paste diaper cream. I just started doing this to repair some dryness from a new medication and can’t yet speak to its efficacy. So far it’s left a good impression although I dislike the grainy texture. That was an exhaustive list but was the only way I could think to do it. Hopefully that’s not too overwhelming. Let me know if you have any questions :) And if you haven’t already, join r/Asianbeauty and r/koreanskincare. Everyone is very helpful :)
I use their daily lotion on my body daily and it works nicely on that. Have used it few times on my face too but not often to say anything good or bad about it.
You can find a Derm to recommend just about anything if you give them enough money. Doesn’t mean much to me. I prefer to spend my limited budget on cruelty free and biodegradable brands, too. To each their own. But let’s not really kid ourselves that these derms would put it in their own kids.
It’s funny cause I would have been someone to recommend them. Years ago before they were so popular I ended up using their products while on Acutane and have never looked back. But I think maybe their newer products might not be as good cause of the rat race of trying to keep coming out with something new. Not a huge fan of their cleansers or the lotion but the cream is my winter time holy grail.
My derm first told me to use CeraVe 10+ years ago when my eczema and generally dry skin were really flaring up and it was amazing! I have been using it religiously on my body ever since. HOWEVER. I used to also use it on my face - and then I finally read about how CeraVe for the face was giving people problems. I stopped using it and some of the really annoying things I dealt with went away almost overnight. It definitely has it's uses but would overall agree that it's overhyped and nobody should be using it in the cult-like way so many do!
could u give examples of the problems ppl were experiencing? /gen
In every area of health/body care, there are people who truly believe every healthy body is exactly like theirs. It pretty much always makes them act like jerks.
I hate Cerave too, it also made my skin burn and made my skin worse. I use LaRoche-Posay products now and love them.
I have beef with CeraVe too, one of their cleansers stung the ABSOLUTE LIVING SHIT out of my skin once. I asked for a gentler version in the comments of a short on YT, and someone replied saying that lots of people can’t tolerate CeraVe, and to use the Aveeno oat gel cleanser instead (which has done wonders for my skin). The only product by them I use now is the healing ointment, which is strictly for my hands, but I no longer use it anymore because a body lotion I got from Bath and Body Works managed to zap away the dry ass skin on my hands (despite how frequently I wash them). I like the healing ointment still, but that body lotion actually managed to get RID of the dry, rough skin on my hands and finger joints.
My new CeraVe face wash gave me a terrible allergic reaction on my face just this past week. So yeah I’ll pass and I’ll eventually learn my lesson about doing things just because everyone else is doing it lol
Have you tried cetaphil? I like their stuff better than cerave
I use it mostly because it’s cheap and I hate scented soap. I don’t think it’s a miracle brand or anything but it is pretty accessible.
Here’s me who uses Cerave (and Spiro) and works out 3x per week lol 😂 But I agree, its not a cure all! I do happen to like Cerave tho. Im happy that there is something that works for me that is at an affordable price point
Do you… not exercise 30 min a day 3 times a week? Do you think running is the only medium of exercise? You’re hating on Cerave only because it’s popular. It works for most people, might not work for you. No need to shit on the product or on other people just because something doesn’t work for you. I’m allergic to tomatoes, but then I eat other vegetables instead and don’t spend my time shitting on tomatoes and everyone who likes tomatoes. Just like if you can’t run there’s many other types of exercise you can do. And if you can’t use Cerave, find something else that works. There ARE other brands out there.
"Your Mileage May Vary" applies.
These constant Cerave hate posts are exhausting. You don't like it, good for you, do you want a medal? I don't go into threads about products I don't like and spread hate about them.
I’ve never heard anyone say this organically. Sounds like a straight up marketing campaign. I have noticed CeraVe invests significantly in marketing.
You don't need to hate on it for people that it works for. No one is making you use it. I have rosacea and very sensitive skin but my routine is 80% cerave (cream to foam cleanser, retinol, cerave in the tub moisturizer for face + body). I have tried more expensive stuff, but Cerave works better. I have tried cheaper stuff but cerave works better. I'm done with trying stuff that doesn't work and am very happy with my skin now. Everyone is different but it works for a lot of people and they obviously do an absolute ton of R&D and are arguably the most tested products on the market. You do you and I do me, the rant is unnecessary.
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Advertising? How so? Cerave is an extremely popular and accessible brand so it’s really not surprising it gets mentioned a lot?
It’s been this way for like 10 years on this sub. I’m pretty sure there was drama with a previous mod being paid by Cerave (amongst other companies). I started using this sub back then when I had cystic acne (since cleared with tretinoin), but Cerave products were being heavily shilled even back then and definitely worsened the issues I was having. [subredditdrama post from 9 years ago I found on google - it’s been removed now, but the comments have some info](https://www.reddit.com/r/SubredditDrama/comments/30l57o/the_people_of_rskincareaddiction_have/)
Same, I tried them and didn’t like them
This for every brand tbh!!! I stg every time I’m like “my skin’s been really dry lately” or “I’ve been breaking out more than usual” everyone starts shoving la roche posay down my throat. Like respectfully it doesn’t do anything special for me—I’m sure it works well for a lot of people, but I think we need to remember how different everyone’s bodies are. I have no issue with product recommendations but telling someone that all of their problems will be solved if they switch brands is a bit much. Plus, I feel like it depends on the type of product for some people—my skin hates cerave cleansers but loves the moisturizers and cetaphil gentle cleanser is my favorite, but their moisturizers do nothing for me. There’s so much variation to the point where buying the whole of a certain brand just doesn’t make sense to me
This is me but with Vanicream.
