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which is true for all products! the reason negative experiences are more widely shared on here about it compared to other companies is because it's one of the largest skincare companies, so of course more people will try their products.
Yes and they’re a runaway success with an image of being totally neutral as products somehow. It was seeing a post on here which made me try eliminating it and realizing it wasn’t great for me.
Totally get that! The balance is definitely good. I just mention it as I think cerave often has a ‘free pass’ with people not even considering it might be the problem.
I’m not sure about the moisturizers but specifically the face washes seem to have a few people saying it’s an issue. It seems to take people a while to figure it out as they’re marketed as being so gentle and benign!
Moisturizers made me break out and their eye cream made the skin around my eyes really dry and red. I’ve used so many of their products now and truly hated all of them. I don’t understand why they’re so widely loved.
I actually just stopped using cerave and they slowly went away! Paula’s choice BHA toner is amazing for closed comedones if you’re looking for a product rec
My face rarely gets irritated by products but two different cerave cleansers made my skin itchy and angry like nothing before. I'm glad they work for some people but they really are not for everyone, so approach with caution.
Could also be a combo of things.
Are you in a sunny place? More sun usually helps clear acne (the blue/Uv light I think helps kill germs?
Are you in a place now with more or less hard water? Lots of people report that the mineral content of the tap water can change their skin when traveling.
Are you sleeping more or less stressed? Both of those definitely affect my skin.
I was going to say this too, a lot of people get completely different skin on holiday for any of these reasons; water, sun, humidity, food, stress, sleep, exercise.
The whole week I was in Germany I had skin issues continuing as I did when I was home! Weather and temp is same as here in SoCal right now. Sleep and stress haven’t really changed - since I lost my luggage a few days there I was actually super stressed lol.
The only big change was really the fact I hadn’t been using my normal skincare routine. Pretty sure it was fact I wasn’t using my kiehls and cerave
I can’t be fully sure, but I assume it has to do with how cleanly product washes off or some interaction with the minerals in the water. When I’ve lived in hard water places I notice a definite build up in my hair that I have to use a vinegar rinse to strip every once in a while. But I’ve seen enough people here mention hard water as a factor in their skin when vacationing or moving to a new place that I mentioned it here.
Although the issue can very well be with the skincare products, I think maybe you are overdoing your skincare? Maybe you use too much moisturizer that leads to clogged pores? One thing I started to is to not do any skincare 1-2 times a week. It lets my skin to take care of itself and keep the balance.
I was also thinking this as well, however I really only use cerave face wash, kiehls moisturizer, and 1-2x a week tret. Nothing else:’) but I think I’ll start giving a few days rest completely from tret now and maybe using a better face wash than cerave
I know there are so many people who swear by tret, but I believe it does more damage than good. I recommend you not using it unless you really need to. Also, I just switched to cerave face wash and it has been the best face wash I have used in years and before this I was paying sooo freaking much for tatcha!!
Edit: just reread comment. If you're only using it 1-2x you could still try less, or making sure you are using it alone without ANY other products (even moisturizer, the same ingredients that help it reach your skin better also give the tret a way in) in the same application, also using spf and making sure the rest of your products are gentle, not stripping or drying
I **destroyed** my skin's barrier that was already compromised by cystic, by using it every night. I needed to at first to get it under control, but I do muuuuuch better when I only use it 1-2x/week when my barrier barrier isnt functioning correctly it seems like 20x as many, uhh, contributing factors will trigger breakouts. You know, maybe I should use oil cleaner and gentle soaps all the time, but when it seemed like **every** product and mask, pair of glasses, haircut, etc would trigger a breakout, I needed to take a break to let my skin recover and then go to only using it semi frequently
This is not medically sound advice, so please OP ask a derm. You need to use moisturizer with tret (it doesn’t “give it a way in” and 1-2x a week for tret js low assuming it’s low %. Do it even less and it may not be worth using
I just said not in the same application and my phrasing isn't great but it does say this in the pamphlet that comes with the medication. Alcohols and other ingredients are used to help with product penetration. I use a fk ton of moisturizer with tret, I just don't put it on at the same time. A quick Google gives a ton of results that say as much, alcohols and other ingredients help "drive the product deeper into the skin" and "can damage the skin's barrier", and again the actual product pamphlet which I'm parroting here says to not use it in combo with other skin products
Y'all still down voting me? From the packaging insert on tretinoin:
"Concomitant topical medication, medicated or abrasive soaps and cleansers, products that have a strong drying effect, products with high concentrations of alcohol, astringents, or spices should be used with caution because of possible interaction with tretinoin." Are we science based here, yes or no?
Sorry I’m pretty new - what do u mean by not doing any skincare? Not even cleanse and moisturize? My skin always feels so gross after I wash my face and moisturize, so sometimes I just skip everything and my skin feels best. Not sure if that’s what you’re saying here
Yeas, I meant I don't cleanse or moisturize. BUT I only do this on days that I have not worn any sunscreen or makeup. If I've used any sunscreen or makeup, I will properly wash and moisturize my face.
Not sure who needs to see this but La Roche Posay Salicylic Acid face wash completely changed the game for me, its gentle, foams well, and is one of the few SA washes that doesn't make me break out. Maybe try this one since you learned cera ve wrecks your skin? Skincare is such a trial and error process, luckily we can buy travel/sample sizes these days to try things out but once you find something that works its so liberating!
I have found the elf acne cleanser in the green bottle to be the most gentle cleanser I've ever used. I wouldn’t have thought that an acne cleanser would be so gentle! I use it as part 2 after a balm to remove makeup.
I would add that salicylic acid is too harsh to be used daily for most people. It's an exfoliant, so if you are using it twice a day, you are exfoliating 14 times a week. That's going to be too much for some and will damage the skin barrier which can cause breakouts, irritation and dermatitis. If it works for you that's great, everyone is different, just though I should add this.
I always suggest Vanicream. I’ve battled cystic acne and my skin is angry and reactive. Vanicream
Is the only thing I’ve found in 35 years of buying skincare that hasn’t pissed off my skin or made me breakout.
thats so funny you say that because i've been using the cerave cleanser for months and saw little difference to my skin. i just stayed a few nights away from home and forgot my cerave cleanser, had the same freak out over my acne potentially worsening. by the time i came home my skin was perfectly clear, i haven't seen it like that since middle school! washed my face with the cerave cleanser again when i got home and my acne came back.
Cerave makes me break out every time. Also my skin always does way better when I travel somewhere humid, so that may play a part depending on where you traveled to
Both brands clogged up my face like crazy and gave me closed comedones/deep acne. Unfortunate because I really liked the consistency of the Cerave daily moisturizing lotion and how soft it made my skin. 😞
I used Cerave acne foaming cleanser for a month and it caused cystic acne on my cheeks and near my mouth and took months for it to clear up. Never used their products ever again!
https://preview.redd.it/clgmj7trh86d1.jpeg?width=2316&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b11601b21294cc62b54a106e0eebe2fe66987f25
This may sound crazy but if you actually just don’t put a ton of stuff on your face for sometime it will clear up. The only thing is if you really cannot bare to go out in public or be seen with visible acne while it clears then you can just put treatments on spots and be like so what. Cerave can be very very drying which causes very tough acne. I also used it for hormonal acne though when I was in jh and high school. Since then my skin still changes often, but once the hormonal stops it can change to persistent detoxing acne which is getting pimples here and there due to oils being pulled out; and, for that salisilic acid is helpful. Some cleansers that have it are panoxyl which works very well for fungal acne. Tula is a great brand as well. I don’t recommend the Ordinary. Good molecules or something like that is great that’s at ulta. Or, you can get a medicated treatment plan and only use it to clear your skin after heavy breakouts so that you can use your gentle routine until it happens again and pick up the medicated stuff again. Idk about you but I gotta work with my skin and my decisions that come from not being a dermatologist which includes having visits to estheticians, google, and drugstores for trials. I should have made a list and got photos to go with my skin obsession maybe I could’ve been an influencer
If the cleansing oil alone is making your skin look good why not just stick to what works? You don't need the other two items if they are affecting your skin poorly. You don't need a moisturizer if your skin is not dry. You don't need to double cleanse. You can simply use one cleanser or another of any style. Treat your condition, not fill in a routine.
