CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser for sensitive skin
Benzoyl Peroxide
Niacinamide
Sodium Hyaluronate
Ceramides
Glycolic AcidLow
- AverageNormal Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- ConcerningSafety
A weak match for sensitive skin; the cleansers alongside fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with sensitive skin: redness, stinging, and reactions to new products. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.
Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works
Lovi Assistant explains
- Offers moderate exfoliation for redness and irritation due to the presence of glycolic acid, which can be too harsh and drying for your normal skin, even with ceramides and hyaluronic acid for hydration.
- The benzoyl peroxide provides excellent cleansing for acne-prone skin by reducing lesions and exfoliating, but it may also worsen your sensitivity.
How to apply
- Use your cleanser in the AM and PM routines every day. Start using it daily since your sensitive skin needs gentle care.
- Apply this first in your morning and evening skincare routine before toner and moisturizer. This clears away dirt without upsetting your skin.
- Gently massage a small amount onto your face using soft circles. Avoid any rough rubbing to keep redness away.
- Apply the cleanser on slightly damp skin to help it wash away impurities softly. Clean skin feels fresh and comfortable afterwards.
- Avoid getting the cleanser in your eyes and do a quick patch test before first use. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.
People Say
★4.5Overall rating based on 4.7k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, users find this cleanser to be a gentle and effective treatment for acne-prone skin, successfully clearing breakouts without stripping moisture. While it excels at preventing new blemishes and clearing pores, some users with very sensitive skin may experience dryness or irritation if used too frequently.
Highlights
Gentle & non-stripping Mostly Mentioned
- “moisturizing for BP”
- “no tight feeling”
- “gentle on barrier”
Effective acne clearance Often Mentioned
- “cleared my skin”
- “stopped cystic acne”
- “reduced redness”
Bleaches fabrics Often Mentioned
- “ruined my towels”
- “bleached my shirt”
- “stained everything”
Beneficial ingredients Sometimes Noted
- “love the niacinamide”
- “helps skin heal”
- “soothing ingredients”
Texture & feel Sometimes Noted
- “feels like lotion”
- “smooth application”
- “no strong smell”
Can be drying Sometimes Noted
- “dried me out”
- “skin felt flaky”
- “too harsh for daily use”
Lack of foam Sometimes Noted
- “doesn't foam much”
- “more like a lotion”
- “creamy not foamy”
Eye irritation Rarely Noted
- “stings eyes bad”
- “avoid eye area”
- “burning sensation”
Sources: lovi.care, walmart.com, ulta.com, cerave.com, and more
Questions and answers
Why is CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser a weak match for sensitive skin?
This cleanser is a weak match because the benzoyl peroxide and glycolic acid inside may cause dryness and worsen your sensitivity. A cleanser for this skin needs gentle soothing ingredients and hydrating barrier-repairers to cleanse effectively without stripping moisture or causing irritation.
Which ingredients make this cleanser a poor fit for sensitive skin?
This cleanser is a weak match for sensitive skin because benzoyl peroxide and glycolic acid can be too harsh and drying, and may worsen your sensitivity. A cleanser for this skin needs gentle cleansing ingredients along with soothing and hydrating extras like ceramides and niacinamide to keep skin calm and soft.
What does Benzoyl Peroxide do for sensitive skin?
Benzoyl peroxide may help improve acne, but it is unlikely to suit sensitive skin well because it often causes irritation and dryness. This type of skin needs gentle, soothing ingredients and calming cleansers that reduce redness without harsh side effects.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2005
What does Niacinamide do for sensitive skin?
Niacinamide helps calm sensitive skin by strengthening the skin barrier and reducing redness and irritation. It is very well tolerated and may improve overall comfort and resilience with regular use.
Where does this cleanser go in a skincare routine for sensitive skin?
This cleanser goes into both your morning and evening routine as a face wash. Because this product is a weak match for your skin, a sensitive skin type needs a gentle, hydrating cleanser with soothing ingredients like ceramides and hyaluronic acid, without harsh exfoliating acids or strong acne treatments.
