cerave Foaming Facial Cleanser
cerave CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser lists 23 ingredients on its label, 21 decoded. See what each one does, its irritancy and comedogenic tendency, and its status in national inventories.
Ingredients overview
Label order. Colour is our internal rating: green routine, yellow restricted or worth a look, red prohibited or high-risk, grey not yet decoded.
Ingredients are listed in label order; the order reflects the label only, not exact concentrations.
- Purified Water
- Glycerin
- Behentrimonium Methosulfate
- Cetearyl Alcohol
- Ceramide 3
- Ceramide 6 II
- Ceramide 1
- Hyaluronic Acid
- Cholesterol
- Polyoxyl 40 Stearate
- Glyceryl Monostearate
- Stearyl Alcohol
- Polysorbate 20
- Potassium Phosphate
- Dipotassium Phosphate
- Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
- Cetyl Alcohol
- Disodium EDTA
- Phytosphingosine
- Methylparaben
- Propylparaben
- Carbomer
- Xanthan Gum
Highlights
Free of alcoholFree of siliconesFree of sulfatesFree of mineral oilFree of essential oilsFree of formaldehyde releasersContains animal-derivedContains PEGContains fragranceContains parabens
Key ingredients
- 溶剂
- Purified Water
- DENATURANT
- Glycerin
- ANTISTATIC
- Behentrimonium MethosulfateHyaluronic Acid
- SKIN CONDITIONING - EMOLLIENT
- Cetearyl AlcoholCholesterol
- HAIR CONDITIONING
- Ceramide 3Ceramide 6 II
Other ingredients
Ceramide 1Polyoxyl 40 StearateGlyceryl MonostearateStearyl AlcoholPolysorbate 20Potassium PhosphateDipotassium PhosphateSodium Lauroyl LactylateCetyl AlcoholDisodium EDTAPhytosphingosineMethylparabenPropylparabenCarbomerXanthan Gum
Skim through
| Ingredient | What it does | Irr. · Com. | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purified Water | 溶剂 | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Glycerin | DENATURANT, HAIR CONDITIONING, HUMECTANT, ORAL CARE, SKIN PROTECTING, SOLVENT, VISCOSITY CONTROLLING, PERFUMING, FRAGRANCE, SKIN CONDITIONING - HUMECTANT | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Behentrimonium Methosulfate | ANTISTATIC, HAIR CONDITIONING, SURFACTANT - CLEANSING | 1 · – | Green |
| Cetearyl Alcohol | SKIN CONDITIONING - EMOLLIENT, SURFACTANT - EMULSIFYING, EMULSION STABILISING, SURFACTANT - FOAM BOOSTING, OPACIFYING, SURFACTANT - CLEANSING, VISCOSITY CONTROLLING | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Ceramide 3 | HAIR CONDITIONING, SKIN CONDITIONING | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Ceramide 6 II | HAIR CONDITIONING, SKIN CONDITIONING | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Ceramide 1 | Not decoded yet | — | — |
| Hyaluronic Acid | ANTISTATIC, HUMECTANT, MOISTURISING, SKIN CONDITIONING | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Cholesterol | SKIN CONDITIONING - EMOLLIENT, SURFACTANT - EMULSIFYING, SKIN CONDITIONING, LIGHT STABILIZER, VISCOSITY CONTROLLING | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Polyoxyl 40 Stearate | 乳化剂 | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Glyceryl Monostearate | Not decoded yet | — | — |
| Stearyl Alcohol | SKIN CONDITIONING - EMOLLIENT, SURFACTANT - EMULSIFYING, EMULSION STABILISING, SURFACTANT - FOAM BOOSTING, FRAGRANCE, OPACIFYING, REFATTING, SURFACTANT - CLEANSING, VISCOSITY CONTROLLING | 0 · 3 | Green |
| Polysorbate 20 | SURFACTANT - EMULSIFYING, SURFACTANT - CLEANSING | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Potassium Phosphate | BUFFERING | 0 · – | Green |
