Is CeraVe Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser worth it?

Mostly yes. 8 of the 11 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 78%.

What is CeraVe Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser's Guru Score?

CeraVe Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser holds a Guru Score of 78%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 11 expert reviewers we have collected. At least one expert has named it a Top Pick in its category.

Who is CeraVe Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser best for?

CeraVe Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser is generally suited to dry skin and sensitive skin.

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CeraVe Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser.

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Cleansers

About this product

A gentle, hydrating face cleanser that starts as a cream and turns into a light foam to wash away dirt, oil and makeup.

Full ingredients

Aqua/Water/Eau, Glycerin, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Coco-Betaine, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Chloride, Pca, PPG-5-Ceteth-20, PEG-100 Stearate, PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Ci 77891/Titanium Dioxide, Aspartic Acid, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Sorbitan Isostearate, Carbomer, Glycol Distearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Glyceryl Oleate, Glycine, Trideceth-6, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Threonine, Sodium Hydroxide, Salicylic Acid, Sodium PCA, Sodium Lactate, Arginine, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Serine, Sodium Benzoate, Valine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Proline, Isoleucine

Guru Score

78%

Yay

11 experts · Strong agreement

What the gurus are saying

A cream that melts into a soft, hydrating foam is the detail these experts keep coming back to, and many say it cleans without that tight, squeaky feeling. It also lifts makeup and sunscreen, and several suggest using it morning and night, especially for combination or dry skin. Others found it not much different from CeraVe's other cleansers, and its not being cruelty free matters to some shoppers.

Synthesized from 11 expert reviews · most recent take October 2026

What they liked

Works for combination, dry, and sensitive skin
Large bottle lasts a long time

What they flagged

Nothing. None of the experts who reviewed it raised a problem.

Best for

Dry skin Sensitive skin

Type

CleansersFoam & mousse

Key actives

Hyaluronic acid Salicylic acid (BHA)Ceramides

Formula notes

Fragrance-freeNo drying alcohol

Where to buy

Ulta → Amazon → Google →

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What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

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Doctorly

3.59M subs

✓Yay

"Right now I use the CeraVe cream-to-foam. [...] It's an oldie but a goodie. My wife is obsessed with it, she thinks it helps the most to take off her makeup, [...] and it works fine for me."

Top Pick: cleanser

All 7 takes from Doctorly

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"I think there is no better compromise in a cleanser out there than the cream to foam cleanser. It's gentle but it's effective and it has like a very nice lather but it's not an irritating lather, it's like a hydrating lather. Huge fan of this, this is now like one of my all-time favorite cleansers I've ever tried. I use this consistently, if I see this on a shelf I'll probably go out of my way to use it even if it's like 11:00 a.m."

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"The [CeraVe] hydrating cream to foam cleanser as well as a popular one for me."

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"Whatever cleanser is certainly fine here. Let's say you use the CeraVe Cream-to-Foam Cleanser."

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"The CeraVe Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser is a great cleanser for normal skin. It's super balanced and gentle. I love a lather so it's still carries a lather, it's excellent. I get the little minis and take them out for vacation. It's a consistent cleanser, decent at removing makeup and sunscreen, though it doesn't qualify as your double cleanse."

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"Someone might love that CeraVe creamy cream cream cleanser. Even though it's not our particular aesthetic, it really does great for very damaged skin."

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"A great option is always going to be something like CeraVe's Cream to Foam Cleanser. It leaves a little bit of hydration, it's not over stripping, and it really is going to suit most people's skin types. It's a simple, gentle cleanser, fragrance free, not minty."

Dermatologist Reveals His ENTIRE Skincare Routine (Morning & Night)

"Right now I use the CeraVe cream-to-foam. [...] It's an oldie but a goodie. My wife is obsessed with it, she thinks it helps the most to take off her makeup, [...] and it works fine for me."

Dr. Daniel Sugai

722k subs

✓Yay

"CeraVe's Cream to Foam Cleanser is also nice at removing makeup and good for those with multiple different skin types, whether it's combination to dry. I think that's a really nice cleanser."

All 10 takes from Dr. Daniel Sugai

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"Get a cleanser that's versatile. I like CeraVe's Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser, great for removing makeup and also washing your face. If you have combination skin, dry skin, just a great in-between cleanser for those who have combination skin, meaning oily T-Zone and dry cheeks. [...] I've really liked the CeraVe Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser. The larger size is [...] 12 fluid ounces and will last you a long time. Use this morning and night."

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"I like to use the hydrating cream to foam cleanser because I have combination skin and it feels like a nice balance there. [...] You have amino acids to help with the cleansing. It's a nice go-to cleanser and for people who wear makeup can also use this to remove makeup as well."

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"If you have makeup, sunscreen, and you don't really want those actives because you're sensitive or you're allergic to them, CeraVe's Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser is a nice option at the end of the day."

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"If you have combination skin, CeraVe makes a nice cream to foam cleanser that removes makeup well. If you have that oily plus dry skin combination where you're oily in the T-Zone and dry in the cheeks, definitely consider their hydrating cream to foam cleanser."

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"It could be their cream to foam cleanser, which is great at removing makeup as well."

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"Their hydrating cream to foam cleanser is really nice for combination skin like myself where you have an oily T-Zone and dry cheeks."

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"The CeraVe Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser is known to remove oil and makeup very well. It's your water-based cleanser after your oil-based cleanser or micellar water."