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
Using this cleanser with retinol may easily leave sensitive skin too dry and irritated because it contains strong exfoliating ingredients like benzoyl peroxide and glycolic acid. To use both safely, apply the cleanser and retinol on alternate nights or separate them into different routines, and ensure you use a gentle moisturizer with ceramides and hyaluronic acid to help keep skin calm and hydrated.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020
How often should I use this cleanser?
This cleanser may be too harsh and drying for your sensitive skin, as the benzoyl peroxide and glycolic acid can worsen redness and irritation. A product of this type needs soothing and hydrating ingredients like ceramides and hyaluronic acid to keep skin soft and calm without drying it out.
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for sensitive skin?
This cleanser is unlikely to clog pores, but the benzoyl peroxide and glycolic acid may cause breakouts, irritation, and dryness on sensitive skin. A product for this skin needs gentle soothing ingredients and mild cleansers without strong acids or harsh acne treatments.
Can I use this cleanser around the eyes or on my body?
This cleanser may be too harsh for the very thin skin around your eyes and is better suited for thicker areas like your back. A cleanser of this type needs gentle ingredients that clean without drying or irritating sensitive skin.
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 2002The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020
Is this cleanser fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
Twice daily application of a multitargeted dermocosmetic cream provided comparable efficacy to benzoyl peroxide 5% gel in reducing inflammatory, non-inflammatory, and total lesions in 150 Caucasian subjects with mild-to-moderate acne over 56 days, while demonstrating superior skin tolerability.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Topical benzoyl peroxide may improve acne more effectively than placebo or no treatment, while showing little to no difference compared with adapalene or clindamycin, but with an increased risk of treatment discontinuation due to adverse effects compared to placebo.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020Once-daily fixed-dose clindamycin phosphate 1.2%/benzoyl peroxide 3.1%/adapalene 0.15% gel achieved superior treatment success (52.5%) and greater reductions in inflammatory and noninflammatory lesions compared to vehicle (8.1%) and dyad component gels in participants with moderate-to-severe acne over 12 weeks.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2022Topical post-laser application of human adipocyte-derived mesenchymal stem cell media combined with niacinamide significantly improved wrinkle index, melanin index, patient satisfaction, and investigator esthetic improvement scores compared to vehicle cream in patients with aging skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Topical nicotinamide prevented solar-simulated UV-induced immunosuppression in healthy volunteers, and men experienced immunosuppression at solar-simulated UV doses three times lower than those required for women.
The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2008Topical 5% niacinamide applied twice daily for 12 weeks reduced fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmented spots, red blotchiness, and skin sallowness, and improved skin elasticity compared to vehicle control in 50 female white subjects with facial photoaging.
Dermatologic Surgery, 2005Topical application of 0.1% hyaluronic acid formulations of different molecular weights led to significant improvements in skin hydration and elasticity, with low-molecular-weight formulations also significantly reducing wrinkle depth in seventy-six female subjects compared to a vehicle control.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2011Topical application of hyaluronic acid in conjunction with free gingival graft significantly reduced donor site postoperative pain until day 7 compared to normal saline, with no significant differences in graft dimensions or patient satisfaction.
Clinical Oral Investigations, 2022Treatment with a hyaluronic acid-containing mouth rinse or topical gel led to significant lesion reduction, pain relief, and normalization of lesion color in adult patients with minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis, with the gel formulation showing an earlier healing onset at 3 days.
BMC Oral Health, 2019Repeated short-contact 70% glycolic acid peels provided superior results in atrophic acne scars compared to daily low-strength glycolic acid cream or placebo in 58 women over 24 weeks.
International Journal of Dermatology, 2000Serial glycolic acid peels combined with a modified Kligman formula significantly reduced facial PIH severity in Indian patients compared to the modified Kligman formula alone.
Dermatologic Surgery, 2017
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Hydroxide, Ceramide Np, Ceramide Ap, Ceramide Eop, Carbomer, Niacinamide, Glycolic Acid, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Sodium Hydroxide, Cholesterol, Phenoxyethanol, Propanediol, Citric Acid, Tetrasodium Edta, Diethylhexyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate, Phytosphingosine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Benzoic Acid, Benzoyl Peroxide
Behind this fit score
Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
How does it fit your skin?
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