| Dipotassium Phosphate | ANTICORROSIVE, BUFFERING | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate | SURFACTANT - EMULSIFYING | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Cetyl Alcohol | SKIN CONDITIONING - EMOLLIENT, SURFACTANT - EMULSIFYING, EMULSION STABILISING, SURFACTANT - FOAM BOOSTING, FRAGRANCE, OPACIFYING, SURFACTANT - CLEANSING, VISCOSITY CONTROLLING | 1 · 1 | Green |
| Disodium EDTA | CHELATING, VISCOSITY CONTROLLING | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Phytosphingosine | HAIR CONDITIONING, SKIN CONDITIONING | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Methylparaben | FRAGRANCE, PRESERVATIVE · 限制 V/12 | 0 · 0 | Yellow |
| Propylparaben | PRESERVATIVE, PERFUMING · 限制 V/12 | 1 · 0 | Yellow |
| Carbomer | EMULSION STABILISING, GEL FORMING, VISCOSITY CONTROLLING | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Xanthan Gum | BINDING, SURFACTANT - EMULSIFYING, EMULSION STABILISING, GEL FORMING, SKIN CONDITIONING, SURFACTANT - CLEANSING, VISCOSITY CONTROLLING | 0 · 0 | Green |
Ingredients explained
- Purified Water
- Deionized or purified water serving as the formulation solvent base; requires protection from microbial contamination, typically constitutes the majority of the formula.
- Glycerin
- Workhorse humectant at 3–10%; tacky at high levels, pair with occlusives
- Behentrimonium Methosulfate
- Cationic surfactant for conditioning and antistatic; be careful with anionic actives compatibility.
- Cetearyl Alcohol
- Fatty alcohol emulsifier at 1-5%; non-ionic surfactant
- Ceramide 3
- Ceramide 3 to restore skin barrier and moisturize; used at 0.01–1%, often blended
- Ceramide 6 II
- Ceramide for barrier repair and lipid layer restoration; high stability, suitable for sensitive/compromised skin, low irritancy/comedogenicity.
- Ceramide 1
- Not decoded yet
- Hyaluronic Acid
- High-water-binding humectant at 0.1-1%; high-MW for surface film, low-MW for dermal potential, check cationic compatibility.
- Cholesterol
- Cholesterol; barrier repair lipid mimicking stratum corneum; often blended with ceramides, plant or fermentation source.
- Polyoxyl 40 Stearate
- Polyoxyl 40 stearate, non-ionic emulsifier; contains PEG, low irritancy, low comedogenicity, avoid mixing with formaldehyde releasers.
- Glyceryl Monostearate
- Not decoded yet
- Stearyl Alcohol
- Stearic alcohol; fatty alcohol for emulsion thickening/structure, often blended with soaps, moderate comedogenicity.
- Polysorbate 20
- Non-ionic emulsifier and cleansing surfactant; contains PEG, control microbial load.
- Potassium Phosphate
- pH adjuster for buffering systems; 0.1-1%, avoid calcium and magnesium ions
- Dipotassium Phosphate
- Buffer, pH control, non-irritating, non-comedogenic.
- Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
- Mild emulsifier at 1–5%; suitable for sensitive skin, mind cationic surfactant compatibility
- Cetyl Alcohol
- Cetyl alcohol for emulsification/thickening; high concentration >10% may irritate.
- Disodium EDTA
- Chelating agent at 0.05–0.5%; sequesters metal ions for stability, boosts preservative efficacy
- Phytosphingosine
- Phytosphingosine barrier repair ingredient, 0.1–1%; water-soluble, good for dry skin.
- Methylparaben
- Preservative, narrow spectrum; often combined, check allergen risk and regulatory limits.
- Propylparaben
- Medium-chain preservative; restricted use, pH-sensitive efficacy.
- Carbomer
- Gelling thickener requiring neutralization; watch out for ion compatibility
- Xanthan Gum
- Natural thickener at 0.1–1%; provides gel texture, pH-stable, requires full hydration
Source: full ingredient list published on the product label, collected 2026-09-19. Ratings are our internal reading, not a regulatory conclusion. · Product page
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