When eczema leaves you with dry and itchy skin, you need a nourishing, reliable moisturizer in your medicine cabinet. Although your doctor can prescribe you prescription medications as part of your eczema treatment, many MyEczemaTeam members search for over-the-counter eczema remedies for daily at-home use. If you’re looking for something to soothe your skin, you have probably come across CeraVe’s multiple eczema formulas.

In this article, we discuss members’ experiences with CeraVe skin care products and the science behind their ingredients. Everyone responds differently to skin care products, so it’s important to do your research and speak to a health care professional before introducing a new product to your eczema treatment plan.

Is CeraVe Good for Eczema?

The National Eczema Association endorses 26 different CeraVe products on its website. These include, but are not limited to, CeraVe Moisturizing Cream for Eczema, CeraVe Healing Ointment, CeraVe Baby Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen, Cerave Eczema Creamy Oil, Cerave Eczema Body Wash, and CeraVe Makeup Removing Wipes. On this site, you can click on specific products and explore their ingredient lists and any safety warnings.

These products listed have the National Eczema Association’s Seal of Acceptance to help consumers know that they have undergone testing and are free from harmful ingredients. However, this does not mean every CeraVe product will work for everyone. The only way to know if a product will work for your eczema is through personal experience, with the help of your dermatologist.

What Members Say About CeraVe Eczema Products

MyEczemaTeam members have discussed their experiences with a wide variety of CeraVe products. When asked to pick a favorite skin product, one member shared: “I like CeraVe skin relief cream in red lettering. It has a pain/itch relief ingredient. There are other formulations.” Another agreed: “I use CeraVe on my extremities.”

Members also talk about other types of CeraVe products that soothe their sensitive skin. “CeraVe has a good sunscreen — CeraVe 100% SPF 50 mineral sunscreen,” one shared.

When discussing soaps that resolve itching, another member advised, “I used CeraVe soap and my itching went away. Make sure it doesn’t have any scent. It must be fragrance-free and clean.”

Not everyone has had good experiences with CeraVe. One member described how they went into a flare after using CeraVe: “I used to use CeraVe. But I recently found after a flare that they have parabens, which is why I went into a flare that threw me into pain, intense itchiness that was unrelenting.”

It’s hard to predict how your skin may react to a new skin care product. Next, we’ll explore the major and minor ingredients in CeraVe products to help you decide if this brand may help your skin.

Key CeraVe Ingredients

The primary ingredient in CeraVe skin care products is ceramides, giving the brand its name. Ceramides are a naturally occurring fat found in your skin that helps form a barrier for protection from the outside world. They repel water, keeping moisture trapped within your skin.

On the driest and coldest days, your body’s natural ceramides are depleted, leaving you with dry, cracked, eczema-prone skin. This is why CeraVe’s key ingredients are three essential ceramides — to replenish your body’s natural moisture barrier and soothe irritated skin.

The Science of Ceramides

What does science say about ceramides and eczema? The National Eczema Association states that ceramides help to lock in moisture while keeping out environmental factors. Ceramides are especially useful for people battling eczema burning, itching, and dryness.

Some research has studied how people with eczema react to ceramide-based eczema cream. One 2018 study that asked 50 subjects to apply the ceramide cream three times per day to affected areas found a significant improvement in skin scores, including water loss, water content of the skin, and skin smoothness. No one who used this cream experienced allergic reactions.

Another 2021 study from the journal Dermatologic Therapy compared the effectiveness of ceramide-based lotion and a placebo lotion. A placebo looks like a real medical treatment but doesn’t contain any active ingredients. By day 28, water loss and skin hydration significantly improved over time in the ceramide group, while worsening in the placebo group. People who used the ceramide lotion had a significantly higher satisfaction score than those who used the placebo. Again, there were no side effects from using ceramides.

Overall, ceramide-based skin care products are safe and effective for people with eczema. However, CeraVe products contain much more than just ceramides. Keep reading to find out what else is in these products and how people with eczema may react to these ingredients.

What Else Is in CeraVe Products?

The ingredients in CeraVe products depend on which ones you are using. Besides ceramides, other ingredients listed in CeraVe products include various emulsifiers, moisturizing agents, and buffers. Some of these ingredients are described in detail below.

Emulsifiers

Emulsifiers are molecules that help mix and stabilize ingredients that wouldn’t normally stay combined, such as oil and water, in products like creams and lotions. Ceteareth-20 is an emulsifier that helps ingredients that don’t normally mix, like oil and water, stay blended together in products. This process keeps the products thick, stable, and consistent.

Carbomer is a similar inactive ingredient found in many cosmetic products to thicken the product and improve its texture. It also prevents ingredients from separating. Carbomer is especially helpful in creams, lotions, and gels, making them spread smoothly and work well.

Similarly, xanthan gum is used in CeraVe products to emulsify and thicken creams and lotions. It prevents various ingredients from separating. Xanthan gum also ensures that creams and lotions have a consistent texture.

Moisturizing Agents

Glycerin, commonly found in skin creams and lotions, boosts the skin’s protective barrier. It guards against irritants and stops bacteria growth, helping to make skin healthier.

Hyaluronic acid, listed as sodium hyaluronate and potassium hyaluronate, is a skin conditioner found at concentrations of up to 2 percent in skin care products. It keeps the skin moisturized and hydrated.

Cetearyl alcohol is an emollient that nourishes your skin and makes creams and lotions thicker for easy application. As a fatty alcohol, it doesn’t run the risk of drying out or irritating your skin like other forms of alcohol.

Caprylyl glycol is a skin conditioner that prevents bacteria from growing. Like cetearyl alcohol, it’s an alcohol that comes from fat. Caprylyl glycol is safe for most skin types and won’t dry out your skin.

Isopropyl palmitate is a fat that’s derived from rubbing alcohol. It’s used to improve the moisturizing properties of creams, lotions, moisturizers, and sometimes makeup, leaving your skin feeling moist.

Petroleum jelly (also known as petrolatum) comes from petroleum and is safely and effectively used as a moisturizing agent. It forms a protective barrier on the skin’s surface, helping to lock in moisture and prevent dryness.

Buffers

Potassium phosphate is a compound that keeps the skin care product at the skin’s normal pH (level of acidity). This is known as a buffer. Potassium phosphate can be found in many skin care and health products such as moisturizers, sunscreens, shampoos, and conditioners.

Another buffer found in CeraVe products is dipotassium phosphate. This compound helps maintain pH levels and makes the product feel better on your skin.

Other Skin Care Products for Eczema

If you have eczema, there are other skin care products to consider in addition to those containing ceramides. Ingredients to try include oat-containing products to provide moisture and hydrocortisone steroid creams to reduce inflammation. Ask your dermatologist to help you create a skin care regimen that works well for you, whether or not it includes CeraVe products.

While the ingredients in CeraVe skin care products have been shown to help people with eczema, they may or may not be safe and effective for your skin. When trying a new product, do a patch test on a small area of skin to make sure your eczema doesn’t flare. After you ensure that this product hasn’t caused rashes or made your symptoms worse, you can then apply it to a larger area of skin.

Talk to your medical team about which active ingredients and skin care products can help treat your eczema at home. Make sure to speak with your health care provider before starting any new eczema products as part of your eczema skin care routine.

Talk With Others Who Understand

MyEczemaTeam is the social network for people with eczema and their loved ones. On MyEczemaTeam, more than 48,000 members come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their stories with others who understand life with eczema.

Are you or a loved one struggling to find over-the-counter products to relieve eczema dryness? What eczema creams, lotions, and gels have worked best for you? Share your experience in the comments below, or start a conversation by posting on your Activities page.