CeraVe is one of the most popular and affordable skincare brands. Their products can be found in many drug stores across the U.S., and also can be purchased online. One of the brand’s most popular products is called Resurfacing Retinol Serum, and claims to “help resurface skin” that’s damaged due to “acne marks and uneven skin tone.”
But does CeraVe’s serum contain ingredients proven to improve skin quality or are these just marketing claims? Is this product really as effective as more expensive, “luxury” serums? Does it contain any ingredients that are questionable from a health perspective? And how do real users rate it?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we review every ingredient in CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum based on medical studies and give our take on whether the product is likely to be effective or if it’s a waste of money. We’ll also share real, unsponsored user reviews of the product.
Ingredient Review
Unsurprisingly, retinol is one of the key active ingredients in this formulation. Retinol is a form of vitamin A that’s one of the most well-studied skincare ingredients.
A medical review published in the Advances in Dermatology and Allergology journal found that topical retinol causes new collagen formation and improves skin elasticity, both effects that should help resurface skin damaged by acne scars or uneven skin tone.
Niacinamide is proven to restore skin barrier function according to a 2004 medical review.
Topical ceramides like ceramide NP and ceramide AP (from which CeraVe gets its brand name) are shown in medical studies to improve skin hydration and skin barrier function.
Dimethicone is proven to be a safe and non-toxic skin moisturizer.
Clearly this serum contains a number of effective ingredients. It also contains two ingredients we recommend avoiding.
Phenoxyethanol is a synthetic preservative found to be toxic to human cells in a test tube trial, as we documented in our Introstem reviews article. Ethylhexylglycerin is another synthetic preservative, although one we consider a better option than phenoxyethanol.
Some cosmetic formulations require synthetic preservatives to ensure the ingredients don’t go bad and cause a safety risk, but in our opinion it seems logical to avoid skincare serums with synthetic preservatives entirely given that there are brands on the market that managed to formulate products with research-backed ingredients and no preservatives at all.
Overall we consider CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum to be a highly effective formulation and one much better than the average skincare serum we review on Illuminate Health. We do consider this product to be likely effective for helping to resurface skin and improve skin quality given the large number of effective ingredients.
We don’t recommend the product overall due to the inclusion of two synthetic preservatives, but we still believe it to be a pretty good option for consumers on a budget.
Real, Unsponsored User Review of CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum
One of the most popular YouTube reviews of CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum comes from a creator named Amanda Nicholle who tried the product for one month to see if it reduced her acne. The video has over 100,000 views and includes before-and-after images:
Where to Buy CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum
CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum is sold at a wide range of online retailers. Here’s the price breakdown at the time of writing this article:
CVS: $21.79
Walgreens: $19.99
Walmart: $11.93 (link)
Amazon: $11.93 (link)
It’s surprising that such a large brand has a product with a 50% price discrepancy across different online retailers, but clearly Walmart and Amazon currently are the best places to buy this serum.
Dermatologist Reviews CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum
A popular YouTube skincare blogger named Dr. Dray who is also a dermatologist reviewed CeraVe’s retinol serum and shared her thoughts on whether or not it’s likely to be effective, including a product demo. Her review is unsponsored:
CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum Real User Reviews
As stated in the previous section, this product is sold on Amazon which is a more objective resource for real customer reviews than a brand’s website in our opinion.
It’s been reviewed over 30,000 times on Amazon with an impressive average review rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars. The product scores a “C” grade on Fakespot, which is a software tool that detects potentially fake Amazon reviews, but Fakespot’s “Adjusted Review Rating” is the same as the actual rating, suggesting that all of the reviews are legitimate.
The top positive review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named “CPL” who claims that the product significantly improved the smoothness of their skin:
“Im very prone to acne, breaking out, forehead bumps, etc. but this product has made my skin noticeabley better within a day. I havent had it for too long but it has stopped me from breaking out and decreased redness in my face. It made my forehead bumps go away too almost completely and i havent even used it for that long.”
The top negative review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “L D.” who claims that the product had no effect:
“Remember the funny TV sitcom, "Seinfeld" and the show about nothing? Well, the expensive, tiny, little bottle of CeraVe, for me, has been the lotion about nothing, with the joke on me.”
Our Non-Toxic Skincare Recommendations
There are skincare products that contain ingredients proven in clinical trials to be effective for reducing wrinkles and improving skin quality generally.
Annie Mak Vitamin C Serum is our top skin cream pick because of its effective and clean formulation. It contains hyaluronic acid which was described as a "skin-rejuvenating biomedicine" in a medical review due to its ability to reduce wrinkles and signs of facial aging. We consider this to be the most powerful topical skincare ingredient. Most importantly, this serum is entirely free of questionable additives like preservatives or fragrance.
Interested consumers can check out Annie Mak Vitamin C Serum at this link to the product page on the brand's website.
HydraGlow is our top moisturizer pick. It features bakuchiol as an active ingredient which was described in a 2014 clinical trial as "clinically proven to have anti-aging effects." In the linked trial, topical bakuchiol reduced wrinkles, improved skin elasticity and firmness, and reduced photodamage (damage from UV rays). There are no questionable additive ingredients in this product.
Interested consumers can check out HydraGlow at this link to the product page on the brand's website.
The only oral supplement we recommend for skin quality improvement is Bulletproof Collagen Powder. Oral collagen supplementation was shown in a medical review published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology to improve visible signs of skin aging as well as improve skin elasticity and skin hydration. The only ingredient in Bulletproof collagen is collagen peptides sourced from grass-fed animals. We recommend a dose of 10 grams per day.
Interested consumers can check out Bulletproof Collagen Powder at this link to the product page on the brand's website.
