cerave Reparative Hand Cream
cerave CeraVe Reparative Hand Cream lists 27 ingredients on its label, 27 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.
- Aqua
- Glycerin
- Urea
- Dibutyl Adipate
- Glyceryl Stearate
- Stearyl Alcohol
- Dicaprylyl Ether
- Cetearyl Alcohol
- Sodium Lactate
- Tapioca Starch
- Glyceryl Stearate SE
- Ceramide NP
- Lactic Acid
- Arginine Hcl
- Sodium PCA
- Cholesterol
- Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
- Alanine
- Carnitine
- Glycine
- Sodium Chloride
- Dimethicone
- Xanthan Gum
- Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate
- Decylene Glycol
- Phenoxyethanol
- Pentylene Glycol
Highlights
Free of alcoholFree of parabensFree of mineral oilFree of formaldehyde releasersContains animal-derivedContains essential oilsContains fragranceContains siliconesContains sulfates
Key ingredients
- SOLVENT
- Aqua
- DENATURANT
- Glycerin
- ANTISTATIC
- Urea
- SKIN CONDITIONING - EMOLLIENT
- Dibutyl AdipateGlyceryl StearateStearyl AlcoholDicaprylyl EtherCetearyl Alcohol
Other ingredients
Sodium LactateTapioca StarchGlyceryl Stearate SECeramide NPLactic AcidArginine HclSodium PCACholesterolHelianthus Annuus Seed OilAlanineCarnitineGlycineSodium ChlorideDimethiconeXanthan GumSodium Cetearyl SulfateDecylene GlycolPhenoxyethanolPentylene Glycol
Skim through
| Ingredient | What it does | Irr. · Com. | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aqua | SOLVENT | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Glycerin | DENATURANT, HAIR CONDITIONING, HUMECTANT, ORAL CARE, SKIN PROTECTING, SOLVENT, VISCOSITY CONTROLLING, PERFUMING, FRAGRANCE, SKIN CONDITIONING - HUMECTANT | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Urea | ANTISTATIC, BUFFERING, HUMECTANT, SKIN CONDITIONING | 1 · 0 | Red |
| Dibutyl Adipate | SKIN CONDITIONING - EMOLLIENT, FILM FORMING, PLASTICISER, SKIN CONDITIONING, SOLVENT | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Glyceryl Stearate | SKIN CONDITIONING - EMOLLIENT, SURFACTANT - EMULSIFYING | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Stearyl Alcohol | SKIN CONDITIONING - EMOLLIENT, SURFACTANT - EMULSIFYING, EMULSION STABILISING, SURFACTANT - FOAM BOOSTING, FRAGRANCE, OPACIFYING, REFATTING, SURFACTANT - CLEANSING, VISCOSITY CONTROLLING | 0 · 3 | Green |
| Dicaprylyl Ether | SKIN CONDITIONING - EMOLLIENT, SKIN CONDITIONING, SOLVENT | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Cetearyl Alcohol | SKIN CONDITIONING - EMOLLIENT, SURFACTANT - EMULSIFYING, EMULSION STABILISING, SURFACTANT - FOAM BOOSTING, OPACIFYING, SURFACTANT - CLEANSING, VISCOSITY CONTROLLING | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Sodium Lactate | BUFFERING, HUMECTANT, KERATOLYTIC | 0 · – | Green |
| Tapioca Starch | VISCOSITY CONTROLLING | 0 · 2 | Green |
| Glyceryl Stearate SE | SURFACTANT - EMULSIFYING | 0 · 1 | Green |
| Ceramide NP | HAIR CONDITIONING, SKIN CONDITIONING - MISCELLANEOUS | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Lactic Acid | BUFFERING, HUMECTANT, SKIN CONDITIONING | 1 · 0 | Green |
| Arginine Hcl | SKIN CONDITIONING | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Sodium PCA | ANTISTATIC, HAIR CONDITIONING, HUMECTANT, SKIN CONDITIONING | – · 0 | Green |
| Cholesterol | SKIN CONDITIONING - EMOLLIENT, SURFACTANT - EMULSIFYING, SKIN CONDITIONING, LIGHT STABILIZER, VISCOSITY CONTROLLING | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil | SKIN CONDITIONING - EMOLLIENT, SOLVENT, SKIN CONDITIONING - MISCELLANEOUS, SKIN CONDITIONING - OCCLUSIVE | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Alanine | ANTISTATIC, HAIR CONDITIONING, FRAGRANCE, SKIN CONDITIONING | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Carnitine | ANTISTATIC, CLEANSING, SURFACTANT - FOAM BOOSTING, HAIR CONDITIONING, SKIN CONDITIONING, SURFACTANT - CLEANSING, VISCOSITY CONTROLLING | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Glycine | ANTISTATIC, BUFFERING, HAIR CONDITIONING, SKIN CONDITIONING | 0 · – | Green |
