CeraVe Moisturizing Cream for oily skin
3 Essential Ceramides
Sodium Hyaluronate
Glycerin
Dimethicone
Cholesterol
Low
- AverageOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- ConcerningSafety
A weak match for oily skin; the moisturizers alongside fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily skin: shine, enlarged pores, blackheads, and blemishes. 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 moisturizing for your oily skin due to glycerin and sodium hyaluronate, which hydrate and plump but do not address concerns with oily shine.
- While generally safe with soothing ingredients like glycerin and hyaluronate, the formula lacks strong seboregulating components, potentially increasing shine.
How to apply
- Could be used as part of your AM or PM routine every day to keep your face fresh.
- Apply this moisturizer after cleansing and toning, but right before your SPF in the morning.
- Gently press a small amount into your skin and let it absorb fully.
- Apply on clean, slightly dry skin to help control that oily shine.
- Avoid the eye area and do a quick patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.7Overall rating based on 71.0k+ reviewsA small number of users with acne-prone skin reported breakouts, and some experienced a stinging sensation, particularly on compromised barriers.
Highlights
Deep hydration Mostly Mentioned
- “saved my dry skin”
- “keeps skin soft”
- “long-lasting moisture”
- “healed my cracked hands”
Gentle and soothing Often Mentioned
- “no fragrance”
- “doesn't irritate”
- “calms redness”
Non-greasy texture Often Mentioned
- “absorbs quickly”
- “thick but not sticky”
- “matte finish”
- “doesn't feel oily”
Value and versatility Sometimes Noted
- “huge tub lasts forever”
- “use on face and body”
- “great price point”
- “good for whole family”
Packaging issues Sometimes Noted
- “pump stopped working”
- “tub is unhygienic”
- “broken pump on arrival”
- “hard to get last bit out”
Burning sensation Rarely Noted
- “stung my face”
- “burned upon application”
- “caused a rash”
- “irritated my eyes”
Causes breakouts Rarely Noted
- “caused cystic acne”
- “clogged my pores”
- “gave me whiteheads”
- “too heavy for face”
Texture issues Rarely Noted
- “pills under makeup”
- “feels waxy”
- “too thick to spread”
- “leaves a film”
Sources: lovi.care, amazon.com, walmart.com, target.com, ulta.com, cerave.com, and more
Questions and answers
Why is CeraVe Moisturizing Cream a weak match for oily skin?
This cream is a weak match because it offers only moderate moisture for oily skin and lacks strong ingredients to control oily shine. Oily skin needs a product with peptides, light hydrating agents, and no heavy oils to maintain a lightweight texture and manage oiliness without clogging pores.
Which ingredients make this cream a poor fit for oily skin?
This cream is a weak match for your oily skin because it lacks ingredients that control oily shine, and instead a moisturizer for this skin needs peptides, lightweight hydrating agents, and ingredients that support the skin barrier without heavy oils.
What do Ceramides do for oily skin?
Ceramides help keep oily skin balanced by strengthening the skin barrier and retaining essential moisture without clogging pores. When paired with ingredients like niacinamide, they may also help improve skin texture and reduce blemishes. To work well for oily skin, this type of product needs lightweight hydrators and pore-balancing ingredients.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2004
What does Hyaluronic Acid do for oily skin?
Hyaluronic acid helps oily skin by reducing extra oil and sebum production without causing irritation. Clinical studies show it successfully balances oil levels while keeping the skin comfortable.
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for oily skin?
This cream goes toward the end of your morning and evening skincare routines, right before sunscreen in the morning and as your final step at night. While it hydrates your oily skin, a moisturizer of this type needs oil-balancing and shine-controlling ingredients like niacinamide to properly manage excess oil.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cream with retinol, and applying it after your retinol treatment helps soothe your skin and keeps it soft while reducing irritation. A product for oily skin also needs oil-controlling ingredients to manage shine.
How often should I use this cream?
This cream is a weak match for oily skin because it lacks oil-controlling ingredients and may increase shine. To care for oily skin, a moisturizer needs oil-balancing and shine-controlling ingredients.
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily skin?
This cream is a weak match for oily skin and may increase shine because it lacks ingredients that control oil. A moisturizer for this skin needs oil-balancing and lightweight hydrating ingredients to keep pores clear and skin soft.
Can I use this cream around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this cream on your body and around the eyes, because the skin on the body is thicker and the skin around the eyes can tolerate rich moisturizers. This product type needs lightweight, oil-balancing ingredients and ceramides to control shine while keeping oily skin soft and smooth.
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. Cetearyl alcohol and cetyl alcohol are fatty alcohols, which soften the skin.
What the research says
A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Topical 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, 2019The emollient V0034CR significantly reduced TEWL compared to vehicle and vehicle plus glycerol, and significantly increased corneometry scores compared to vehicle and vehicle plus petrolatum in healthy volunteers with dry skin, demonstrating combined barrier function improvement from petrolatum and hydration improvement from glycerol.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Ten days of treatment with a cream containing 20% glycerin significantly increased skin hydration measured by corneometer values in 17 healthy volunteers compared to a placebo cream, but showed no influence on transepidermal water loss or skin sensitivity to an irritating surfactant.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2001Niacinamide/glycerin body moisturizers provided better rapid and prolonged improvement of cosmetic xerosis through functional improvement of stratum corneum barrier function compared to no treatment and conventional moisturizers in female subjects.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2012Wearing an N95 mask alone compared to using dimethicone cream or hydrocolloid dressing caused more adverse skin reactions among 73 military health care workers, with no significant differences in fit test failure rates between groups.
Military Medicine, 2024A dimethicone skin protectant lotion significantly decreased visual scoring and transepidermal water loss compared to vehicle control and SLS-only treated sites in 12 healthy humans exposed to sodium lauryl sulfate.
Skin Research and Technology, 2000Treatment with a moisturizer containing dimethicone and glycerine increased epidermal thickness by 0.019 mm, improved barrier function by decreasing transepidermal water loss by 13%, decreased melanin intensity, and induced keratins 6 and 16 in fifteen women with moderately photoaged forearms.
Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 2007Botulinum toxin-A encapsulated in phosphatidylcholine/cholesterol nanoliposomes delivered transdermally achieved a diffusion depth of 380 μm and showed a nonsignificant advantage in relieving post-acne scarring compared to hyaluronic acid hydrogel treatment in 12 facial patients.
Journal of Materials Science. Materials in Medicine, 2024Topical application of cholesterol sulfate increases stratum corneum thickness and inhibits protease-induced cell dissociation by competitively inhibiting serine proteases in mice and human stratum corneum.
The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 1998Topical lovastatin treatment impairs the recovery of cutaneous permeability barrier function and stratum corneum cholesterol levels after acetone disruption in mice, an effect normalized by simultaneous treatment with mevalonate or cholesterol.
The Journal of Clinical Investigation, 1990
Why other moisturizers fit oily skin better
A panthenol-enriched mask improved skin hydration, regulated sebum, and reduced redness and TEWL across dry sensitive, oily sensitive, and oily acne skin subgroups with excellent tolerance and no adverse reactions.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Cetyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Petrolatum, Dimethicone, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Potassium Phosphate, Ceramide Np, Ceramide Ap, Ceramide Eop, Carbomer, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cholesterol, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium Edta, Dipotassium Phosphate, Tocopherol, Phytosphingosine, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin
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?
Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.