My bathroom shelf felt different. The new CeraVe bottle is here.
The real issue? That iconic milky slip is gone. It rinses faster, but not in a good way.
Still $16. Still claims to hydrate and not strip. The promise is the same. The execution is not.
New Texture
It’s thinner — more like a gel-milk hybrid.
Foam Factor
A slight, almost imperceptible lather now. Weird for a “hydrating” formula.
The Feel
Leaves a different film. Not the same cushioned finish.
Photo: kevin laminto / Unsplash
They kept the big three ceramides and hyaluronic acid. The backbone is there. But the sensory experience is all new — that’s down to the texture agents and emulsifiers they tweaked.
- Ceramides NP, AP, EOP: Still repairing the skin barrier
- Hyaluronic Acid: Still pulling in water
- Glycerin: Base-level humectant
- PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate: The new slickness culprit, I swear
Photo: pmv chamara / Unsplash
It pours out faster. Spreads easily but lacks that creamy, substantial slip. Rinses clean in 5 seconds flat — too fast.
By week two, my combo skin felt tighter after washing. Not stripped, but definitely not more hydrated. The biggest surprise? It works better as a second cleanse than a morning splash.
My barrier didn’t freak out. But zero improvement, either. It just… cleans. A neutral performance at best.
This is a lateral move that feels like a step back. They fixed something that wasn’t broken for a chunk of their loyal users.