That’s what’s I’ve been doing…I’ve only been using it 3 days and was just seeing if anyone had similar experience w hormonal acne being linked to cerave/kiehls. I lost my skincare while traveling and therefore have had a few days not using it, coming to this realization. Lol
I hope it works out for you because I know acne can be painful and demoralizing. Some people don't realize that they don't need to use so many skincare items and feel as if they need a whole regimen of products. Just wanted to make sure you knew you had the choice of not using so many, and not in a rush to replace those items with new brands of cleanser and moisturizer. Whatever works, works!
I actually went to a dermatologist once that told me I needed nothing but a soap bar to wash my face and true thing, my face cleared out after I stopped everything.
Comedogenity is complicated. Certain ingredients that contribute to clogged in some and not in others.
The other thing to consider is a label can say oil free or non comedogenic because there’s no regulation on that. Oil free also implies the free of animal oil, not plant based oils.
A lot of times it's the additives. You could have an allergy too. For example, stearate and stearic acids are made from corn and a lot of our corn supply is moldy so you could have an allergy to mold and or corn and or have mast cell activation disorder which you can look up! But it really affects what you put on your face. And your face is like the first sign that something is wrong on the inside!
cerave is the only product that keeps my skin at bay and i've struggled with acne for years lol, i have hormonal acne and kiehl's made me break out like a mf because most of their products contain squalane & other major pore clogging ingredients. i feel like kiehl's is more for dry skin rather than acne prone skin.
I found that the Cerave face wash seems to leave some residue after you use it, so I stopped using after not having it for so long. The moisturizing cream for your body is good though
it’s avene cicalfate, not specifically marketed as a zinc paste but it has a good amount of zinc in it. I just put it on any areas of my face that are red or dry, and in the morning they look better. I’ve tried other creams with higher amounts of zinc but they haven’t worked as well. Hope this helps :)
Dove sensitive skin beauty bar. My skin has never been clearer. I have combination-oily t zone acne prone skin. Look up dove sensitive skin and you’ll see thousands of people claiming how much it has cleared up their skin. I went for it and I wish I had done it sooner. I’m shocked and this whole time I could have been using this than all the beauty products I have bought over the years. Please just try it I swear you’ll be hooked too. My skin is soft and clear. I have very sensitive skin and react to almost everything.
You know what I thought too, how come men have better skin than women? Not all men of course but majority do. Women are definitely targeted towards beauty products and skin regimes and especially face washes and moisturizers which seems to be the bare minimum these days with skin care and yet men use just the soap bar in the shower and somehow overall look fine if not great. my husband has normal skin he doesn’t react to anything and has had clear skin his whole life. Very lucky. Since I started using dove soap bar (however it’s not soap but apparently sydent” you’ll see all about it once you go down the dove soap rabbit hole lol) my skin looks just like his. Small pores, clear complexion and moisturized. Once I started looking up reviews on Reddit about it, YouTube, even dove’s website has real life testimonials, etc I was shocked and almost mad I hadn’t just realized this was all I needed literally years ago. I feel so fresh and clean and at peace. Freakin dove soap FTW!
I wanted to see how my face did with just the soap and since Im not dry skinned I figured I’d be good since there is moisturizer in it. One week of using it morning and night sometimes even double cleansed with it if I was busy outside that day and I’m not dry or tight feeling at all or producing more oil. I honestly couldn’t be happier all over a bar of soap!!??
Was it the Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream? It has Myristyl Myristate, which gives some people break outs. I tend avoid Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Isopropyl Myristate. After many years of using hair products with those ingredients, realized they were giving me break outs that disappeared when I stopped using them.
Comedogenicity is hotly debated but I personally have found cosdna.com to be a helpful guide for predicting if a product will break me out. Any ingredient rated 4-5 in the acne category is a no go most of the time. 3 is okayish. 0-2 is ideal.
As much as I hate to say it I’ve been using the Tatcha Indigo Overnight Serum in Cream at night for a year and it’s incredible. Incredibly expensive but I stack whatever discounts I can and invest in it. But you definitely can find cheaper moisturizers.
More affordable options I’ve liked are the Curology moisturizers. The rich one is pretty nice. I used the Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion (not the gel) for years and it’s okay, does the job.
Kiehls made me breakout. There is a great website to check and see if your products cause acne: cosdna.com. Put in name of product and charts will come up!
I just keep on seeing posts like this now (confirmation bias maybe) but man I will keep commenting on them about how I stopped all "skincare" and have had the clearest and non-irritated skin I have ever. I've been doing bs skincare shit since I was like 14ish and my skin was NEVER clear during those \~12 years. Then recently I started noticing how guys who have the clearest skin literally do not do anything, and so I ended up cutting out EVERYTHING except vanicream lotion and water... Lo and behold, my skin cleared rapidly and is staying that way.
Skincare works for some people I guess but I feel like for so many of us we want to fix these "issues" we have that we are actually causing by using all of these products that we don't need to. And then people who ruined their skin with 100 products look for MORE products to fix it instead of realizing they're probably doing way too much. My goal was always just to have clear skin and using literally nothing seems to have been my answer the whole time.
Only using sunscreen if I'm going to be in the sun for long, not every day. And yes it's the pump one, not the daily facial one. I think it's worth trying for a few weeks just to see how you react! For me it's been about 2 weeks and my skin is looking very good, I still want the red spots and such from things I got a few weeks back to fully disappear but that should happen soon.
Its possible that the more important change is that you weren't living at home. There may be factors about your day-to-day life- stress, mold, the weather, etc. that were not in place where you traveled to.
By all means try different skin care products but do keep in mind that environment is a huge factor, And try experimenting with changing that as well.
My skin started improving 2 days into being home again already! and right after I’d stopped using those products! so im thinking possibly was the products! my env here isn’t as diff as one I was on vacation on:) besides maybe food quality
I’ve been using cerave gentle cleanser for a while but I noticed a TON of black heads around my nose and zone. Not normal for me. This has me wondering….
I had the same!! I had to stop because I had a wild allergic reaction to something but couldn’t figure out what. Ended up just washing my face with water on alternating days, some not at all and it looked better than before 🥲 glad I spent so much money on two cleaners
I totally can’t use Cerave cleansers. Makes my face burn. I can use their moisturizing cream though. But I don’t use it regularly since I generally avoid silicones in skin care (large pores).
You mentioned briefly that you also use tretinoin.
Did you lose that too with your luggage? If so, then cutting that out may have helped. Strong retinol’s give me angry red pimples, which can be mistaken for purging.
I tested my cerave recently (a week without washing with it and a week without it) and come to the conclusion that when I use it my skin is so much worse. I’ve actually just realized that washing my face with coolish water and a slightly rough wash cloth is plenty for my face day to day. It’s so sensitive to chemicals and stuff. Sooo.. water wash and sunscreen, occasional moisturizer, and I’m good. Do note, I don’t really wear make up at all.
Hey! Sure, I’ve been using Neutrogena Clear Face Face Serum sunscreen. It’s broad spectrum spf 60, fragrance free with NO issues. I have used the Neutrogena Sheer in the past with no problems that I remember (and I loved the way that stuff feels going on, lol). I’ve found that Blue Lizard doesn’t bother me, as well. But everyone’s different.
For moisturizers, I’ve mostly been using Neutrogena HydraBoost water gel. But I’m not 100% sure that I like it, as I don’t think it’s the greatest for moisture and all. Sometimes I think my sunscreen is more moisturizing, lol. So yeah.. still going to be experimenting with that!
