Brightening Vitamin C Cleanser

CeraVe

Brightening Vitamin C Cleanser

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About this product

The CeraVe Brightening Vitamin C Cleanser is a emulsion. Our analysis of its 32 ingredients (28 low-risk) rates it Excellent (97/100). Based on its ingredients, it looks well-suited to oily / acne-prone skin.

Vegan-friendly Reef-safe

Summarised from our ingredient analysis — not brand marketing copy.

At a glance

Type
Emulsion
Ingredients
32
Low-risk
28
Fragrance
Fragrance-free
Origin
United States
Data updated
May 2026

The evidence

Quick Product Notes

Paraben-Free Sulfate-Free Alcohol-Free Silicone-Free EU Allergen-Free Fungal Acne (Malassezia) Safe

Notable Effects & Ingredients

No Notable Effects & Ingredients

Ingredients Related to Skin Types

Good   Bad — tap a skin type to see which ingredients · estimated from ingredient functions
Dry Skin 5/9
Good for dry skin
Caprylyl Glycol Sodium Hyaluronate Glycerin Cholesterol Lactic Acid
Caution for dry skin
Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate Xanthan Gum Glycerin Salicylic Acid Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate PEG-150 Distearate Laureth-4
Oily/Acne-Prone Skin 1/0
Good for oily/acne-prone skin
Salicylic Acid
Sensitive Skin 4/9
Good for sensitive skin
Ascorbyl Glucoside Glycerin Triethyl Citrate Tocopheryl Acetate
Caution for sensitive skin
Sodium Chloride Glycerin Triethyl Citrate Salicylic Acid Citric Acid Benzoic Acid Sodium Benzoate Lactic Acid Laureth-4

Ingredients list

32 total
Lower hazard (1) Higher hazard (4)
All32 Skin Conditioning24 Hair Conditioning11 Masking7 Fragrance7 Viscosity Controlling7 Surfactant6 Emulsion Stabilising5 Humectant5
EWG CIR Ingredient Name & Cosmetic Functions Notes
1
Water
(Solvent)
1
B
Coco-Betaine
(Antistatic Agent, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Sufactant, Foam Boosting, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
3
B
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
(Antistatic Agent, Cleansing, Emulsifying, Foaming, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Surfactant, Viscosity Controlling)
2
B
Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate
(Sufactant, Foam Boosting, Hydrotrope, Foaming)
1
A
Niacinamide
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Smoothing)
2
A
Glycerin
(Denaturant, Fragrance, Hair Conditioning, Humectant, Oral Care Agent, Oral Health Care Drug, Skin Protecting, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Perfuming, Solvent)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
4
B
Lactic Acid
(Exfoliant, Fragrance, Humectant, Ph Adjuster, Skin Conditioning Agent Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Buffering Agent)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
3
B
Potassium Hydroxide
(Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent)
3
B
PEG-150 Distearate
(Emulsifying, Surfactant, Viscosity Controlling)
4
B
Salicylic Acid
(Antiacne Agent, Antidandruff Agent, Corn/Callus/Wart Remover, Denaturant, Exfoliant, Fragrance, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Keratolytic, Masking, Preservative)
Good for Oily Skin
Good for Oily Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
1
B
Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate
(Cleansing, Surfactant)
2
3
B
Laureth-4
(Antistatic Agent, Emulsifying, Masking, Surfactant)
Bad for Oily Skin
Bad for Oily Skin
1
Ceramide NP
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning)
Ceramide AP
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning)
Ceramide EOP
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Carbomer
(Emulsion Stabilising, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Gel Forming, Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Triethyl Citrate
(Fragrance, Plasticizer, Antioxidant, Deodorant, Masking, Solvent)
1
Sodium Chloride
(Bulking Agent, Masking, Oral Care Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
1
B
Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate
(Cleansing, Surfactant)
3
A
Sodium Benzoate
(Fragrance, Preservative, Anticorrosive, Masking)
1
A
Sodium Hyaluronate
(Skin Conditioning, Humectant)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
1
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
(Emulsifying, Surfactant)
1
A
Cholesterol
(Emulsion Stabilising, Skin Conditioning, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Emollient, Emulsifying, Stabilising, Viscosity Controlling)
3
Tocopheryl Acetate
(Antioxidant, Skin Conditioning)
Bad for Oily Skin
Bad for Oily Skin
1
Ascorbyl Glucoside
(Antioxidant)
1
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
(Chelating Agent)
2
A
Citric Acid
(Chelating Agent, Fragrance, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent, Masking)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
1
A
Caprylyl Glycol
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Humectant)
1
A
Panthenol
(Antistatic Agent, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
1
Phytosphingosine
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Xanthan Gum
(Binding Agent, Emulsion Stabilising, Skin Conditioning, Surfactant Emulsifying Agent, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Binding, Gel Forming, Viscosity Controlling)
3
A
Benzoic Acid
(Fragrance, Ph Adjuster, Preservative, Bulking Agent, Masking)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin

My Ingredient Notes

No personal ingredient notes yet. Save ingredients to your profile to get good/bad alerts here.

