I was very skeptical about how well this would work since I thought it would be like Cetaphil, which does not work well for me. But thankfully, this is perfect for me as a morning cleanser. It is gentle but effective and does not overdry my skin. I think it would probably be great for others at night as well, but I have acne prone skin and use a separate cleanser at night that has lactic acid. I love the affordable price, lack of fragrance, large size and easy to use pump bottle. I never thought I would get through the entire bottle without getting sick of the product or finding it ineffective after awhile. But I finally finished it and am definitely buying another.

This product would be great for someone with super oily skin or that slathers lots of lotion on after cleansing. I prefer to not have to slather moisturizer on bc I don't want my face cleanser to dry my face to the point to where I need so much moisturizer. This cleanser felt like I was rubbing KY jelly all over my face! It foamed up nicely but for my combo skin I don't need a foaming cleanser. It dried my skin out terribly and felt very cracked and tight 10 minutes later. I mistakenly thought when I was a teen that I needed to dry my face out to no end with stripping cleansers and harsh products in order to keep from breaking out. I know now that that is the wrong thing to do as that just prompts your skin to produce more oil. Plus I hate the cracked face feeling and peeling! Skin's ph is slightly acidic (called the acid mantle) so you do not want to disturb that too much with harsh products. Cerave is great for some people I'm sure but personally I prefer cetaphil gentle cleanser. it's not too drying and does not disturb your acid mantle. So if you must use a few acne products go ahead just don't strip your skin with harsh cleansers. You know your skin is so much more vulnerable when it's wet. Makes since to choose a gentle cleanser and the wait about 15 minutes and then apply your products and finish with a light non-comedogenic moisturizer!

Been using this face wash for about 2 months now. I have crazy sensitive/oily/acne/combination/rosacea-prone skin and have always had trouble finding a cleaner that would not totally freak out my face. Even though this is a very simple and gentle face wash, I really feel like the texture of my skin has improved. Nothing miraculous by any means, but since I have started using this my face feels smoother, less flaky, and this face wash has not broken me out :-). I was previously using clean & clear sensitive face wash and thought it was pretty good but, now compared to this, realize that it really dried out my skin. I use another product to remove my makeup at night, so I am not sure how well this would remove makeup (it says it does on the bottle, FYI). I will definitely repurchase this face wash when I run out. continued >>

Absolutely awesome. This product removes ALL of my makeup, cleans my face well, and doesn't dry out my skin whatsoever. There is no tight feeling of the skin after washing my face with this. It is extremely gentle and does not aggravate my skin. I love it.

Recomended by my derm. Simple scent free no frills and very effective. break outs have dropped to almost nothing since switching over to this.


not drying at all, just perfect.

Love this! Cerave, you're my favorite cleanser right now. Great for my oily/combo/sensitive skin. No bad fragrance, no residue, and it does not strip my skin. Love the pump bottle
Don't know about makeup removal because I use a separate makeup remover for my eye makeup. Give it a try = you might like it as much as I do!.
I use the oily skin version!

Great cleanser. I have combo skin(oily,sensitive). I've been looking for a basic cleanser for my acne since i also use aczone/differin. I used spectro(ok but did not cleanse well), clean and clear foaming wash(irritated my skin). With Cerave I only need one pump and it foams very well to clean my face and neck. It can be a little drying near my jaw. Also, this isn't available in Canada so i have to purchase online. However, it's been a long time since i used a cleanser that works for my skin. I will repurchase again.

This is an excellent cleanser for my acne prone, sensitive and oily skin. I have designated this cleanser as my warm weather cleanser since I tend to get extra oily in the summer. It does nothing it terms of oil control but it wasn't designed for that. It takes a small amount to cleanse my face and neck, which I can appreciate. I love it more than Cliniqure's cleansers, which is beyond harsh for my skin. I also love the fact that it is sulfate-free. I will continue to repurchase.

I have just started using Retin-A and was looking for a gentle yet effective cleanser and decided to try this one based on reviews. I have combination/oily skin and was using GM Collins which is very expensive and let me tell you, this cleanser is just as good if not better! It is also great at removing makeup. Plus, for $15 it is a great bargain! I highly recommend this product and I will be a user for life!

I asked the skincare board if any non-drying foaming drugstore cleansers even exist. This one had a lot votes on it so was next to try! Plus I already use other CeraVe products so it was the next logical step.


PRO: This cleans better than my other foaming cleansers! The area above and below my jawbone is my problem skin. I don't get regular breakouts there or anything but if I was going to, that'd be where they are most likely. Since using CeraVe foaming cleanser, it looks better than usual, and it's stayed this way! Also, I usually feel like foaming cleaners in general somewhat irritate my skin. I'm not totally sure about this one, but I think it doesn't irritate my skin at all (or if it does, it's a lot less than others). Removes all makeup and rinses super cleanly without any effort.


CONS: The bottle says "Normal to Oily Skin". I have normal to dry skin but decided to try it anyways due to there being so many high ratings from other people with dry skin. It's slightly drying like the rest of foaming cleansers I've used in the past so I do see why it'd be better for normal to oil. However, my skin is get pretty oily in the morning when I get up, so it's a good morning cleanser. But using it after a full day leaves my skin dry, like "woah, where did the moisture go" after patting my face before moisturizer on.


OTHER: Other foaming cleansers I've used were more eager to foam/larger bubbles (very minor though). Also, the consistency of this cleanser, it's not that it's thin, but it's a little more fluid. Note for some of the people who feel this leaves a residue too - make it foam BEFORE it's applied to the face. This cleanser works SO well with my SkinSonic too, using 2 pumps.


OVERALL: I was surprised by this cleanser. I wasn't expecting much at all. Ultimately it's not great for my skin type, but it does make a good morning cleanser. I also didn't expect it to leave my skin CLEARER than other foaming cleansers (I thought they were all created the same - apparently not!). Because of some those pleasant surprises, I'll be checking out CeraVe's Hydrating Cleanser next. I wish I could give this 3.5, not just 3.


UPDATE: More for oily skin. I've been introducing a BHA and other steps into my routine and my skin feels drier than normal now. I don't think it's the additional products though since I they don't feel drying to me. My skin needs more moisture than this gives.