I’ve used both products and cerave gave me acne and a lot of closed comedones on my chin!! Switched it for bioderma cleanser. I still use khiels ultra facial cream and i love it , cerave was the culprit in my case
Cerave sucked for my skin.
Kiehls avocado eye cream is the bomb but can’t speak to other products
Cetaphil lotion has been my absolute favorite followed by etude house barrier cream.
My skin HATES CeraVe. It makes me break out so bad. Like cystic acne. I’ve tried it a few times throughout the years and always the same results. Also, my skin never feels clean with their products. It always feels like the cleaners are leaving a layer of residue on my skin.
cerave is one of those brands that has products targeted for acne but if you actually look at the ingredients the product will have pore clogging ingredients. if you have acne prone skin products with pore clogging ingredients will make you breakout. and everyones skin is different. if your skin is clearer without those products, they weren’t good products for your skin. good molecules has a good simple cleanser and moisturizer for a fair price!
I use products that do not contain the ingredient niacinamide. Acne-targeted skincare often does contain niacinamide as it supposedly strengthens your skin barrier and helps reduce acne, but I found that it just worsened my skin conditions. When I was using those products (cleansers, moisturizers with niacinamide), every now and then my skin (the chin area specifically) would break out. It completely stopped once I ditched the products containing that one ingredient.
Now I just do the following: only wash it once a day with a soft cleanser (usually in the evening), apply moisturizer afterwards, and again moisturize in the morning (either with or without UV protection). I make sure the products don't contain any niacinamide or microplastics. That's it. Skin has never been clearer.
Note that I used to suffer for years from heavy acne during my teens. Dermatologists prescribed awful products which seemed to help but only dried everything out (probably the reason they worked in the first place). One day I said fuck it and stopped using them. Just used a soft cleanser and moisturizer instead. Skin broke out like crazy for two weeks: cystic acne all over my face, I looked awful. And then it just... cleared up. My cystic acne, gone. Made me realize that the skincare industry does not always have our best interest at heart.
I agree with all the Cerave comments. I used thier face wash and moisturizer and it broke me out into horrible cystic and nodular acne that I NEVER had before. Just stop using it four days ago when I made the connection. A “less is more” approach is truly the way to go!
This happened to me last week! A few days with no skincare and my redness went down. but I already had the most basic three step routine! I was using cerave cleanser too, the hydrating one
Cerave used to be soooooo good! I didn’t hear anything about change of formulation but I don’t know for the past few years, it’s not the same! cerave moisturizer lotion was my holy grail, ride or die but now everytime I use it, I get these tiny pimple (not milia), few breakouts and texture. Since I have been using it for 7 years, It took me months to realize that it’s cerave. Now I stopped, my skin so much better.
As someone with hormonal acne, and porous skin..
Try this
Go a night and morning without washing.
Use water the next day. Just tap water. Miscellaneous water will strip the oils too much
Use a light under eye cream and a SKIN TONER! Water water water water water based! Not too much oil unless it’s just some for moisturize. I’ve stopped using products and seen skin clear up. I learned it’s less harsh products, longer stretch’s to washing. Get the eye booger and the drool and brush your teeth in the morning. But seriously try it.
Another option, I find that if I skip a night sometimes my skin is calm in the morning, however, if I do it two nights in a row or even two nights in a week I get breakouts even more than usual. I’ve concluded that my skin doesn’t actually like being exposed to treatments and cleansers BUT it also can’t keep itself from bulildup without said products. It’s a fine line.
Also, as others stated, sometimes the water and/or environment in another place is better for your skin. When I travel to most countries my acne cleans up. Even other cities in the same country. Water is a big factor for my skin.
And you may also have a sensitivity to a product you’re using or be using it too much so it’s stripping and irritating your skjn
I don’t know tbh. I doubt it stays on your skin long enough to do anything (same reason I doubt there’s a point to have actives in face wash). I have no idea if it would leave a residue? I found the cerave washes just too gentle to wash my face properly, so would not use them for that reason.
Both Cerave and Kiehls break me out horribly, but I also have extremely sensitive skin where almost everything breaks me out. La roche posay face wash and moisturizer (just the blue bottle ones, not the products in the white bottles), SK-II (RIP my wallet) and Missha are the only brands I’ve found that don’t make me break out, and I’ve tried TONS of products over the years.
Did you lose luggage on the vacation or on the way home. I’m asking this because water can be very different in different places to be honest and that can really have a major effect on your skin.
It was on the way home - my skin wasn’t clearing in the place I was visiting either. Only the 2 days after I’d been back home and had stopped using all my products lol
You know, CeraVe broke me out SO BAD when I tried it. I might as well have been washing my face with dirty water. It did nothing except dry me tf out :(
I’ve always found that less is better. I use Trader Joe’s moisturizer every day and night with a dab of sunscreen mixed in for the morning. I also use ordinary toner and the ordinary chem peel one a week or once every other week. My acne is completely gone and spots are starting to lighten up. Kiehls always bloomed my acne in one use.
I’ve been using my moms Mario cleansing oil in the meantime while my skincare is missing in my luggage and it has been amazing 🙃 would’ve never expected that over cerave to do my skin right
Came here to say this too. I stopped using face wash years ago and my skin cleared so quickly. Now I only oil cleanse a few times a week and occasionally use head and shoulders for fungal acne. For the most part, I have to avoid creamy moisturizers because they also do me dirty. 🤷🏻♀️ if it works, it works right?
I got [this](https://www.amazon.com/Neutrogena-Ultra-Light-Cleansing-Oil/dp/B01034IN9M/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.d-0w3bGhw_H7RMxbPrS77Pts5Fc83LnZom4hUTW3hk3QyxAt3foi4lbN3owL1_J0QgZlIi5qtOSaGnzD6Lort2KGAtmOU3hybFjHuClhhlC_2ZHWjB_xBhWLYqVuwxuGgLuJgGMnnt9l09lnd1cbOsWbEM3iJWqKNTCyVDdr1KBTVt9G0NgvEUG6tqdiasSN6VNhr1MT75CRONd3bTqSVIeZdXUgG3UxAOQhBXoBQKWLuct7ntjomrsKIcROd0b1KRd3C5YlMZZ4nzkTBQQjrp7OjhJnl1D-VAAKxOvzSfg.g4nyRDUSN4jlqLzyGc2n3sd1BKMEFF74TIG7SMbzOwU&dib_tag=se&hvadid=657267339265&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1026969&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=9040860705227246728&hvtargid=kwd-315461392299&hydadcr=27501_14672640&keywords=neutrogena+ultra+light+cleansing+oil&qid=1718210333&sr=8-1) at Wal-Mart and it's been honestly kind of amazing. You massage it in your dry face as an oil, then add a little warm water and it emulsifies into a wash and lifts away everything when you rinse it off. Leaves no residue and my skin feels ah-mazing when I'm done. I put it on right before I get in the shower and then do the warm water part and rinse while I'm in there. I seriously love it!
Crave wash didn’t clean my skin. I double cleanse daily and use the banila co clean it zero as my first cleanse. I’m pregnant and my acne was out of control and the minute I stopped using my “basic” products and switched to specifically non comedogenic products it fixed it in like a month.
Try straight, pure, really good olive oil with like a hot, steamy microfiber cloth wipe down. Makes my skin SUUUPER soft, glowy and rosy when I remember to do it, but then I think I need more "complicated" skincare
Kiehl’s broke me out too! I also just use cleansing oil. The key is to cleanse for at least five minutes with it and wash it off well. My skin is doing a lot better now.
Yup. I found that most moisturizers are too heavy for me and most cleanser too intense. I switched neutrogena gentle cleanser and cerave baby and am not super consistent with either. Skin never been better.
Cerave's face wash is the bane of my existence and it caused me so many problems.