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"CeraVe Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser is a good one for oily skin or combination skin. It has amino acid technology plus hyaluronic acid and ceramides. It also has niacinamide, which is vitamin B3 because it helps regulate sebum production, so I like niacinamide in my skincare products. It's a great way to start off the morning if you have really oily skin in the summertime."

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"If you have combination skin where you are oily in the T-Zone chin nose forehead and drying the cheeks go with their hydrating cream to foam cleanser"

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"CeraVe's Cream to Foam Cleanser is also nice at removing makeup and good for those with multiple different skin types, whether it's combination to dry. I think that's a really nice cleanser."

208SkinDoc

2.10M subs

✓Yay

"It's no surprise that I like the CeraVe Hydrating Cream to Foam Cleanser. It does a great job of cleansing without being too aggressive on your skin."

All 10 takes from 208SkinDoc

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"I like CeraVe cream to foam as a good, gentle cleanser. The fundamentals of a good skin longevity routine are pretty cheap and proven, and that's part of it."

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"For a gentle cleanser, I love something that will remove dirt, oil, makeup, and sunscreen. The CeraVe hydrating cream to foam cleanser is great."

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"The CeraVe cream to foam cleanser is one of my two favorites to recommend for rosacea."

Girl, Wash Your Face — The Right Way to Cleanse

"The cream to foam cleanser has kind of been my favorite recently. It feels a lot like the hydrating cleanser when you start, but it lathers a little bit more, so maybe I'm falling victim to the impression that because it's lathering up, it's working."

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"I use the CeraVe Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser, it's great. It does a really good job, if I have a ton of sunscreen on it takes it off really well. It foams up nicely, it's got a good feel to it."

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"I recommend the CeraVe Hydrating Cream to Foam Cleanser, which is one of my favorites because it lathers really well."

The Best Cerave Cleanser for Your Skin Type

"This one is still very hydrating, good for normal to dry skin just like the hydrating cleanser, but it lathers a little bit better. It foams up better in my hands and then on my face, and that makes this cleanser better for removing makeup from the skin, so if you tend to have normal to dry skin and you wear makeup, this is a great option. I like the experience of a good lather, so I've actually been using this one more than just about any other cleanser in the CeraVe routine recently."

You're Making Skincare Too Complicated...

"I like a gentle cleanser like the CeraVe Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser. It works really well and it's not going to overdry the skin. At night I really like it because it's designed to also remove makeup if you wear makeup, and it's a great option at a really inexpensive price point."

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"I love to recommend mass market brands for cleansing because they work really well and they're not terribly expensive. I really like the hydrating cream to foam cleanser from CeraVe."

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"It's no surprise that I like the CeraVe Hydrating Cream to Foam Cleanser. It does a great job of cleansing without being too aggressive on your skin."

Dr. Vanita Rattan

1.23M subs

✓Mixed

"The ingredients are actually really simple: it's water, glycerin, cetyl alcohol, phenoxyethanol, and ceramides. A very simple, gentle hydrating formula. It's actually feeling very soothing to the skin. I'm under a lot of lights right now and I feel like it's calming my skin. I like it. I would use this. [...] I actually really love that. [...] My water content has gone up to 92%, which I'm very happy about. [...] I love this hydrating cleanser. It's actually better than the cream to foam."

April Basi

72k subs

✓Yay

"If you really want a lot more hydration and you need help with your skin barrier, and your goal is targeting a damaged skin barrier, then I recommend the CeraVe Hydrating Cream to Foam Cleanser. This one has glycerin, sodium PCA, and tons of other humectants, as well as ceramides, which are essential for the skin and for repairing the skin barrier."

No BS Beauty

89k subs

✓Yay

"The CeraVe Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser is very nice. It says it's geared towards normal to oily skin but I find this works very nice on my dry skin in the dry winter and it's really affordable and the bottle's huge. Both of these from CeraVe are both winners for wintertime or for dry skin and the bottles again they're gigantic they will last you a long time."

Kelly Driscoll

90k subs

✓Yay

"I love that this is both a milky nourishing creamy kind of calming sensation but then it foams up and it actually cleans your skin effectively and rinses away without a film."

Cassandra Bankson

2.46M subs

✓Mixed

"It is gentle and it is dermatologist approved and doesn't have fragrances so a lot of people like it. But for me it is not cruelty free which matters, and I've also found that it's not bad, it's just not revolutionary. [...] If your derm recommends it and it's what you want to spend money on and you can afford two to five dollars, go for it, but there are some other options that I absolutely love."

Dr Dray

2.69M subs

✓Mixed

"I reviewed this hydrating cream to foam cleanser a while ago. I like it, but I just didn't really see that it added much to the CeraVe cleanser portfolio. It's kind of like a hybrid between the hydrating and the foaming, like they combined properties of both into one. Was that necessary? I don't know, a lot of people adore it, so I guess it added something for some people, but to me [...] I couldn't really tell that it made much of a difference."

Dr. Sam Ellis

898k subs

✓Yay

"I'm bringing my CeraVe Hydrating Cream to Foam Cleanser. [...] I like this because I can use it as a face wash, and then if I take a shower while I'm in the hospital, I can also just use it as my body wash, and I know it's going to be really gentle."

Dr. Aleksandra Brown

151k subs

✓Yay

"My second choice is probably the CeraVe hydrating cream to foam cleanser. It starts as a really nice cream, turns into soft foam with water, and gives you a nice middle ground if you want something more cleansing than a traditional non-foaming hydrating cleanser but don't want your skin feeling stripped afterwards. It can also remove makeup, dirt, oil, and sunscreen, which makes it especially convenient for nighttime cleansing."