Cetaphil Ceramide Serum for dry skin
High
- SuperiorDry Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
A great choice for dry skin; a few moisturizers fit it even better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dry skin: flakiness, tightness, dehydration, fine lines, and wrinkles. 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
- Excellent suitability for your dry skin is provided by glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and ceramides, which offer superb humectant, emollient, and barrier repair actions to address dryness and flakiness.
- Panthenol and allantoin further enhance barrier resilience and soothe the skin, contributing to overall hydration and comfort.
- The product is safe for your skin, containing no harsh ingredients and featuring a blend of soothing components.
How to apply
- Could be used as part of your AM or PM routine. Start using it 3 times a week and work your way up to daily use.
- Apply your moisturizer after your toner and before your sunscreen in the morning. At night, use it as the final step after your serum.
- Gently press a small amount of the moisturizer into your skin. Avoid rubbing to keep your dry skin happy.
- Apply the moisturizer on slightly damp skin to help lock in extra hydration. This is great for soothing dry and flaky areas .
- Avoid the sensitive eye area and do a patch test before your first use .
People Say
★4.7Overall rating based on 400+ reviewsUsers with dry, sensitive, and combination skin praise this serum for its ability to repair the moisture barrier and calm redness without causing irritation. The lightweight, fragrance-free formula is frequently noted for improving skin texture and providing long-lasting hydration, though some users with oily skin find it leaves a slight tackiness.
Highlights
Lightweight & non-greasy Mostly Mentioned
- “absorbs beautifully without feeling greasy”
- “lightweight yet deeply hydrating”
- “silky smooth feel”
- “no sticky or heavy feeling”
Effective hydration Often Mentioned
- “dry patches disappearing”
- “locks in moisture”
- “skin feels plump and balanced”
- “wonderful drink of hydration”
Soothing & gentle Often Mentioned
- “instantly feels calm and refreshed”
- “zero irritation”
- “great for reactive skin”
- “soothing blue daisy complex”
Improves skin texture Sometimes Noted
- “skin tone looking more even”
- “smoother and softer”
- “restores radiant appearance”
- “decreased roughness”
Price vs. size Sometimes Noted
- “volume is too small”
- “pricey for the size”
- “wish they released a larger size”
Insufficient for very dry Rarely Noted
- “need a heavy cream on top”
- “not enough for winter dryness”
- “wanted more intense hydration”
Packaging issues Rarely Noted
- “tricky to get the last bits out”
- “dropper doesn't pick up enough”
- “hard to dispense near the end”
Slight tackiness Rarely Noted
- “slightly tacky finish”
- “sticky initially”
- “feels a bit tacky on the neck”
Sources: lovi.care, cetaphil.com, ulta.com, iherb.com, target.com, walmart.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes Cetaphil Ceramide Serum a great fit for dry skin?
Cetaphil Ceramide Serum is a great fit for dry skin because its glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and ceramides quench dryness and help repair the skin barrier. Panthenol and allantoin further soothe the skin and boost comfort, while its gentle formula contains no harsh ingredients.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2017
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for dry skin?
Glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and ceramides make this serum a great fit for dry skin by drawing in moisture and repairing the skin barrier to stop flakiness. Panthenol and allantoin also help calm your skin and keep it soft and comfortable.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2017
What do Ceramides do for dry skin?
Ceramides help keep dry skin soft by strengthening the outer barrier and locking in hydration. This improvement in barrier integrity reduces dryness and protects against irritation.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2022Dermatologic Therapy, 2019
What does Hyaluronic Acid do for dry skin?
Hyaluronic acid draws moisture into dry skin, giving an immediate and lasting boost in hydration that helps smooth out fine lines and soften rough patches. It is very gentle and unlikely to cause irritation while improving overall skin smoothness and plumpness.
Dermatology and Therapy, 2021Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2011
Where does this serum go in a skincare routine for dry skin?
This serum goes in the evening routine after cleansing and before your moisturizer. Using a consistent daily skincare regimen helps improve clinical scores, visual dryness, and overall comfort.
Can I use this serum with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this serum with retinol by applying the serum first to help calm and hydrate your dry skin before putting on retinol. Using a barrier-supporting moisturizer helps reduce the dryness and irritation that often come with retinol use.
How often should I use this serum?
You can use this serum in your evening routine daily to keep your skin hydrated and comfortable. Using it regularly helps improve dryness, flakiness, and overall barrier resilience.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021
Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry skin?
This serum is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for dry skin, as it contains no harsh ingredients and features a blend of soothing components that keep the skin calm and comfortable.
Can I use this serum around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this serum around the eyes and on your body because its gentle blend of ceramides, glycerin, and hyaluronic acid provides safe and excellent suitability for dry skin. It helps soothe dry areas and repair the skin barrier without harsh ingredients, making it comfortable for delicate and larger skin areas alike.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2017Scientific Reports, 2022
Is this serum fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol, which soften the skin.
What the research says
Application of Body Lotion for 5 weeks on cosmetic dry skin improved barrier properties, increased levels of cholesterol, ceramides, and long-chain fatty acids, increased beneficial skin bacteria, and enhanced microbiome functional potential compared to baseline.
Scientific Reports, 2022A 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, 2017A new topical panthenol-containing emollient significantly improved transepidermal water loss reduction, stratum corneum hydration, and intercellular lipid lamellae length compared with control in healthy subjects without negatively impacting bacterial viability.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2017Topical dexpanthenol acts as a moisturizer, improves stratum corneum hydration, accelerates wound healing and epidermal regeneration, reduces erythema, and improves symptoms of skin irritation compared to vehicle or no pretreatment.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2002Topical 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, 2012Topical application of an emulsion containing a complete mixture of ceramides III, IIIB, VI, phytosphingosine, cholesterol, and linoleic acid significantly accelerated barrier recovery after SLS damage and improved skin hydration after acetone treatment in human volunteers compared to an emulsion containing only two types of ceramides.
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2002Phytosphingosine demonstrates anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory activity with excellent clinical results in acne vulgaris.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2007Phytosphingosine increased filaggrin metabolism and skin hydration in human skin by stimulating filaggrin biosynthesis and degradation leading to natural moisturizing factor formation.
Archives of Dermatological Research, 2017Botulinum 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
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Ceramide Np, Ceramide Ap, Ceramide Eop, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Hyaluronic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Panthenol, Allantoin, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Disodium Edta, Phenoxyethanol, 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
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