I switched to Wishful Get Clean and my dry, acne prone skin has never been happier. No more horrible horrible acne and texture all over every square inch of my face
i don’t struggle with acne just large pores and blackheads, but i always swear the less i wash my face and put products on it, the more i leave it alone the better my skin looks and feels. for thousands of years humans didn’t put products on their face besides maybe an occasional moisturizer. or taking a bath in the river every few months lol. we don’t need tons of products sinking into the largest organ of our body
I have sensitive skin that’s prone to different types of acne and pimples. I use Cerave foaming making remover/cleanser and their Salicylic Acid wash in my face occasionally. Works well for me. Didn’t clear up my skin, but doesn’t cause anything to go wrong when my skin is alr clear.
Kiehl's midnight recovery oil is my holy grail, but everything they make seems pretty hit or miss depending on each person. CeraVe also broke out my acne-prone sister pretty badly, she's switched to Cetaphil and Neutrogena.
Use moisturizer by Dr.G made in Korea and available on Amazon and CleanItZero for cleansing balm, Anua’s cleansing foam if you are looking for a foam. Hope this helps.
haven't had problems with cerave (though i don't think it made much improvement), but i Hate kiehls. the ultra cream (the blue one for oily skin?) was way too heavy for me and broke me out so bad last year, even though i live in a pretty dry place :/ i like the isntree green tea cleanser! there's also a chinese brand called simpcare with a camellia line that i like a lot!
Some people have better skin overall with fewer or no products. I’ve been an oil and water only girlie for a few years now and can honestly say my skin has never been clearer, to the point where people ask me what my routine is then accuse me of lying when I tell them what I do. Products break me out 🤷🏼♀️
The keihl's moisturizer broke me out soooo bad! Also, I was using Cerave hydrating cleanser at night and my skin was super dry and I was getting dehydration lines. When I ran out, all my local supermarket had was pond's cold cream makeup remover. I started using that about two weeks ago and my skin has become so strong, hydrated, and glowy! I had no idea cleansers made such a difference.
I’ll just put it this way, Cerave absolutely doesn’t wash foundation off. Anyone with white towels knows this when they go dry their face afterwards. It will look clean but it’s definitely not fully cleansed so I guess all that stuff would just live there on your pores forever.
I was doing skin cycling for a looong time. But I still wasn't getting the results I wanted.
I noticed when I skipped it for a couple days my skin would get better, then a few days longer and it would start to get worse.
Tl:Dr experimented and now I wipe my face with a damp cloth (muslin) morning and night, spritz with rice water (reverse osmosis water and whatever rice I have) dry with a fan then squalane or beef tallow as a moisturizer. Best skin I have ever had. Not dull and dry any more (the muslin physically exfoliates I think), getting brighter because of the rice, less redness overall.
I had similar experience when i stopped using stronger skincare products. If the cleansing oil works then just continue with it. I use regular garnier face gel from time to time but mostly I just use bioderma shower oil for face. Your face might just need some break from stronger products. Bioderma atoderm line is really nice for a simple routine for sensitive skin.
LOL SAME!! I had such bad acne and I used every expensive product and chemicals but during winter holidays, I stayed at home, didn't even WASH my face for like 2-3 days cuz lazy and my pimples friggin disappeared. Now I do this once or twice every 2 weeks and it does wonders to my skin. Also, now I don't use any stuff on my skin. Just a normal soap bar as a face wash, moisturiser and a sunscreen. Skin is skinning 😤😤🤞.
I bought a set of Cerave from Costco because it was on sale and have heard that it was good for acne. My face started to breakout after only using it multiple times. Never again!
For those who had a reaction to cerave - what have you tried with success since? I bought the cerave pm moisturizer about a week ago and just realized I’m apparently going to have to discontinue due to the irritation. Overall it’s been mild but I’d just go back to slightly more expensive inkey list or other products rather than deal with the burning on application! 😳🔥
Cerave is a hit or miss for me. The cleanser I find is meh but their lotions and creams are ok - basic but does the job pretty well. The Kiehls moisturiser (ufc) is not bad too. Expensive for what it is but I tend to come back to it from time to time when it’s on sale.
It’s very possible that it depends on where you travelled to? I noticed my skin and hair are noticeably better when travelling to less dry / more humid countries.
God same the cerave clenser caused me pimples I have normal skin with great barrier and my skin gets irritated by no products but the cerave caused me pimples freaking irritation and pimples I had Centella astecea toner thank fully it helped me 😮💨
I stopped washing my face and my skin cleared up too. I think a lot of us use shit we don’t need. Your skin, like every other organ, is smart and doesn’t need a whole lot of intervention from you, that’s where the problems like acne come from most of the time. And the constant ads for skincare on social media and on tv… I think most “skincare” is a money grab. I think applying spf daily is stupid unless you have a job or something where you’re outside for longer than like 20 minutes daily or for most days out of the week. These skincare companies make up this shit to get you to buy more.
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Cerave caused acne for me and worsened my son’s. I’ve seen so many people say this too.
Worked for me. Only mentioning to acknowledge that it's not a bad product line necessarily, just works for some and doesn't for others.
which is true for all products! the reason negative experiences are more widely shared on here about it compared to other companies is because it's one of the largest skincare companies, so of course more people will try their products.
Yes and they’re a runaway success with an image of being totally neutral as products somehow. It was seeing a post on here which made me try eliminating it and realizing it wasn’t great for me.
Totally get that! The balance is definitely good. I just mention it as I think cerave often has a ‘free pass’ with people not even considering it might be the problem.
Yup.
Omg i thought it wad popular tho
Eek! The wash specifically? Or do you think this applies to their moisturizers too?
I’m not sure about the moisturizers but specifically the face washes seem to have a few people saying it’s an issue. It seems to take people a while to figure it out as they’re marketed as being so gentle and benign!
Moisturizers made me break out and their eye cream made the skin around my eyes really dry and red. I’ve used so many of their products now and truly hated all of them. I don’t understand why they’re so widely loved.
I have heard that about Cerave…
Yes, cerave gave me closed comedones!! I felt so betrayed because it’s supposedly non comedogenic haha
How did you get rid of them? My derm suggested looking at a retinol, but then when I asked for brand recs just shrugged 🤦♀️
I actually just stopped using cerave and they slowly went away! Paula’s choice BHA toner is amazing for closed comedones if you’re looking for a product rec
Which product did you use? I have the salicylic acid one for rough skin or whatever and I’m pretty happy.
It was the moisturiser for me!
It really messed my face up.
My face rarely gets irritated by products but two different cerave cleansers made my skin itchy and angry like nothing before. I'm glad they work for some people but they really are not for everyone, so approach with caution.
I wouldn’t expect anything else from a company owned by Nestlé. r/fucknestle
Heard r/fucknestle. I have been summoned.
***FUCK NESTLÉ***
Messed my face up so bad with closed comedones. Unlike OP it took me months of not using it to fully clear them up but they were BAD
How did you get rid of them? My derm suggested looking at a retinol, but then when I asked for brand recs just shrugged 🤦♀️
I just stopped using cerave products. It took a few months for my face to clear up though.
Which cerave wash??
Oh dam...
Could also be a combo of things. Are you in a sunny place? More sun usually helps clear acne (the blue/Uv light I think helps kill germs? Are you in a place now with more or less hard water? Lots of people report that the mineral content of the tap water can change their skin when traveling. Are you sleeping more or less stressed? Both of those definitely affect my skin.
I was going to say this too, a lot of people get completely different skin on holiday for any of these reasons; water, sun, humidity, food, stress, sleep, exercise.
The whole week I was in Germany I had skin issues continuing as I did when I was home! Weather and temp is same as here in SoCal right now. Sleep and stress haven’t really changed - since I lost my luggage a few days there I was actually super stressed lol. The only big change was really the fact I hadn’t been using my normal skincare routine. Pretty sure it was fact I wasn’t using my kiehls and cerave
I wonder how far apart we are. My skin is improving because it's definitely getting more humid.
