Opened the new bottle and knew instantly. The texture is wrong.
It’s thinner. Slipperier. And it leaves this weird, almost filmy residue that the old formula never did.
The $16 drugstore staple. CeraVe promised the same “gentle, non-foaming” clean. It’s not.
The Feel
Gone is the creamy, lotion-like slip.
The Rinse
Takes more water to feel clear—my hard water hates it.
The Aftermath
My skin feels paradoxically tight and not-quite-clean.
Photo: kevin laminto / Unsplash
They kept the ceramides and hyaluronic acid. But the base formula changed—that’s where the magic (or mess) happens.
- Ceramides: Still there to support the skin barrier.
- Hyaluronic Acid: For a surface hydration hit.
- New Emulsifiers/Surfactants: The likely culprits for the weird film.
- Niacinamide: A brightening bonus that can’t save the texture.
Photo: Andreas Nast / Unsplash
It pours out fast—like slightly thickened water. Spreads okay, but the second you add water, it turns into a slick, vanishing gel.
By week two, my normal-dry skin felt dehydrated. No major breakouts, but a persistent, dull tightness. My makeup didn’t sit as smoothly.
My barrier didn’t freak out, but it didn’t feel nourished. Zero improvement in hydration. A clear step back in user experience.
It’s a miss. They fixed what wasn’t broken and lost the essential, comforting cleanse that made it a staple.