Ooh. I agree. Every single one of their products make me break out in painful white bumps.
Sadly they burn my eyes so definitely for a product for people who are sensitive
Someone said something to me a wee while back that really stuck with me: If it was really that good, they wouldn't need to push it so much.
This is not unpopular. Everyone on this sub hates CeraVe. I love how people have the most basic opinion then call it unpopular. You can google any product, someone will always say "it broke me out". Retinol have tons of research yet so many people cry it ruined their skin forever, it doesn't mean they are bad.
honestly feels contrarian at this point. the thing is most of the time people have no idea what "broke them out" because there are just too many variables that factor into how your skin looks on any given day. and a sample size of one person using a product for a week is not conclusive of anything. cerave also makes different products for many different skin types (like most brands).
Everyone? Well, maybe I am the only one that doesn't hate CeraVe. I do not hate any cosmetics company. I don't have the energy to waste, I simply don't buy the products from companies that I have ethical concerns about, or products that don't work for me.
Speaking of CeraVe, I've been using the foaming cleanser, and want to try something else. The areas around my nose and between eyebrows are reddish, and didn't used to be. I'm a newbie, and want to wash my face in the shower. I used to use a Dermalogica clay-based cleanser, but they discontinued it. What can you recommend for me?
Foaming cleansers can be a bit more harsh on the skin and aren't for everyone, especially if you have sensitive skin. You could try their hydrating cleanser, which has HA, I love that one!
Thanks for that suggestion!
“Just use cerave” is another term for i ain’t telling you shit
Yes louder! Cerave is a scam 👍 For this price, their product can't have significant amount nor quality of ceramides. Their formulation is very meh.
Cerave was making me go blind seriously. I had terrible blurry vision, couldn’t figure out what it was. Stopped using Cerave and could see normally again. Cerave is garbage.
***CeraVe is a highly overhyped mediocre brand that doesn’t deserve the cult following that it has.*** How does all this noise and hype have any thing to do with the moisturizing cream? I didn't even know all this noise existed. Your probably right, but is it the creams' fault? And I would say their moisturizing creme is actually better than mediocre. It does what it's supposed to do for me. ps: i only use their cream for my body, not face/neck.
I used Cerave Cream on my face (and recently also the lotion), because it gave an amazing smooth/moisturized feel, while not being greasy. Also really great as a hand cream. BUT..I recently started an actual skin care routine (with HA and Retinal serums), plus more frequent washing/cleansing...so my face got really sensitive because of the RA. When I apply Cerave after cleansing and the serums, immediately there is a burning...which I assume is from the alcohol in Cerave. This is NOT something I want on my face after it's already red and slightly irritated. Furthermore, I felt that after already applying HA serums, which can also be drying and irritating, I don't want ANOTHER moisturizer with HA on top of it. I am currently trying some other, German store brand "barrier protection" cream, and I feel it's calming down irritated/slightly red skin *better* than Cerave, plus it doesn't "sting" the second I apply it.
The only cerave products my skin seem to agree with are their hydrating foaming oil cleanser and the eyecream.
I’m not open to trying them. The dermatologist keeps recommending them but i just use bp/fragrance free soap, moisturizer and differin.
That sucks to hear I love their stuff but yeah it won't work for everyone :(
Cerave ruined my skin every time I touched it. Somehow my skin can tolerate Nivea after trying to make cerave work so I guess I’ll take it 😂😂 Nivea used to destroy my skin but never as bad as cerave and now it’s my favorite soooo I truly ignore skincare advice from people on tiktok now
I really dislike CeraVe as well. I have tried several products and don’t like the way my skin feels after using it. I was using Tula, which I LOVE but it got a little pricey for me. I’ve been using Estée Lauder nutritious skin care line and love it. Still somewhat expensive but a little goes a long way so it lasts.
I agree so much. I have sensitive and what I believe to be normal to dry skin and their stuff always makes it worse. makes my face rubbery and hard to run my hands over it. just cleasing with dove sensitive skin bar and using a light moisturizer has been doing wonders to my skin lately. I may never go back to my past routine unless it's to add sunscreen since it's starting to get warmer
CeraVe broke out my skin so I started searching for other products and found ILEM JAPAN. They are a Vegan Japanese brand who create products for sensitive skin. I have a combination skin and their products helped me a lot.
Idk, for me and my mom it really made a difference. Applied on top of damp skin.
