CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser On your shelf ✓
Maya's readCeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser is a cleanser built around Glycerin, Vitamin B3 and Ceramide 3. It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair, brightening / tone. Best suited to dry, dehydrated and oily skin. Go slow — the active is potent enough to irritate if overused.
Skip it if your barrier is already sensitised or compromised — the acids can sting broken or over-exfoliated skin.
What it delivers
How it feels A gentle wash that lifts the day away without leaving skin tight or squeaky. — estimated from the formula
What's in it that matters
Classic humectant with strong evidence for improving skin hydration and supporting barrier when combined with emollients.
Multitasking vitamin that improves barrier, reduces redness, regulates oil, helps with pores and pigmentation with strong clinical support.
Skin-identical ceramide that plays a key role in restoring and strengthening the skin barrier.
Oil-soluble exfoliant that penetrates pores to reduce blackheads and breakouts; can be drying or irritating if overused.
Polyhydroxy acid that gently exfoliates while drawing water into the skin, offering smoother texture with much lower irritation than classic AHAs.
Ceramide that supports barrier integrity and helps smooth rough, dry skin when combined with other skin lipids.
Key facts
- Type
- Cleanser
- Key actives
- Glycerin, Vitamin B3, Ceramide 3
- Fragrance
- None detected
- Fungal-acne (Malassezia) safe
- Likely, by the formula
- Pregnancy
- No flagged actives
- Ingredients
- 19 listed
- Typical price
- ~€13
How to use it
In the evening, and not every night — 2–3 times a week is plenty. Follow with a moisturiser, and wear sunscreen the next day.
Keep it away from
- Retinoids (retinol, tretinoin)
- Benzoyl peroxide
- Other exfoliating acids the same night
Free from
- Fragrance-free
- Alcohol-free
- Silicone-free
- Paraben-free
Best for
- Dry
- Dehydrated
- Oily
- Combo
Worth knowing
Nothing our knowledge base would flag: no high-comedogenic or pregnancy-caution actives here.
Common questions
Is CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser good for dry skin?
By our read of the formula, it suits dry, dehydrated, oily skin. CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser is a cleanser built around Glycerin, Vitamin B3 and Ceramide 3. It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair, brightening / tone. Best suited to dry, dehydrated and oily skin. Go slow — the active is potent enough to irritate if overused.
How do you use CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser?
In the evening, and not every night — 2–3 times a week is plenty. Follow with a moisturiser, and wear sunscreen the next day.
What are the key ingredients in CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser?
The actives that do the work are Glycerin, Vitamin B3, Ceramide 3, Salicylic acid (BHA), Gluconolactone, Ceramide 6-II. The rest of the list is texture, preservatives and emulsifiers that hold the formula together.
Does CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser contain fragrance?
No. By our reading of the ingredient list it is fragrance-free, which is a plus for sensitive or reactive skin.
The full formula, decoded
Every ingredient on the label, in the order it appears (highest amount first). We link the 11 our library knows, name what each one does, and flag anything that can irritate or clog. The rest we leave plain, nothing is hidden.
- Aqua/WaterSolvent (base)
- Sodium Lauroyl SarcosinateCleansing agent
- Cocamidopropyl HydroxysultaineCleansing agent
- GlycerinHumectant
- NiacinamideVitaminmild irritant
- GluconolactoneExfoliant
- Sodium Methyl Cocoyl TaurateCleansing agent
- Ceramide NPBarrier lipid
- Ceramide APBarrier lipid
- Ceramide EOPBarrier lipid
- CarbomerThickener
- Salicylic AcidExfoliantmild irritant
- Sodium BenzoatePreservative
- Sodium Lauroyl LactylateEmulsifier
- CholesterolBarrier lipid
- PhenoxyethanolPreservativemild irritant
- Disodium EDTAChelator (stabiliser)
- Hyaluronic AcidHumectant
- PhytosphingosineSkin-identical lipid
Copy the raw INCI list
Aqua/Water, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Gluconolactone, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Carbomer, Salicylic Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Cholesterol, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium EDTA, Hyaluronic Acid, Phytosphingosine
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We don't make or sell skincare of our own. So there's nothing here we're trying to push, just an honest read of whether this formula suits your skin.