A Complete Guide to CeraVe Skincare: Achieve Healthy Skin

Skincare has become one of the most successful industries in modern society, with millions of people adopting routines designed to help their particular complexion. Some people use a mishmash of multiple generic products, but others favor specific brands. Some brands are designed to tackle general skincare needs, while others are designed to handle specific blemishes and issues. 

For example, the Proactiv brand of skincare products is designed to address chronic acne. For the most part, skincare is designed to address multiple issues to help us maintain our complexions as we age and expose ourselves to certain environmental factors. Our skin naturally deteriorates over time, and skincare products help us hold on to our complexions longer than nature normally allows. The trick is navigating the different brands and determining whether they are effective or just another passing fad.

One brand that has seen continued success in the skincare industry is CeraVe, which you have almost certainly heard of if you have a television or YouTube account. CeraVe frequently advertises its products as a highly effective skincare tool that provides essential nutrients that support the skin. CeraVe might be a well-publicized brand, but not everyone is familiar with it, let alone how to use it properly. 

Like all skincare products, CeraVe requires a strict process to ensure you enjoy the full range of effects. Deviating from the routine set forth by CeraVe's guidelines could inhibit the results and leave you with the same skin troubles you had before using their products. Therefore, a guide on how to use CeraVe's products might be beneficial.

What is CeraVe?

The CeraVe brand is well-known among skincare practitioners since it is fairly successful and has persisted for almost 20 years. That said, there is still some confusion about the brand's origins and the viability of its products. Technically, CeraVe's origins date back to 1909 with the rise of L'Oréal, a French personal care company that has existed for 114 years. 

The company that would become CeraVe was founded in 2005 by a group of dermatologists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), who cooperated to create a new line of skincare products. The group was inspired by the plight of individuals suffering major skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. 

There were few effective skincare solutions to these conditions in 2005, and the dermatologists resolved to create one themselves. The group determined that the best approach was to create a product focused on revitalizing the skin's natural barrier.

Eventually, the team created a line of products that focused on enriching the skin's concentration of 3 essential ceramides. Ceramides are lipids (a type of fat) that are naturally located in the upper layers of our skin and account for 50% of our skin's composition. The dermatologists took things further and developed their delivery system, MultiVesicular Emulsion (MVE).

The MVE system gradually introduces the ceramides from CeraVe products into the skin to maintain long-term replenishment. By 2006, the first CeraVe line of skincare tools was available for purchase and met with immediate success. CeraVe quickly became a leading brand in the skincare industry and continued operating for 11 years. In 2017, L'Oréal purchased CeraVe and turned it into one of their subsidiary brands. 

Despite being a subsidiary, CeraVe products remain extremely popular in the skincare industry and are readily available at most major stores. Unfortunately, CeraVe's process can be somewhat complicated for beginners, and doing a little homework can help you prepare the ideal CeraVe skincare routine.

Step #1: The Cleanser

Putting together a CeraVe skincare routine requires you to put together a collection of CeraVe products that fulfill certain roles. One of the first products you will need from CeraVe's catalog is a cleanser. Cleansers are one of CeraVe's main products, with 16 products listed on their website and available in retail stores like Target or Walmart. 

As the name suggests, facial cleansers are designed to cleanse your face and remove any trace of potential contaminants. Cleansers are used to purge makeup, dead skin cells, sebum (oil), dirt, and other pollutants that regularly collect on our skin. These pollutants contribute to several skin blemishes that can affect our appearance and damage our self-image. 

Dirt and sebum are known to contribute to acne outbreaks, and makeup can cause inflammation and irritation. Sometimes, these issues already affect our skin, and cleansers can help eliminate the contributing factors. The problem is that certain cleansers might exacerbate the symptoms while purging the source.

Fortunately, CeraVe's catalog includes several cleansers that can address specific blemishes while cleaning your skin. For example, they sell a cleanser specifically designed to treat acne-prone skin, making it easier to clean your face without irritating your acne. Applying one of CeraVe's cleansers changes somewhat depending on the type you purchase. If you choose to purchase one of their standard cleansers, the process is remarkably simple and involves 3 steps:

1. Wet your face with lukewarm water.
2. Massage the cleanser into your skin using gentle, circular motions.
3. Rinse the cleanser from your skin and pat yourself dry.

As you can see, CeraVe's cleansers are easy to use and do not require much effort to apply. There are variants that have slightly more detailed instructions since their composition is different. For example, CeraVe's foaming cream cleansers have more steps involved in their use, though the general application process is the same. The creams simply require you to apply them more than once a day as needed and to be aware of potential side effects like dryness or peeling. That said, the cleanser is only the first step of an effective CeraVe skincare routine.

Step #2: The Serum

Skincare products are surprisingly diverse; some sound like they were ripped out of a science-fiction film. One product with an interesting moniker is serum, a commonly used term to refer to elixirs and chemical substances in films and literature. In reality, serums are common products derived from combining multiple ingredients to create a single compound. 

