Opened my new bottle and knew instantly. The texture was wrong.
The old formula was a milky gel. This is thinner — almost watery. A quiet reformulation that’s causing loud debates in skincare forums.
The drugstore workhorse. Still around $15. CeraVe says it’s the same “gentle, non-foaming cleanser.” It’s not.
New Texture
Spreads more like a serum than a cream.
Less Slip
Harder to massage over dry skin without dragging.
Rinse Feel
Leaves a slightly more… present film. Not squeaky, but noticeable.
They kept the big three ceramides and hyaluronic acid. The tweaks are in the supporting cast — different emulsifiers and texture modifiers.
- Ceramides NP, AP, EOP: Still repairing the skin barrier
- Hyaluronic Acid: Still holding water in
- Glycerin: The main humectant, bumped up?
- Polyglyceryl-4 Laurate/Sebacate: The new emulsifier causing the thin feel
First pump — it’s cool, slick. But it lacks that creamy cushion. You use more to get the same coverage.
After two weeks, my skin wasn’t tight. But that faint film made me double-check if I rinsed properly. Every. Single. Time.
It still cleanses without stripping. My barrier felt fine. But the sensory experience — that meditative, creamy slip — is gone. For me, that was half the appeal.
They fixed what wasn’t broken. It’s still a competent, no-frills cleanser, but the soul of the original is dimmed.