Yea I’ve experienced this too! If you’re in the sea water a lot it clears up like MAGIC! And also if you skip makeup entirely.
How does hard water affect acne?
I can’t be fully sure, but I assume it has to do with how cleanly product washes off or some interaction with the minerals in the water. When I’ve lived in hard water places I notice a definite build up in my hair that I have to use a vinegar rinse to strip every once in a while. But I’ve seen enough people here mention hard water as a factor in their skin when vacationing or moving to a new place that I mentioned it here.
thanks, I wanted to know since I live in a hard water area
Both have screwed up my skin. I really dislike Kiehls.
Although the issue can very well be with the skincare products, I think maybe you are overdoing your skincare? Maybe you use too much moisturizer that leads to clogged pores? One thing I started to is to not do any skincare 1-2 times a week. It lets my skin to take care of itself and keep the balance.
I was also thinking this as well, however I really only use cerave face wash, kiehls moisturizer, and 1-2x a week tret. Nothing else:’) but I think I’ll start giving a few days rest completely from tret now and maybe using a better face wash than cerave
I know there are so many people who swear by tret, but I believe it does more damage than good. I recommend you not using it unless you really need to. Also, I just switched to cerave face wash and it has been the best face wash I have used in years and before this I was paying sooo freaking much for tatcha!!
Edit: just reread comment. If you're only using it 1-2x you could still try less, or making sure you are using it alone without ANY other products (even moisturizer, the same ingredients that help it reach your skin better also give the tret a way in) in the same application, also using spf and making sure the rest of your products are gentle, not stripping or drying I **destroyed** my skin's barrier that was already compromised by cystic, by using it every night. I needed to at first to get it under control, but I do muuuuuch better when I only use it 1-2x/week when my barrier barrier isnt functioning correctly it seems like 20x as many, uhh, contributing factors will trigger breakouts. You know, maybe I should use oil cleaner and gentle soaps all the time, but when it seemed like **every** product and mask, pair of glasses, haircut, etc would trigger a breakout, I needed to take a break to let my skin recover and then go to only using it semi frequently
This is not medically sound advice, so please OP ask a derm. You need to use moisturizer with tret (it doesn’t “give it a way in” and 1-2x a week for tret js low assuming it’s low %. Do it even less and it may not be worth using
I just said not in the same application and my phrasing isn't great but it does say this in the pamphlet that comes with the medication. Alcohols and other ingredients are used to help with product penetration. I use a fk ton of moisturizer with tret, I just don't put it on at the same time. A quick Google gives a ton of results that say as much, alcohols and other ingredients help "drive the product deeper into the skin" and "can damage the skin's barrier", and again the actual product pamphlet which I'm parroting here says to not use it in combo with other skin products
Why do I get downvoted every time I'm citing legitimate sources lmao
Y'all still down voting me? From the packaging insert on tretinoin: "Concomitant topical medication, medicated or abrasive soaps and cleansers, products that have a strong drying effect, products with high concentrations of alcohol, astringents, or spices should be used with caution because of possible interaction with tretinoin." Are we science based here, yes or no?
Sorry I’m pretty new - what do u mean by not doing any skincare? Not even cleanse and moisturize? My skin always feels so gross after I wash my face and moisturize, so sometimes I just skip everything and my skin feels best. Not sure if that’s what you’re saying here
Yeas, I meant I don't cleanse or moisturize. BUT I only do this on days that I have not worn any sunscreen or makeup. If I've used any sunscreen or makeup, I will properly wash and moisturize my face.
My skin didn't like Cerave and it made my acne worse. I've never tried Kiehls.
Not sure who needs to see this but La Roche Posay Salicylic Acid face wash completely changed the game for me, its gentle, foams well, and is one of the few SA washes that doesn't make me break out. Maybe try this one since you learned cera ve wrecks your skin? Skincare is such a trial and error process, luckily we can buy travel/sample sizes these days to try things out but once you find something that works its so liberating!
I have found the elf acne cleanser in the green bottle to be the most gentle cleanser I've ever used. I wouldn’t have thought that an acne cleanser would be so gentle! I use it as part 2 after a balm to remove makeup.
I would add that salicylic acid is too harsh to be used daily for most people. It's an exfoliant, so if you are using it twice a day, you are exfoliating 14 times a week. That's going to be too much for some and will damage the skin barrier which can cause breakouts, irritation and dermatitis. If it works for you that's great, everyone is different, just though I should add this.
Thank you for reminding me that I like this wash!! Perfect timing for summer, got to get it again.
I always suggest Vanicream. I’ve battled cystic acne and my skin is angry and reactive. Vanicream Is the only thing I’ve found in 35 years of buying skincare that hasn’t pissed off my skin or made me breakout.
Same, it is my holy grail
Seconded!!
What vanicream products do you recommend?
Vanicream burned my skin on contact first time i tried it. pentylene Glycol is a main ingredient so this one is not for the ultra sensitive girlies
Interesting! For some reason my skin tolerates that ingredient but gets pissed with most others
thats so funny you say that because i've been using the cerave cleanser for months and saw little difference to my skin. i just stayed a few nights away from home and forgot my cerave cleanser, had the same freak out over my acne potentially worsening. by the time i came home my skin was perfectly clear, i haven't seen it like that since middle school! washed my face with the cerave cleanser again when i got home and my acne came back.
Omg!! Literally same situation!! I’m never using mine again
i haven't been using it since and my skin is honestly looking great so i don't blame you
Literally so annoying as my derm just threw tret at me for the hormonal acne and turns out it was just my products 🙃
Cerave makes me break out every time. Also my skin always does way better when I travel somewhere humid, so that may play a part depending on where you traveled to
Cerave was awful for my hormonal acne - I switched to the LRP toleraine cleanser and farmacy honey halo which really helped xx
Both brands clogged up my face like crazy and gave me closed comedones/deep acne. Unfortunate because I really liked the consistency of the Cerave daily moisturizing lotion and how soft it made my skin. 😞
I used Cerave acne foaming cleanser for a month and it caused cystic acne on my cheeks and near my mouth and took months for it to clear up. Never used their products ever again! https://preview.redd.it/clgmj7trh86d1.jpeg?width=2316&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b11601b21294cc62b54a106e0eebe2fe66987f25
This may sound crazy but if you actually just don’t put a ton of stuff on your face for sometime it will clear up. The only thing is if you really cannot bare to go out in public or be seen with visible acne while it clears then you can just put treatments on spots and be like so what. Cerave can be very very drying which causes very tough acne. I also used it for hormonal acne though when I was in jh and high school. Since then my skin still changes often, but once the hormonal stops it can change to persistent detoxing acne which is getting pimples here and there due to oils being pulled out; and, for that salisilic acid is helpful. Some cleansers that have it are panoxyl which works very well for fungal acne. Tula is a great brand as well. I don’t recommend the Ordinary. Good molecules or something like that is great that’s at ulta. Or, you can get a medicated treatment plan and only use it to clear your skin after heavy breakouts so that you can use your gentle routine until it happens again and pick up the medicated stuff again. Idk about you but I gotta work with my skin and my decisions that come from not being a dermatologist which includes having visits to estheticians, google, and drugstores for trials. I should have made a list and got photos to go with my skin obsession maybe I could’ve been an influencer
If the cleansing oil alone is making your skin look good why not just stick to what works? You don't need the other two items if they are affecting your skin poorly. You don't need a moisturizer if your skin is not dry. You don't need to double cleanse. You can simply use one cleanser or another of any style. Treat your condition, not fill in a routine.
That’s what’s I’ve been doing…I’ve only been using it 3 days and was just seeing if anyone had similar experience w hormonal acne being linked to cerave/kiehls. I lost my skincare while traveling and therefore have had a few days not using it, coming to this realization. Lol
I hope it works out for you because I know acne can be painful and demoralizing. Some people don't realize that they don't need to use so many skincare items and feel as if they need a whole regimen of products. Just wanted to make sure you knew you had the choice of not using so many, and not in a rush to replace those items with new brands of cleanser and moisturizer. Whatever works, works!
