Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser

CVS Health

Where to buy Possibly in stock

About this product

The CVS Health Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser is a emulsion. Our analysis of its 26 ingredients (22 low-risk) rates it Excellent (97/100).

Vegan-friendly Reef-safe

Summarised from our ingredient analysis — not brand marketing copy.

At a glance

Type
Emulsion
Ingredients
26
Low-risk
22
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 4/6
Good for dry skin
Sodium Hyaluronate Glycerin Propylene Glycol Cholesterol
Caution for dry skin
Diethylhexyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate Xanthan Gum Glycerin Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate Sodium Hydroxide
Oily/Acne-Prone Skin No data
Sensitive Skin 1/5
Good for sensitive skin
Glycerin
Caution for sensitive skin
Sodium Citrate Sodium Chloride Glycerin Propylene Glycol Phenoxyethanol

Ingredients list

26 total
Lower hazard (1) Higher hazard (4)
All26 Skin Conditioning17 Viscosity Controlling9 Hair Conditioning7 Emulsion Stabilising6 Humectant5 Buffering Agent4 Ph Adjuster4 Solvent4
EWG CIR Ingredient Name & Cosmetic Functions Notes
1
Water
(Solvent)
1
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
(Antistatic Agent, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Sufactant, Foam Boosting, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
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
2
B
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
(Cleansing, Foaming, Surfactant)
Sulfate
Sulfate
3
B
Propylene Glycol
(Fragrance, Humectant, Skin Conditioningagent Miscellaneous, Solvent, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Skin Conditioning, Viscosity Controlling)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
1
A
Xanthan Gum
(Binding Agent, Emulsion Stabilising, Skin Conditioning, Surfactant Emulsifying Agent, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Binding, Gel Forming, Viscosity Controlling)
1
Propanediol
(Solvent, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Diethylhexyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate
(Cleansing, Emulsifying, Hydrotrope, Surfactant)
3
B
Potassium Hydroxide
(Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent)
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
Niacinamide
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Smoothing)
4
B
Glycolic Acid
(Exfoliant, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent)
Good for Oily Skin
Good for Oily Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
1
Sodium Chloride
(Bulking Agent, Masking, Oral Care Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Sodium Citrate
(Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent, Chelating, Masking)
1
A
Sodium Hyaluronate
(Skin Conditioning, Humectant)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
3
B
Sodium Hydroxide
(Denaturant, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent)
1
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
(Emulsifying, Surfactant)
1
A
Cholesterol
(Emulsion Stabilising, Skin Conditioning, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Emollient, Emulsifying, Stabilising, Viscosity Controlling)
4
A
Phenoxyethanol
(Fragrance, Preservative)
Paraben
Paraben
1
Phytosphingosine
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Disodium EDTA
(Chelating Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
1
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
(Emulsion Stabilising, Film Forming, Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Ethylhexylglycerin
(Deodorant, Skin Conditioning)

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

Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant, Skin Protecting
Propylene Glycol
Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning

Benefits

No standout benefits flagged for this product.

Concerns

Contains paraben
Contains sulfate
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
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Antistatic agent, Hair conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Antistatic agentHair conditioningSkin conditioningSufactantFoam boostingViscosity increasing agentViscosity controlling
Xanthan Gum
Binding agent, Emulsion stabilising
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Binding agentEmulsion stabilisingSkin conditioningSurfactant -emulsifying agentViscosity increasing agentBindingGel formingViscosity controlling
Propanediol
Solvent, Viscosity decreasing agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 SolventViscosity decreasing agentViscosity controlling
Diethylhexyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate
Cleansing, Emulsifying
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A CleansingEmulsifyingHydrotropeSurfactant
Potassium Hydroxide
Ph adjuster, Buffering agent
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B Ph adjusterBuffering agent
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
Niacinamide
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Hair conditioningSkin conditioningSmoothing
Sodium Chloride
Bulking agent, Masking
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Bulking agentMaskingOral care agentViscosity controlling
Sodium Citrate
Ph adjuster, Buffering agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Ph adjusterBuffering agentChelatingMasking
Sodium Hydroxide
Denaturant, Ph adjuster
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B DenaturantPh adjusterBuffering agent
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
Emulsifying, Surfactant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 EmulsifyingSurfactant
+ 5 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
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Cleansing, Foaming
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 2 CIR B CleansingFoamingSurfactant Sulfate
Propylene Glycol
Fragrance, Humectant
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B FragranceHumectantSkin-conditioningagent - miscellaneousSolventViscosity decreasing agentSkin conditioningViscosity controlling Good for Dry Skin
Glycolic Acid
Exfoliant, Ph adjuster
Skin irritation can occur at high concentrationRead moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR B ExfoliantPh adjusterBuffering agent Good for Oily SkinBad for Sensitive Skin
Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin conditioning, Humectant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Skin conditioningHumectant Good for Dry Skin
Phenoxyethanol
Fragrance, Preservative
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR A FragrancePreservative Paraben

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

Effective levels — general guide

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

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

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.

Glycolic 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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