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Key ingredients

Coco-Betaine
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant, Skin Protecting
Lactic Acid
Exfoliant, Humectant
Salicylic Acid
Exfoliant, Skin Conditioning

Benefits

Good for oily/acne-prone skin

Concerns

Not fungal acne (malassezia) safe
May not suit dry skin
May not suit sensitive skin

Ingredients explained

Water
Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Solvent
Coco-Betaine
Antistatic agent, Hair conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B Antistatic agentHair conditioningSkin conditioningSufactantFoam boostingViscosity increasing agentViscosity controlling
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
Antistatic agent, Cleansing
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B Antistatic agentCleansingEmulsifyingFoamingHair conditioningSkin conditioningSurfactantViscosity controlling
Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate
Sufactant, Foam boosting
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 2 CIR B SufactantFoam boostingHydrotropeFoaming
Niacinamide
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Hair conditioningSkin conditioningSmoothing
Potassium Hydroxide
Ph adjuster, Buffering agent
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B Ph adjusterBuffering agent
PEG-150 Distearate
Emulsifying, Surfactant
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B EmulsifyingSurfactantViscosity controlling
Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing, Surfactant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B CleansingSurfactant
Ceramide NP
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Hair conditioningSkin conditioning
Ceramide AP
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Hair conditioningSkin conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Hair conditioningSkin conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion stabilising, Viscosity increasing agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Emulsion stabilisingViscosity increasing agentGel formingViscosity controlling
Triethyl Citrate
Fragrance, Plasticizer
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A FragrancePlasticizerAntioxidantDeodorantMaskingSolvent
Sodium Chloride
Bulking agent, Masking
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Bulking agentMaskingOral care agentViscosity controlling
Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing, Surfactant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B CleansingSurfactant
+ 8 more — see the full ingredients list above
Glycerin
Denaturant, Fragrance
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 2 CIR A DenaturantFragranceHair conditioningHumectantOral care agentOral health care drugSkin protectingViscosity decreasing agentPerfumingSolvent Good for Dry SkinFungal-acne trigger
Lactic Acid
Exfoliant, Fragrance
Skin irritation can occur at high concentrationRead moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR B ExfoliantFragranceHumectantPh adjusterSkin-conditioning agent -humectantSkin conditioningBuffering agent Bad for Sensitive Skin
Salicylic Acid
Antiacne agent, Antidandruff agent
Skin irritation can occur at high concentrationRead moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR B Antiacne agentAntidandruff agentCorn/callus/wart removerDenaturantExfoliantFragranceHair conditioningSkin conditioningKeratolyticMaskingPreservative Good for Oily SkinBad for Sensitive Skin
Laureth-4
Antistatic agent, Emulsifying
Potentially comedogenic - can block poresRead moreShow less
EWG 2–3 CIR B Antistatic agentEmulsifyingMaskingSurfactant Bad for Oily Skin
Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin conditioning, Humectant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Skin conditioningHumectant Good for Dry Skin
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant, Skin conditioning
Potentially comedogenic - can block poresRead moreShow less
EWG 3 AntioxidantSkin conditioning Bad for Oily Skin
Citric Acid
Chelating agent, Fragrance
Skin irritation can occur at high concentrationRead moreShow less
EWG 2 CIR A Chelating agentFragrancePh adjusterBuffering agentMasking Bad for Sensitive Skin
Panthenol
Antistatic agent, Hair conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Antistatic agentHair conditioningSkin conditioning Good for Dry Skin
Benzoic Acid
Fragrance, Ph adjuster
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR A FragrancePh adjusterPreservativeBulking agentMasking Bad for Sensitive Skin

How to use

How to use

  • 1 Evening, start slow: Best in the PM a few times a week to begin with; avoid layering with other strong actives the same night.
  • 2 Wear SPF the next day: Acids and retinoids increase sun sensitivity — daily sunscreen is a must while using this.

General guidance from this product's category and active ingredients — always follow the directions on the package.

Trust & honesty

Pregnancy & breastfeeding

Contains ingredients some choose to avoid or double-check while pregnant or nursing.

Use with caution
BHA (salicylic) (Salicylic Acid)

Low-strength topical salicylic acid (BHA) is generally considered fine. Caution is usually reserved for high-strength leave-on products and salicylic peels.

This is general information, not medical advice. Pregnancy guidance varies and depends on concentration and your individual situation — always check with your doctor, midwife or pharmacist. How we flag this.

Effective levels — general guide

The concentrations these actives are typically effective at in research — not a measurement of this product.

Vitamin C (ascorbic) 5–20%

L-ascorbic acid is usually used at 5–20% (around 10–15% is common). Above ~20% adds little and tends to irritate more; it also needs a low pH to work.

Ascorbyl Glucoside

Niacinamide 2–5% (up to 10%)

Most research uses 2–5%; some formulas go to 10%. Very high levels can cause flushing in sensitive skin.

Niacinamide

BHA (salicylic) 0.5–2%

Salicylic acid is OTC-capped at 2%; 0.5–2% is the usual leave-on range. Much below that it acts more as a soothing agent than an exfoliant.

Salicylic Acid

AHA (acid exfoliant) 5–10% (OTC)

OTC leave-on AHAs are usually 5–10%. The effect also depends on pH and free-acid value, not the percentage alone.

Lactic Acid

INCI lists don't disclose amounts, and we don't claim to know this product's levels — these are the ranges these ingredients are usually effective at, so you can tell a real formula from "fairy-dusting" a marketed active. How we estimate this.

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