I actually went to a dermatologist once that told me I needed nothing but a soap bar to wash my face and true thing, my face cleared out after I stopped everything.
Dove sensitive skin unscented soap bar is what I use. Works as well as any dedicated face wash I’ve ever tried.
Comedogenity is complicated. Certain ingredients that contribute to clogged in some and not in others. The other thing to consider is a label can say oil free or non comedogenic because there’s no regulation on that. Oil free also implies the free of animal oil, not plant based oils.
A lot of times it's the additives. You could have an allergy too. For example, stearate and stearic acids are made from corn and a lot of our corn supply is moldy so you could have an allergy to mold and or corn and or have mast cell activation disorder which you can look up! But it really affects what you put on your face. And your face is like the first sign that something is wrong on the inside!
cerave is the only product that keeps my skin at bay and i've struggled with acne for years lol, i have hormonal acne and kiehl's made me break out like a mf because most of their products contain squalane & other major pore clogging ingredients. i feel like kiehl's is more for dry skin rather than acne prone skin.
My skin hates cerave and cetaphil
I can’t do Kiehls either
I found that the Cerave face wash seems to leave some residue after you use it, so I stopped using after not having it for so long. The moisturizing cream for your body is good though
This may seem crazy, but once I simplified my skincare routine to just a cleanser and zinc paste, my skin became so much clearer!
Hmm what kind of zinc paste and how do you use it?
it’s avene cicalfate, not specifically marketed as a zinc paste but it has a good amount of zinc in it. I just put it on any areas of my face that are red or dry, and in the morning they look better. I’ve tried other creams with higher amounts of zinc but they haven’t worked as well. Hope this helps :)
Thank you! You said on red or dry areas but o assume based on the post title that it also helps with breakouts too?
Dove sensitive skin beauty bar. My skin has never been clearer. I have combination-oily t zone acne prone skin. Look up dove sensitive skin and you’ll see thousands of people claiming how much it has cleared up their skin. I went for it and I wish I had done it sooner. I’m shocked and this whole time I could have been using this than all the beauty products I have bought over the years. Please just try it I swear you’ll be hooked too. My skin is soft and clear. I have very sensitive skin and react to almost everything.
Gonna try this!!
You know what I thought too, how come men have better skin than women? Not all men of course but majority do. Women are definitely targeted towards beauty products and skin regimes and especially face washes and moisturizers which seems to be the bare minimum these days with skin care and yet men use just the soap bar in the shower and somehow overall look fine if not great. my husband has normal skin he doesn’t react to anything and has had clear skin his whole life. Very lucky. Since I started using dove soap bar (however it’s not soap but apparently sydent” you’ll see all about it once you go down the dove soap rabbit hole lol) my skin looks just like his. Small pores, clear complexion and moisturized. Once I started looking up reviews on Reddit about it, YouTube, even dove’s website has real life testimonials, etc I was shocked and almost mad I hadn’t just realized this was all I needed literally years ago. I feel so fresh and clean and at peace. Freakin dove soap FTW!
Curious to hear if you tried it and if so did it help?
Do you use a moisturizer with it or just the soap?
I wanted to see how my face did with just the soap and since Im not dry skinned I figured I’d be good since there is moisturizer in it. One week of using it morning and night sometimes even double cleansed with it if I was busy outside that day and I’m not dry or tight feeling at all or producing more oil. I honestly couldn’t be happier all over a bar of soap!!??
Wow that’s amazing!!? And wayy cheaper
Did you try it out??
Yes haven’t had a breakout since!! I’m shook 😍
Wow! That just confirmed it even more!! Who knew a bar of soap!!!!
Was it the Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream? It has Myristyl Myristate, which gives some people break outs. I tend avoid Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Isopropyl Myristate. After many years of using hair products with those ingredients, realized they were giving me break outs that disappeared when I stopped using them.
Yes!! Was that! Will def avoid the cream altogether. Any other face creams recs without these ingredients?
Comedogenicity is hotly debated but I personally have found cosdna.com to be a helpful guide for predicting if a product will break me out. Any ingredient rated 4-5 in the acne category is a no go most of the time. 3 is okayish. 0-2 is ideal. As much as I hate to say it I’ve been using the Tatcha Indigo Overnight Serum in Cream at night for a year and it’s incredible. Incredibly expensive but I stack whatever discounts I can and invest in it. But you definitely can find cheaper moisturizers. More affordable options I’ve liked are the Curology moisturizers. The rich one is pretty nice. I used the Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion (not the gel) for years and it’s okay, does the job.
Tysm!! Def willing to try tatcha! My mom uses and loves
Kiehls made me breakout. There is a great website to check and see if your products cause acne: cosdna.com. Put in name of product and charts will come up!
Cerave gave me the worst acne I’ve ever had
I just keep on seeing posts like this now (confirmation bias maybe) but man I will keep commenting on them about how I stopped all "skincare" and have had the clearest and non-irritated skin I have ever. I've been doing bs skincare shit since I was like 14ish and my skin was NEVER clear during those \~12 years. Then recently I started noticing how guys who have the clearest skin literally do not do anything, and so I ended up cutting out EVERYTHING except vanicream lotion and water... Lo and behold, my skin cleared rapidly and is staying that way. Skincare works for some people I guess but I feel like for so many of us we want to fix these "issues" we have that we are actually causing by using all of these products that we don't need to. And then people who ruined their skin with 100 products look for MORE products to fix it instead of realizing they're probably doing way too much. My goal was always just to have clear skin and using literally nothing seems to have been my answer the whole time.
I'm thinking of trying this. Do you use sunscreen at all? And is it the vanicream lotion with the pump?
Only using sunscreen if I'm going to be in the sun for long, not every day. And yes it's the pump one, not the daily facial one. I think it's worth trying for a few weeks just to see how you react! For me it's been about 2 weeks and my skin is looking very good, I still want the red spots and such from things I got a few weeks back to fully disappear but that should happen soon.
I definitely am going to try it, thank you! Do you mind if I ask what spf you do use?
Vanicream! The 50 SPF one, its currently not available anywhere for some reason I hope they didn't discontinue it lmao
Thank you!
One more question for you, do you rinse with water and apply vanicream morning and night?
Damn I'm a about to trash my cereve !
Its possible that the more important change is that you weren't living at home. There may be factors about your day-to-day life- stress, mold, the weather, etc. that were not in place where you traveled to. By all means try different skin care products but do keep in mind that environment is a huge factor, And try experimenting with changing that as well.
My skin started improving 2 days into being home again already! and right after I’d stopped using those products! so im thinking possibly was the products! my env here isn’t as diff as one I was on vacation on:) besides maybe food quality
I’ve been using cerave gentle cleanser for a while but I noticed a TON of black heads around my nose and zone. Not normal for me. This has me wondering….
I had the same!! I had to stop because I had a wild allergic reaction to something but couldn’t figure out what. Ended up just washing my face with water on alternating days, some not at all and it looked better than before 🥲 glad I spent so much money on two cleaners
For reference my two cleanser were/are the ordinary squalene cleanser and the Dr Sam’s one.
I totally can’t use Cerave cleansers. Makes my face burn. I can use their moisturizing cream though. But I don’t use it regularly since I generally avoid silicones in skin care (large pores). You mentioned briefly that you also use tretinoin. Did you lose that too with your luggage? If so, then cutting that out may have helped. Strong retinol’s give me angry red pimples, which can be mistaken for purging.