| Sodium Chloride | BULKING, FRAGRANCE, ORAL CARE, VISCOSITY CONTROLLING | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Dimethicone | ANTIFOAMING, SKIN CONDITIONING - EMOLLIENT, SKIN CONDITIONING, SKIN PROTECTING | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Xanthan Gum | BINDING, SURFACTANT - EMULSIFYING, EMULSION STABILISING, GEL FORMING, SKIN CONDITIONING, SURFACTANT - CLEANSING, VISCOSITY CONTROLLING | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate | CLEANSING, FOAMING, SURFACTANT - CLEANSING | 2 · – | Green |
| Decylene Glycol | SKIN CONDITIONING | 0 · 0 | Green |
| Phenoxyethanol | ANTIMICROBIAL, PRESERVATIVE · 限制 V/29 | 1 · 0 | Yellow |
| Pentylene Glycol | SKIN CONDITIONING, SOLVENT | 0 · 0 | Green |
Ingredients explained
- Aqua
- Solvent, main base; microbial control is critical
- Glycerin
- Workhorse humectant at 3–10%; tacky at high levels, pair with occlusives
- Urea
- Potent humectant and keratolytic, >10% has exfoliating effect; stinging sensation at high levels, sensitive skin caution
- Dibutyl Adipate
- Light ester, solvent and emollient, fresh feel and volatility, non-comedogenic.
- Glyceryl Stearate
- Emulsifier at 1-3%; may require acid to prevent saponification
- Stearyl Alcohol
- Stearic alcohol; fatty alcohol for emulsion thickening/structure, often blended with soaps, moderate comedogenicity.
- Dicaprylyl Ether
- Lightweight diester solvent and emollient, non-greasy feel; common oil phase carrier; low irritation.
- Cetearyl Alcohol
- Fatty alcohol emulsifier at 1-5%; non-ionic surfactant
- Sodium Lactate
- Sodium lactate for moisturizing and exfoliation; pH buffering agent
- Tapioca Starch
- Tapioca starch; powder thickener/oil absorbent; inert, mild comed risk at high conc
- Glyceryl Stearate SE
- Emulsifier at 1–3%; oil-phase ingredient, easy emulsification, low sensitization.
- Ceramide NP
- Ceramide N3 for barrier repair; lipophilic, needs oil phase or emulsion, avoid high standalone use.
- Lactic Acid
- AHA pH adjuster at 0.5-5%; exfoliation/humectancy, mild at low conc., irritating at high, avoid conflict with alkaline preservatives.
- Arginine Hcl
- Amphoteric amino acid salt, moisturizer and buffer; high levels may irritate sensitive skin.
- Sodium PCA
- Sodium PCA, NMF component, 1-10% humectant; salty/tacky at high levels.
- Cholesterol
- Cholesterol; barrier repair lipid mimicking stratum corneum; often blended with ceramides, plant or fermentation source.
- Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
- Sunflower seed oil for emollient/occlusive; high linoleic acid, low comedogenicity.
- Alanine
- Amino acid for antistatic and conditioning; low irritation, slight salty taste at high levels
- Carnitine
- Carnitine, used in cleansers as foam booster and conditioner; water-soluble, mild.
- Glycine
- Humectant amino acid, 1–3%; small molecule, low irritation.
- Sodium Chloride
- Salt for gel viscosity control; used as precipitant in soaps
- Dimethicone
- Silicone occlusive at 1–5%; provides smooth feel, non-penetrating, suitable for sensitive skin
- Xanthan Gum
- Natural thickener at 0.1–1%; provides gel texture, pH-stable, requires full hydration
- Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate
- Anionic surfactant with strong foaming and cleansing power; milder than SLS but can still irritate dry skin.
- Decylene Glycol
- Multi-functional thickener and preservative booster, 0.1–0.5%; low viscosity, good compatibility
- Phenoxyethanol
- Broad-spectrum preservative at ≤1%; may irritate sensitive eye areas, often paired with ethylhexylglycerin
- Pentylene Glycol
- Polyol humectant at 1-3%; low irritancy, suitable for sensitive skin
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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