CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser

So it was only a few days ago when I told you guys all about my favorite gentle cleansers for acne-prone skin. Last week I picked up a new product by CeraVe: Renewing SA Cleanser and just couldn’t help it, had to write about it.\

I really didn’t need a new cleanser (I rotate between a few that are still pretty full at the moment) but when I browsed the skincare aisle at my local CVS and saw this new cleanser by CeraVe, I had to grab it. It was also the very last bottle on the shelf so I thought of it as a “sign”… yeah. I do that a lot (lol).

This cleanser is said to be for normal skin and it claims to gently exfoliate and cleanse while softening and smoothing skin. It’s supposed to be non-comedogenic, non-drying and non-irritating. As I mentioned before (probably countless times) I’m not a huge fan of mechanical exfoliation. This means I don’t like to use too many scrubs and exfoliants of similar nature and like to stick to chemical exfoliation (using acids). CeraVe’s Renewing Salicylic Acid Cleanser is supposed to act as the latter. As I mentioned in my post about best gentle cleansers, I love Salicylic Acid products, but I’m not sure about their effectiveness in cleansers. I do have to say though, that just after the first use I was able to notice a difference in my skin’s texture. It was definitely smoother, extremely soft to touch and looked much brighter.

The formula is very gentle, I did not experience any irritation or weird reaction. I do have to say, however, that my skin does feel a bit dry after using this. Of course, it’s nothing that some good lotion/oil/serum can’t fix, but I found it surprising since it claims to be a non-drying cleanser. Other than that, I really like this product and intend on keeping it in my routine.

Ingredients: Purified Water, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Glycerin, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Niacinamide, Gluconolactone, Sodium Methylcocoyl Taurate, PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, Salicylic Acid, Ceramide 6 II, Ceramide 3, Ceramide 1, Hyaluronic Acid, Cholesterol, Sodium Benzoate, Zea Mays (Corn) Oil, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Cholecalciferol, Phytosphingosine, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Sodium hydroxide. Here’s a little breakdown:

Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine–  surfactant derived from fatty acids of coconut oil. Cleanses and conditions the skin.

Glycerin– I’m pretty sure you are all familiar with this ingredient. It softens, moisturizes and decreases dry and itchy skin.

Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate– mild yet effective cleanser and foam booster.

Niacinamide– vitamin B3, increases ceramide levels and helps prevent the skin from losing water.

Gluconolactone– derived from gluconic acid acts a skin conditioning ingredient, it hydrates and enhances levels of moisture in skin.

Sodium Methylcocoyl Taurate– extremely mild, coconut-oil based cleansing agent. It helps to create the foam and remove dirt and oil from the skin.

PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate– counter-irritant and thickener.

Salicylic Acid– I’m pretty sure you are all familiar with this BHA. Acts as an exfoliant, anti-bacterial and anti-irritant.

Ceramide 6 II, Ceramide 3, Ceramide 1– Natural occurring lipids that act as glue that holds skin cells together.

Hyaluronic Acid– I wrote about Hyaluronic Acid a few years ago right here. It improves skin’s texture, makes it appear plumper and smoother.

Cholesterol– in skincare, it acts as a stabilizer and water-binding agent.

 Sodium Benzoate– commonly used as a preservative in skincare (as well as in food and pharmaceuticals).

Zea Mays (Corn) Oil– provides high levels of vitamin E and acts as an antioxidant.

Disodium EDTA– allows for better foaming and prevents deterioration of the product.

Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate– an emulsifier and mild skin-conditioning agent.

Cholecalciferol– Vitamin D; has anti-inflammatory and possibly some antioxidant properties for the skin.

Phytosphingosine– a water-binding agent, reduces symptoms of inflamed skin.

Xantham Gum– stabilizes and thickens the formula.

Carbomer– another thickener that helps to create a gel-like formula.

Sodium hydroxide– used in cosmetics to regulate the pH of the product. When found in high concentrations it can act as an irritant, thankfully, it’s listed as last on the ingredient list and they’re usually listed in the order of higher to lower concentrations.

I really like this cleanser, love the way it makes my skin feel (except for already mentioned dryness) but I definitely don’t see myself using this every day, it would be way too drying. I’ll probably use it once or twice a week to exfoliate my skin. I also tried to find other reviews of this product to see if anyone else had the problem with this drying their skin, but I couldn’t find it. It seems that this product isn’t sold online just yet and I’m guessing I was just lucky to find it so soon.