CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser for combination skin
3 Essential Ceramides
Sodium Hyaluronate
Glycerin
Cholesterol
Phytosphingosine
Average
- AverageCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- Low RiskSafety
Works for combination skin; other cleansers fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with combination skin: an oily T-zone, enlarged pores, and dry cheeks. 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
- Moderate suitability for your combination skin is offered due to glycerin and sodium hyaluronate providing humectant action, though it lacks significant ingredients for oil control on your oily areas.
- The cleanser provides general skincare benefits like hydration and barrier support, which are mostly supportive and irrelevant for your oily shine.
How to apply
- Use this cleanser AM and PM as part of your daily routine. Start 3×/week and build up to daily use if your skin tolerates it well.
- Apply this cleanser as the very first step in your morning routine and right after your pre-cleanser in the evening.
- Gently massage a small amount of cleanser onto your skin using circular motions. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.
- For the best results , apply the cleanser directly onto slightly damp skin to help lift away excess oil.
- Avoid the immediate eye area and do a patch test before your first use to check for any sensitivity.
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 85.0k+ reviewsHowever, users with oily skin or those who wear heavy makeup may find it insufficient for thorough cleansing or removing stubborn residue.
Highlights
Gentle and non-stripping Mostly Mentioned
- “doesn't leave face tight”
- “feels like lotion”
- “skin feels soft not squeaky”
Hydrating formula Often Mentioned
- “helped my dry patches”
- “leaves a moisturizing film”
- “saved my winter skin”
Safe for sensitive skin Often Mentioned
- “no redness after washing”
Poor makeup removal Often Mentioned
- “doesn't take off mascara”
- “need a second cleanse”
- “leaves residue behind”
Fragrance-free Sometimes Noted
- “no strong smell”
- “doesn't irritate my nose”
- “great for allergy sufferers”
Restores skin barrier Sometimes Noted
- “healed my damaged barrier”
- “helped with retinol dryness”
- “skin feels healthier”
Slimy/Non-foaming texture Sometimes Noted
- “feels like washing with conditioner”
- “miss the bubbles”
- “doesn't feel like it's cleaning”
Burning sensation Rarely Noted
- “burns my damaged skin”
- “stung upon application”
- “caused heat on raw areas”
Caused breakouts Rarely Noted
- “gave me closed comedones”
- “too heavy for my pores”
- “caused small whiteheads”
Pump packaging issues Rarely Noted
- “pump arrived broken”
- “stopped working halfway”
- “hard to unlock”
Sources: lovi.care, cerave.com, ulta.com, walmart.com, target.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser work for combination skin?
CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser is an average fit for combination skin because it provides gentle moisture with glycerin and sodium hyaluronate, but it lacks ingredients that help control oil on shiny areas. A cleanser for this skin needs ingredients that safely balance oil production and manage shine while maintaining hydration.
Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for combination skin?
Glycerin and sodium hyaluronate make this cleanser a good fit for combination skin by drawing in moisture to keep dry areas soft. To truly work for combination skin, a cleanser of this type needs ingredients that also balance oil production and control shine on oily areas.
What do Ceramides do for combination skin?
Ceramides help keep combination skin balanced by supporting the skin barrier to lock in moisture without feeling heavy. They are a good fit because they help protect dry areas while keeping oily zones calm and comfortable. This type of skin needs lightweight hydrators and skin-repairing ingredients to keep the barrier strong across both oily and dry areas.
What does Hyaluronic Acid do for combination skin?
Hyaluronic acid is a great fit for combination skin because it quenches dry areas with a boost of hydration while keeping oily zones balanced. Regular use helps smooth out fine lines and makes your skin feel soft and plump without causing irritation.
Dermatology and Therapy, 2021Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2011
Where does this cleanser go in a skincare routine for combination skin?
This cleanser is used in both your morning and evening routines as the first step on bare skin or the second step after makeup removal at night. Combination skin needs a product of this type that also balances oil and shine with ingredients like clay or salicylic acid.
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cleanser with retinol as part of your routine, typically applying it before your treatment to cleanse the skin. Using a gentle cleanser with ceramides helps support your skin barrier while you use retinoids, keeping dryness less likely.
How often should I use this cleanser?
You can use this cleanser daily in the morning and evening as part of your routine. This product works for your combination skin by adding moisture, but cleansers for this skin type also need ingredients for oil control on oily areas.
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for combination skin?
This cleanser is unlikely to cause breakouts for combination skin, though a small number of users have reported them. A product of this type needs balancing ingredients like niacinamide or clay to help control oil on your shiny areas.
Can I use this cleanser around the eyes or on my body?
Yes, you can use this cleanser around your eyes and on your body, as its gentle ingredients are well tolerated by thinner skin areas like the eyelids. It cleans and hydrates without causing irritation, making it safe for general body use as well.
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 2002Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Is this cleanser fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. Cetearyl alcohol and stearyl 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, 2017A lipid mixture enriched by ceramide NP with fatty acids of diverse chain lengths significantly improved skin barrier recovery rate, stratum corneum integrity, and hydration compared to a vehicle cream in healthy adult male volunteers with corticosteroid-impaired skin.
Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2022Topical 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, 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, 2012Botulinum 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, 1990Phytosphingosine 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, 2017Phytosphingosine inhibits melanin synthesis in cultured melan-a cells and a reconstructed human skin model by modulating MITF through suppression of gene expression and induction of protein degradation.
Journal of Dermatological Science, 2017
Why other cleansers fit combination skin better
A botanical face cleanser with hops and willow bark extract continuously reduced skin sebum levels without reactive seborrhea after treatment in 21 healthy volunteers compared to a sodium laureth sulfate cleanser, with neither cleanser causing skin irritation.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Ceramide Np, Ceramide Ap, Ceramide Eop, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cholesterol, Peg-40 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 20, Potassium Phosphate, Dipotassium Phosphate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Disodium Edta, Phenoxyethanol, Phytosphingosine, Xanthan Gum, Tocopherol, Carbomer
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.