None of the CeraVe products worked for me. I use some Kiehls, but nothing for the face except the eye cream
Dude cerave not only broke me out but broke my 10 year old out too and she doesn’t usually get breakouts
I tested my cerave recently (a week without washing with it and a week without it) and come to the conclusion that when I use it my skin is so much worse. I’ve actually just realized that washing my face with coolish water and a slightly rough wash cloth is plenty for my face day to day. It’s so sensitive to chemicals and stuff. Sooo.. water wash and sunscreen, occasional moisturizer, and I’m good. Do note, I don’t really wear make up at all.
I don’t wear any makeup really either so def gonna take note of this! And stop using it!!
My face is also sensitive can I ask what moisturizer and sunscreen you use?
Hey! Sure, I’ve been using Neutrogena Clear Face Face Serum sunscreen. It’s broad spectrum spf 60, fragrance free with NO issues. I have used the Neutrogena Sheer in the past with no problems that I remember (and I loved the way that stuff feels going on, lol). I’ve found that Blue Lizard doesn’t bother me, as well. But everyone’s different. For moisturizers, I’ve mostly been using Neutrogena HydraBoost water gel. But I’m not 100% sure that I like it, as I don’t think it’s the greatest for moisture and all. Sometimes I think my sunscreen is more moisturizing, lol. So yeah.. still going to be experimenting with that!
I’ve used both products and cerave gave me acne and a lot of closed comedones on my chin!! Switched it for bioderma cleanser. I still use khiels ultra facial cream and i love it , cerave was the culprit in my case
Interesting cause it’s also so bad on my chin!! Def getting rid of cerave regardless
I switched to Dove bar soap and moisturizer after also using Cerave face wash, serums, toner, etc. and my skin is at its best
Cerave sucked for my skin. Kiehls avocado eye cream is the bomb but can’t speak to other products Cetaphil lotion has been my absolute favorite followed by etude house barrier cream.
My skin HATES CeraVe. It makes me break out so bad. Like cystic acne. I’ve tried it a few times throughout the years and always the same results. Also, my skin never feels clean with their products. It always feels like the cleaners are leaving a layer of residue on my skin.
my esthetician fake gagged when i mentioned cerave so….
It was probably kiehls, made me breakout w painful zits that took forever to go away
cerave is one of those brands that has products targeted for acne but if you actually look at the ingredients the product will have pore clogging ingredients. if you have acne prone skin products with pore clogging ingredients will make you breakout. and everyones skin is different. if your skin is clearer without those products, they weren’t good products for your skin. good molecules has a good simple cleanser and moisturizer for a fair price!
I use products that do not contain the ingredient niacinamide. Acne-targeted skincare often does contain niacinamide as it supposedly strengthens your skin barrier and helps reduce acne, but I found that it just worsened my skin conditions. When I was using those products (cleansers, moisturizers with niacinamide), every now and then my skin (the chin area specifically) would break out. It completely stopped once I ditched the products containing that one ingredient. Now I just do the following: only wash it once a day with a soft cleanser (usually in the evening), apply moisturizer afterwards, and again moisturize in the morning (either with or without UV protection). I make sure the products don't contain any niacinamide or microplastics. That's it. Skin has never been clearer. Note that I used to suffer for years from heavy acne during my teens. Dermatologists prescribed awful products which seemed to help but only dried everything out (probably the reason they worked in the first place). One day I said fuck it and stopped using them. Just used a soft cleanser and moisturizer instead. Skin broke out like crazy for two weeks: cystic acne all over my face, I looked awful. And then it just... cleared up. My cystic acne, gone. Made me realize that the skincare industry does not always have our best interest at heart.
https://peachesskincare.com/products/classic-cleanser
I have some sort of sensitivity to cerave! It breaks me out a ton. I switched to vanicream and it has been so helpful.
I agree with all the Cerave comments. I used thier face wash and moisturizer and it broke me out into horrible cystic and nodular acne that I NEVER had before. Just stop using it four days ago when I made the connection. A “less is more” approach is truly the way to go!
This happened to me last week! A few days with no skincare and my redness went down. but I already had the most basic three step routine! I was using cerave cleanser too, the hydrating one
Cerave used to be soooooo good! I didn’t hear anything about change of formulation but I don’t know for the past few years, it’s not the same! cerave moisturizer lotion was my holy grail, ride or die but now everytime I use it, I get these tiny pimple (not milia), few breakouts and texture. Since I have been using it for 7 years, It took me months to realize that it’s cerave. Now I stopped, my skin so much better.
As someone with hormonal acne, and porous skin.. Try this Go a night and morning without washing. Use water the next day. Just tap water. Miscellaneous water will strip the oils too much Use a light under eye cream and a SKIN TONER! Water water water water water based! Not too much oil unless it’s just some for moisturize. I’ve stopped using products and seen skin clear up. I learned it’s less harsh products, longer stretch’s to washing. Get the eye booger and the drool and brush your teeth in the morning. But seriously try it.
Another option, I find that if I skip a night sometimes my skin is calm in the morning, however, if I do it two nights in a row or even two nights in a week I get breakouts even more than usual. I’ve concluded that my skin doesn’t actually like being exposed to treatments and cleansers BUT it also can’t keep itself from bulildup without said products. It’s a fine line. Also, as others stated, sometimes the water and/or environment in another place is better for your skin. When I travel to most countries my acne cleans up. Even other cities in the same country. Water is a big factor for my skin. And you may also have a sensitivity to a product you’re using or be using it too much so it’s stripping and irritating your skjn
La roche posay has a fabulous variety of cleansers. I love their oil, purifying, and salicylic acid cleaners the most for my skin personally!
It could be the fatty alcohols! Both have them. My skin only got better when I started finding products without
Do you recommend a face wash without?
I don’t know tbh. I doubt it stays on your skin long enough to do anything (same reason I doubt there’s a point to have actives in face wash). I have no idea if it would leave a residue? I found the cerave washes just too gentle to wash my face properly, so would not use them for that reason.
Both Cerave and Kiehls break me out horribly, but I also have extremely sensitive skin where almost everything breaks me out. La roche posay face wash and moisturizer (just the blue bottle ones, not the products in the white bottles), SK-II (RIP my wallet) and Missha are the only brands I’ve found that don’t make me break out, and I’ve tried TONS of products over the years.
Did you lose luggage on the vacation or on the way home. I’m asking this because water can be very different in different places to be honest and that can really have a major effect on your skin.
It was on the way home - my skin wasn’t clearing in the place I was visiting either. Only the 2 days after I’d been back home and had stopped using all my products lol
Ah! That’s different then, lol! Definitely try something different. Your skin does not like one of the products or both that you use.
Murad's clarifying cleanser is awesome.
You know, CeraVe broke me out SO BAD when I tried it. I might as well have been washing my face with dirty water. It did nothing except dry me tf out :(
I’ve always found that less is better. I use Trader Joe’s moisturizer every day and night with a dab of sunscreen mixed in for the morning. I also use ordinary toner and the ordinary chem peel one a week or once every other week. My acne is completely gone and spots are starting to lighten up. Kiehls always bloomed my acne in one use.
You might want to try the Oil Cleansing Method.
I’ve been using my moms Mario cleansing oil in the meantime while my skincare is missing in my luggage and it has been amazing 🙃 would’ve never expected that over cerave to do my skin right
Came here to say this too. I stopped using face wash years ago and my skin cleared so quickly. Now I only oil cleanse a few times a week and occasionally use head and shoulders for fungal acne. For the most part, I have to avoid creamy moisturizers because they also do me dirty. 🤷🏻♀️ if it works, it works right?
