CeraVe resurfacing retinol serum
- Fragrance-free: Yes
- Key ingredients: Encapsulated retinol, niacinamide, ceramides, Liquorice root extract
- Targets: Post-acne marks and pores
- Size: 30ml
- Why we love it
- Budget-friendly
- Low strength
The packaging
This isn’t a beautiful-looking beauty product. The packaging is functional rather than fun, and it gives off a more clinical style than a clean, cool and chic aesthetic. But that’s the same with all CeraVe products, as it’s what’s on the inside that counts.
The formula
We’re naming this the best serum for those yet to build retinol into their regular routines. This is thanks to its gentle formulation, encapsulation technology and the addition of ceramides and niacinamide, which all help to reduce the risk of irritation.
“The encapsulation of retinol helps protect the active ingredient to penetrate more deeply and effectively within the skin, ensuring optimal stability and delivery whilst mitigating the potential for unwanted side effects such as dryness and irritation,” explains Dr Granite.
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As retinol accelerates your skin’s natural exfoliation process, encouraging it to shed dead skin cells, it can cause dryness and irritation. What we loved about this formula was the addition of niacinamide and ceramides, which provide anti-inflammatory properties as well as nourishing and hydrating the skin. Plus, liquorice root is in there to help brighten.
The application
Firstly, start off by using it slowly, say once or twice a week, post-cleansing and before moisturising in the evenings. You can then increase use slowly once seeing how your skin reacts. Secondly, use a good SPF, ideally factor 50, every day when using retinol as your skin will be more sensitive to the sun.
It’s also worth noting that many people who start using retinol can find they have more blemishes come up at the beginning of use, which is often referred to as skin purging. Though this might sound scary, it is completely normal as you are bringing all the blemishes that were brewing under the skin to the surface at once.
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Our tester did have slight purging results, with more blemishes than normal coming through – although this started to fade at around the one-month mark. Essentially, what we’re saying is that you will need to trust the process. That said, the gentleness of this serum should lead to less serious side effects than you might experience with stronger serums.
The results
After around two weeks of use, our tester did start to notice subtle signs of post-acne marks beginning to fade. And, after one month’s worth of use, we can confirm that some of these marks have all but disappeared.
However, it will take some more time for the more stubborn ones to follow suit, so best be reminded this is a slow-results serum rather than an overnight miracle maker. If irritation is a cause for concern, the best thing about this serum was that our tester faced no issue with dryness, sensitivity or irritation at any point while using it.