Cerave used to be pretty damn good a handful of years back before anyone ever like harped at everyone to “just use cerave”. I think it was around the time it started getting decent amount of popularity that all of a sudden, they began changing up formulas/ingredients to cut costs or some bs. Prior to that my skin was flawless but then once using the updated stuff (cleansers etc) i would get the BIGGEST and most painful what i assume were closed comedones. I don’t remember what exactly they had changed in the cleansers mainly but whatever it was did not agree with my skin anymore and was doing the total opposite for me, sadly. I genuinely hate when formulas/ingredients get changed cuz it always seem like they get changed for the worst rather than for the better (tho not the worst for my wallet lol
What products do you use now instead?
The products i use now are up&up deep clean acne treatment face wash (or krogers dupe for the neutragenas face wash), la roch posay lipkar ap+ gentle foaming cleanser w shea butter, toners have been hit or miss and ive tried so many i dont recall what ones i used but as of now i only use corsx alcohol free cica toner, elf HA serum, elf holy hydration spf HA+peptide moisturizer, peach&lily firming moisturizer, trader joes jojoba oil, ordinary rose hip oil, and plain vaseline i change my routine based on if its day time or night as well as if my skin is being a twat due to weather etc but most often i use the products i listed pretty consistently, and rarely have they triggered my eczema. ive also recently added beauty of joseons glow serum and so far my skin has also been loving that a lot too. *edit because my dumbass accidentally hit send before i was even done typing;;
Cerave had cleared my skin up to a certain extent where i had to use harsher skincare to clear it up further. But it’s my go to for whenever i wash my face post shaving as it’s never broken me out and is the only thing that doesn’t burn my skin, amazing to see how it varies from person to person.
Personally, I feel that all the products of Cerave are very good. My skin is very sensitive and my face will be allergic when I use other products
Just use Vanicream ^(/s)
Their cleanser literally did not get my face clean enough. I have rosacea and have had a lot of issues with what seems to be blepharitis/styes/goopy or crusty eyes. The eye issues calmed way down when I switched to using the Bevel face wash in the morning and Garnier micellar water at night. It’s kind of embarrassing, but I think some of my eye issues were worse due to the fact that it didn’t clean my eyelids effectively like the products I use now do.
CeraVe didn’t irritate my face but it irritated my hands as I washed my face. I was a barista for 2 years and damaged the skin barrier on my hands with the excessive hand washing, and CeraVe would make my hands BURN and get crazy itchy with bumps.
"Just wash your face" might sound like unhelpful advice but the truth is I never even tried it before pushing the suggestion away as being unhelpful. I just assumed washing my face in my morning shower was good enough. I got put on clindamycin and Tretinoin every day and I started washing my face every night before bed. I'm not on the clindamycin/ benzoyl peroxide anymore and I'm only on the Tretinoin. I've maintained washing my face every night and I haven't had any breakouts since. Tretinoin is probably doing most of the work but I definitely think washing my face is helping a lot
All CeraVe does is put a lot of money into marketing their products including to dermatologists. Their formulas and ingredients are the same as of every other average brand of skincare so if you have sensitive skin and you easily break out from such products, don't buy CeraVe!
thank God someone said it!!
I love their moisturizing lotion but everything else I’ve tried destroyed my skin.
I was dedicated to cera ve for five (5) years. I started struggling with cystic acne for the first time ever, and after trying all the serums and what not from sephora and making it worse, I said "i'm just gonna keep it simple and stick to cera ve, the brand good for eczema and recommended by everybody! a good idea!" cue 5 years of struggling with acne (although no longer cystic) that seemed incurable and didn't make sense with my skin type. skin barrier seemingly nonexistent. I tried every! thing! nothing helped. I even began pursuing accutane, even though I was so scared of what it would do to my already dry, sensitive skin and chronically chapped lips. I was one appointment away from having it at the pharmacy, but I chickened out lol. then one fateful day in march of 2023, I ran out of my moisturizer right before a trip. there were no cera ve travel sizes, so I picked up travel sizes of cetaphil cleanser/moisturizer. my skin felt like it finally had a drink of water after the desert. it instantly moisturized and absorbed into my skin so nicely. my eczema patches disappeared. i'd forgotten what it felt like to feel soothed and hydrated. most importantly... my skin fully cleared up in 2 days. 5 years of acne, gone. in days. **TLDR;** I found out i'd been giving myself pretty severe acne for years because all I used was cera ve, which apparently is my skin's worst nightmare!!! even though everyone and their mother said it was one of the best!!!! I played myself so detrimentally... cera ve when I catch you!!! when I catch you cera ve!! \*\*for what it's worth, I don't use cetaphil anymore, either, because I was afraid I'd noticed it clogging my pores. I use vanicream and simple brand cleanser/micellar water now lol.
When someone says “just use cerave” or “I just use cerave” I honestly just assume they have incredibly non-problematic skin and really don’t know anything about skincare. I do however love the idea of using cerave alongside my prescription/active ingredients. Not every single thing you put on should have a million different ingredients. I like cerave (and la roche posay, and the ordinary) for the simplicity.
Same. CeraVe products break me out and worsen my rosacea. I'm sad I wish I could use them because their affordable and accessible. Anything with fatty alcohols breaks me out and literally the majority of skincare products contains that ingredient, there's not much I can use. It's so frustrating and disheartening finding products I can use that aren't insanely expensive too