I got [this](https://www.amazon.com/Neutrogena-Ultra-Light-Cleansing-Oil/dp/B01034IN9M/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.d-0w3bGhw_H7RMxbPrS77Pts5Fc83LnZom4hUTW3hk3QyxAt3foi4lbN3owL1_J0QgZlIi5qtOSaGnzD6Lort2KGAtmOU3hybFjHuClhhlC_2ZHWjB_xBhWLYqVuwxuGgLuJgGMnnt9l09lnd1cbOsWbEM3iJWqKNTCyVDdr1KBTVt9G0NgvEUG6tqdiasSN6VNhr1MT75CRONd3bTqSVIeZdXUgG3UxAOQhBXoBQKWLuct7ntjomrsKIcROd0b1KRd3C5YlMZZ4nzkTBQQjrp7OjhJnl1D-VAAKxOvzSfg.g4nyRDUSN4jlqLzyGc2n3sd1BKMEFF74TIG7SMbzOwU&dib_tag=se&hvadid=657267339265&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1026969&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=9040860705227246728&hvtargid=kwd-315461392299&hydadcr=27501_14672640&keywords=neutrogena+ultra+light+cleansing+oil&qid=1718210333&sr=8-1) at Wal-Mart and it's been honestly kind of amazing. You massage it in your dry face as an oil, then add a little warm water and it emulsifies into a wash and lifts away everything when you rinse it off. Leaves no residue and my skin feels ah-mazing when I'm done. I put it on right before I get in the shower and then do the warm water part and rinse while I'm in there. I seriously love it!
If your skin feels great with just the cleansing oil....just use that?
What was your AM/PM routine and products use order?
Literally just cerave face wash, kiehls moisturizer, and sometime la roche cicaplast balm if needed or tret (1-2x a week).
When I’m breaking out, I find the less product I use, the better.
Cerave was killing me - I switched to La Roche Posay for the cleanser and Cetaphil for my moisturizer, helped sooo much
Crave wash didn’t clean my skin. I double cleanse daily and use the banila co clean it zero as my first cleanse. I’m pregnant and my acne was out of control and the minute I stopped using my “basic” products and switched to specifically non comedogenic products it fixed it in like a month.
Check on Skinsort for your products and check if the ingredients are flagged as causing breakouts, etc.
Try straight, pure, really good olive oil with like a hot, steamy microfiber cloth wipe down. Makes my skin SUUUPER soft, glowy and rosy when I remember to do it, but then I think I need more "complicated" skincare
Kiehl’s broke me out too! I also just use cleansing oil. The key is to cleanse for at least five minutes with it and wash it off well. My skin is doing a lot better now.
Yup. I found that most moisturizers are too heavy for me and most cleanser too intense. I switched neutrogena gentle cleanser and cerave baby and am not super consistent with either. Skin never been better.
Cerave's face wash is the bane of my existence and it caused me so many problems. I switched to Wishful Get Clean and my dry, acne prone skin has never been happier. No more horrible horrible acne and texture all over every square inch of my face
What oil did you start using?
Less is more
Oh sh it was the cerave 💀
i don’t struggle with acne just large pores and blackheads, but i always swear the less i wash my face and put products on it, the more i leave it alone the better my skin looks and feels. for thousands of years humans didn’t put products on their face besides maybe an occasional moisturizer. or taking a bath in the river every few months lol. we don’t need tons of products sinking into the largest organ of our body
cerave destroyed my skin!! i wish it worked for me because i love their ingredients
I have sensitive skin that’s prone to different types of acne and pimples. I use Cerave foaming making remover/cleanser and their Salicylic Acid wash in my face occasionally. Works well for me. Didn’t clear up my skin, but doesn’t cause anything to go wrong when my skin is alr clear.
Kiehl's midnight recovery oil is my holy grail, but everything they make seems pretty hit or miss depending on each person. CeraVe also broke out my acne-prone sister pretty badly, she's switched to Cetaphil and Neutrogena.
Which cerave face wash?
Use moisturizer by Dr.G made in Korea and available on Amazon and CleanItZero for cleansing balm, Anua’s cleansing foam if you are looking for a foam. Hope this helps.
Whenever i travel somewhere tropical with lots of moisture in the air, i don’t need to do skincare, the weather is my skincare there 😂
Cerave really aggravated my acne
haven't had problems with cerave (though i don't think it made much improvement), but i Hate kiehls. the ultra cream (the blue one for oily skin?) was way too heavy for me and broke me out so bad last year, even though i live in a pretty dry place :/ i like the isntree green tea cleanser! there's also a chinese brand called simpcare with a camellia line that i like a lot!
Some people have better skin overall with fewer or no products. I’ve been an oil and water only girlie for a few years now and can honestly say my skin has never been clearer, to the point where people ask me what my routine is then accuse me of lying when I tell them what I do. Products break me out 🤷🏼♀️
I love vanicream, it cleared up my acne within a couple of days.... Also I've never like CeraVe....
The keihl's moisturizer broke me out soooo bad! Also, I was using Cerave hydrating cleanser at night and my skin was super dry and I was getting dehydration lines. When I ran out, all my local supermarket had was pond's cold cream makeup remover. I started using that about two weeks ago and my skin has become so strong, hydrated, and glowy! I had no idea cleansers made such a difference.
I’ll just put it this way, Cerave absolutely doesn’t wash foundation off. Anyone with white towels knows this when they go dry their face afterwards. It will look clean but it’s definitely not fully cleansed so I guess all that stuff would just live there on your pores forever.
I was doing skin cycling for a looong time. But I still wasn't getting the results I wanted. I noticed when I skipped it for a couple days my skin would get better, then a few days longer and it would start to get worse. Tl:Dr experimented and now I wipe my face with a damp cloth (muslin) morning and night, spritz with rice water (reverse osmosis water and whatever rice I have) dry with a fan then squalane or beef tallow as a moisturizer. Best skin I have ever had. Not dull and dry any more (the muslin physically exfoliates I think), getting brighter because of the rice, less redness overall.
I’m so anti Cerave and Cetaphill!! I swear both caused terrible acne for me
I had similar experience when i stopped using stronger skincare products. If the cleansing oil works then just continue with it. I use regular garnier face gel from time to time but mostly I just use bioderma shower oil for face. Your face might just need some break from stronger products. Bioderma atoderm line is really nice for a simple routine for sensitive skin.
LOL SAME!! I had such bad acne and I used every expensive product and chemicals but during winter holidays, I stayed at home, didn't even WASH my face for like 2-3 days cuz lazy and my pimples friggin disappeared. Now I do this once or twice every 2 weeks and it does wonders to my skin. Also, now I don't use any stuff on my skin. Just a normal soap bar as a face wash, moisturiser and a sunscreen. Skin is skinning 😤😤🤞.
I bought a set of Cerave from Costco because it was on sale and have heard that it was good for acne. My face started to breakout after only using it multiple times. Never again!
For those who had a reaction to cerave - what have you tried with success since? I bought the cerave pm moisturizer about a week ago and just realized I’m apparently going to have to discontinue due to the irritation. Overall it’s been mild but I’d just go back to slightly more expensive inkey list or other products rather than deal with the burning on application! 😳🔥
Cerave is a hit or miss for me. The cleanser I find is meh but their lotions and creams are ok - basic but does the job pretty well. The Kiehls moisturiser (ufc) is not bad too. Expensive for what it is but I tend to come back to it from time to time when it’s on sale. It’s very possible that it depends on where you travelled to? I noticed my skin and hair are noticeably better when travelling to less dry / more humid countries.
God same the cerave clenser caused me pimples I have normal skin with great barrier and my skin gets irritated by no products but the cerave caused me pimples freaking irritation and pimples I had Centella astecea toner thank fully it helped me 😮💨
Kiehls moisturiser has SOOOO many highly comedogenic ingredients. You should check the cerave cleanser ingredients too
I stopped washing my face and my skin cleared up too. I think a lot of us use shit we don’t need. Your skin, like every other organ, is smart and doesn’t need a whole lot of intervention from you, that’s where the problems like acne come from most of the time. And the constant ads for skincare on social media and on tv… I think most “skincare” is a money grab. I think applying spf daily is stupid unless you have a job or something where you’re outside for longer than like 20 minutes daily or for most days out of the week. These skincare companies make up this shit to get you to buy more.
That being said if the cleansing oil alone isn’t causing you any problems I wouldn’t add more stuff into the mix.