All scans / Serums / CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum
CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum ingredients: is it worth it?
Solid, intelligently built retinol serum that does real work, but it is not a miracle worker.
Solid, intelligently built retinol serum that does real work, but it is not a miracle worker.
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The efficacy score is driven by a meaningful retinol treatment base supported by niacinamide, ceramides, cholesterol, sodium hyaluronate, and soothing dipotassium glycyrrhizate, which together support resurfacing, barrier comfort, and post-acne-mark care. It loses points because the retinol is likely present at a modest level, the formula contains alcohol and isopropyl myristate, and the product is positioned as a gentle maintenance serum rather than a high-potency correction treatment.
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DemythSkin rates CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum 4.1/5 for efficacy and 4.2/5 for safety.
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS BY TIER
Gold Standards
High clinical proof | Skin-transformativeReliable
Proven resultsPotent
Developing evidenceOverhyped | Marketing
Hype | Limited dataDocumented Irritants
Evidence-backed flagFORMULATION BASE (17)⌄
FULL INGREDIENT LIST⌄
AQUA/WATER/EAU, PROPANEDIOL, DIMETHICONE, CETEARYL ETHYLHEXANOATE, NIACINAMIDE, AMMONIUM POLYACRYLOYLDIMETHYL TAURATE, DIPOTASSIUM GLYCYRRHIZATE, HYDROGENATED LECITHIN, POTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, CERAMIDE NP, CERAMIDE AP, CERAMIDE EOP, CARBOMER, CETEARYL ALCOHOL, BEHENTRIMONIUM METHOSULFATE, DIMETHICONOL, LECITHIN, SODIUM CITRATE, RETINOL, SODIUM HYALURONATE, SODIUM LAUROYL LACTYLATE, CHOLESTEROL, PHENOXYETHANOL, ALCOHOL, ISOPROPYL MYRISTATE, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, CITRIC ACID, TRISODIUM ETHYLENEDIAMINE DISUCCINATE, PENTYLENE GLYCOL, PHYTOSPHINGOSINE, XANTHAN GUM, POLYSORBATE 20, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN
WHAT EACH INGREDIENT DOES (24)⌄
- Aqua/Water/Eau
- solvent base
- Propanediol
- humectant solvent
- Dimethicone
- silicone emollient
- Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate
- emollient ester
- Niacinamide
- barrier-supporting active
- Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
- texture thickener
- Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
- soothing licorice derivative
- Hydrogenated Lecithin
- lipid barrier support
- Potassium Phosphate
- buffering agent
- Ceramide NP
- skin-identical lipid
- Ceramide AP
- skin-identical lipid
- Ceramide EOP
- skin-identical lipid
- Carbomer
- gel thickener
- Cetearyl Alcohol
- fatty alcohol emollient
- Behentrimonium Methosulfate
- conditioning emulsifier
- Dimethiconol
- conditioning silicone
- Lecithin
- emulsifying phospholipid
- Sodium Citrate
- buffering salt
- Retinol
- retinoid active
- Sodium Hyaluronate
- humectant water binder
- Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
- emulsifier surfactant
- Cholesterol
- barrier lipid
- Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
- Alcohol
- solvent
EXTERNAL CITATIONS
Retinol: Retinol is the key evidence-backed resurfacing active in this formula.
Niacinamide: Niacinamide supports barrier function and can help with uneven tone and post-acne marks.
Ceramide NP: Ceramides, cholesterol, and phytosphingosine support the skin barrier in retinoid formulas.
Sodium Hyaluronate: Hyaluronic acid salt functions as a humectant for hydration support.
DISCLAIMER: THIS ANALYSIS IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. AI-GENERATED DATA BASED ON PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INGREDIENT LISTS. VERIFY WITH A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL.
A cheaper serum that scores as high or higher
A different formula for the same concern (anti-aging) that scores at least as high on both efficacy and safety.
CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum: common questions
Is CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum worth it?
CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum scores 4.1 out of 5.0 for efficacy (Effective) and 4.2 out of 5.0 for safety (Gentle) on DemythSkin's independent ingredient analysis. Solid, intelligently built retinol serum that does real work, but it is not a miracle worker.
What are the key active ingredients in CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum?
CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum contains these gold-standard actives with strong clinical evidence: Retinol.
Does CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum contain fragrance or known irritants?
DemythSkin's analysis found no flagged irritants in CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum. It scores 4.2 out of 5.0 for safety.
How is CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum scored?
DemythSkin grades every product on two independent scores: efficacy (whether the ingredients have clinical evidence of working) and safety (irritation and sensitisation risk). Ingredients are graded S through D against a database of over 3,000 compounds. Brand and price are not part of the score, and no brand pays for one.
Free scores for every product in the database, or see them on Sephora, Ulta and Amazon with the Chrome extension.