Serums can be created for various purposes, but the skincare industry primarily uses serums as a repair tool to restore the skin after it has been damaged. Specifically, serums employ specific compounds that synergize with our skin's natural composition and restore its natural protective layer. Many skincare brands manufacture serums, and CeraVe is no exception to this rule.

While CeraVe's cleansers focus on specific skin conditions, their serums focus on specific compounds that can benefit our skin's overall health. Several major compounds can reinforce and repair the skin in different ways, and CeraVe has a serum for each of them. The main compounds used to repair skin are:

• Retinol: Retinol is another name for vitamin A1, a fat-soluble variant of traditional vitamin A typically found in food. In the skincare industry, retinol treats acne, acne scars, and dark spots.
• Vitamin C: Vitamin C is an essential vitamin that keeps our body healthy, and its benefits extend to our dermal layer. Vitamin C improves hydration, reduces hyperpigmentation, and can accelerate wound healing. Additionally, vitamin C has the benefit of being safe for most skin types, including those that are particularly sensitive.
• Hyaluronic Acid: Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring compound in the human body and plays a significant role in keeping our skin healthy. Hyaluronic acid's main benefits include anti-aging properties, the ability to treat eczema, and restoring skin elasticity.

These 3 compounds are regularly used in skincare and are often refined into facial serums to repair and restore the skin. Additionally, they can treat cosmetic issues like acne and hyperpigmentation to help you remain confident in your appearance. CeraVe has a serum for all of these compounds, making it a fairly effective provider of skincare serums. 

Insofar as the application is concerned, it is fairly simple, and the instructions remain the same regardless of the type of compound present in the serum. CeraVe facial serums need only be applied evenly to the neck and face once daily. That said, all facial serums come with a warning to avoid letting the substance touch your eyes and, if contact occurs, to immediately rinse.

Step #3: The Moisturizer

One of the biggest skincare concerns is dry skin, which affects a large portion of humanity since there are several causes for dry skin. When skin dries out, it begins to crack, and the natural barrier that protects our skin from natural hazards fades. There are several moisturizers on the market, and most of them employ pharmaceutically enhanced ingredients to maximize their effectiveness. 

Despite that, moisturizer is one of the most important resources you can have insofar as skincare is concerned. A moisturizer restores hydration to the skin and allows it to recover from strain and dryness long enough to prevent long-term damage. Like serums, moisturizers often employ ingredients like hyaluronic acid to accomplish their function since those ingredients provide natural hydration. 

Other moisturizers include ultraviolet protection to reduce the ramifications of spending an extended time in the sun. Regardless of the type, moisturizers can be called the "bread and butter" of the skincare industry.

CeraVe is no stranger to moisturizer products since a moisturizer was one of the first products the brand ever produced. Since then, their catalog of moisturizers has increased to include several product variants with different textures and application methods. Moisturizers are primarily lotions, but there are also gels and creams that can serve as alternatives to traditional lotions. 

There are even moisturizers designed to be used in the evening before bed so your skin can hydrate overnight. Others are applied during daylight to help the skin stay hydrated in preparation for potential environmental hazards. Insofar as the application process is concerned, using moisturizers is one of the easiest things you can do. CeraVe's moisturizers can be used liberally and as often as needed. 

CeraVe's moisturizers can also be applied as prescribed by a physician, but that is unlikely to be your concern. Nevertheless, the only real concern with applying CeraVe's moisturizers is if you also use one of their other skincare products. When using multiple skincare products, you must employ skincare layering to ensure one product does not prevent another from functioning. For example, CeraVe's serums should be applied before the moisturizer since the moisturizer is thicker and might prevent the serum from reaching your skin.

The Alternative

CeraVe provides skincare products that are almost universally loved by those who need them. However, CeraVe's products tend to include pharmaceutical-grade chemicals that, while beneficial, might be off-putting to those who prefer all-natural products. Fortunately, many of the same benefits afforded by CeraVe skincare products can be acquired through natural alternatives.

Plants like Aloe vera or vitamin C serums can help repair the skin without requiring pharmaceutical ingredients to keep them stable. Unfortunately, the modern market primarily caters to those perfectly fine with synthetic ingredients. Finding a vendor that offers all-natural alternatives can be tricky, but it is far from impossible if you know where to look.

Finding the Right Blend

CeraVe is a brand that will likely stand the test of time and continue to provide skincare products for decades to come. Considering their parent company is over a century old, it is unlikely the company is at risk of failing. Getting the right CeraVe products and adhering to their routine can help you rejuvenate your skin and protect it from lasting damage. Unfortunately, it might not be the ideal choice for those who prefer a naturalistic approach to their skincare routine. The challenge is finding a vendor that can accommodate that preference.

We at Teami know that using products from companies like CeraVe can be off-putting if you are partial to holistic products. We have made it our mission since our founding to provide the resources our customers need to create an entirely natural skincare regimen. Since then, our catalog has grown steadily, and we now have a natural skincare product for almost every potential issue you might face. We encourage you to visit our website and browse our catalog directly. After all, finding the right blend is a Teami effort.