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Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Cream.

Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Cream
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Moisturizers
#19 in MoisturizersSee the ranking →
About this product

A rich, fragrance-free night cream designed to hydrate and repair the skin barrier, formulated with hyaluronic acid, ceramides, niacinamide, and panthenol for dry and sensitive skin.

Full ingredients

Water, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Caprylic/​Capric Triglyceride, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Marrubium Vulgare Extract, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Ascorbyl Palmitate (Vitamin C), Leuconostoc/​Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Phospholipids, Isopropyl Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Polyacrylate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Isohexadecane, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Cetearyl Methicone, Phenoxyethanol, Peg-40 Stearate, Steareth-2, Steareth-21, Retinyl Palmitate, Linoleic Acid, Lycopene

More from Cetaphil 40 products · Guru Score 94% →

Guru Score

84%

Yay

8 experts · Strong agreement

What the gurus are saying

This cream earns consistent praise for sinking in fast despite its rich formula, making it work even for those with oily or irritation-prone skin who might skip heavier moisturizers. Dermatologists and beauty experts highlight the zinc and ceramides that calm inflammation and restore the barrier, and note it's thick enough to act like a barrier-repair workhorse without feeling heavy or sticky. At around $16, gurus recommend it especially for very dry winter skin, irritated and raw complexions, and anyone wanting a budget-friendly alternative to pricier barrier creams.
Synthesized from 8 expert reviews · most recent take August 2025

What they liked

  • Fast-absorbing, not heavy
  • Fragrance-free
  • Comforting for irritated skin

What they flagged

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

    Type

    MoisturizersCream

    Key actives

    Formula notes

    Fragrance-freeNo drying alcohol

    Where to buy

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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.

    All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored
    ✓Yay
    "Cetaphil's moisturizing cream for very dry skin is highly recommended by her, especially good for dry skin in the winter. Her family helped her finish it off."
    All 2 takes from Beyond50Skin
    Amazon Big Deal Days! (SKINCARE MAKEUP & HAIR CARE OVER 50!)
    "I started using it on my grandson for his very dry eczema prone skin and ended up using it for myself. [...] If you have super dry skin, winter and cooler months are coming and this will be one of your favorite skin savers."
    6 Months of Skincare Empties | My Husband’s 1st Routine in 60 Years + Results
    "Cetaphil's moisturizing cream for very dry skin is highly recommended by her, especially good for dry skin in the winter. Her family helped her finish it off."
    ✓Yay
    "This is a rich night cream from Cetaphil which is much thicker. It's still got the nice niacinamide, the panthenol, the vitamin E in it, but it's really going to stop any moisture loss because it's thicker in texture."
    ✓Yay
    "For days when my skin just feels really irritated, there's a lot of redness and rawness, and I just want pure comfort, then I really love Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Cream. I don't find this to be very rich, [...] but there's something so comforting about it. It's very moisturizing, which is exactly what my skin needs when it's feeling irritated and raw. This is one of my favorite drugstore moisturizers."
    ✓Yay
    "The Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Cream [...] is a really good rich facial moisturizer. It has avocado seed oil in it as well as hyaluronic acid."
    All 5 takes from Dr Dray
    Skincare Dupes At CVS Drugstore
    "The Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Cream [...] is a really good rich facial moisturizer. It has avocado seed oil in it as well as hyaluronic acid."
    *NEW* Costco Skincare & Beauty Deals NOT TO MISS (Summer 2025)
    "This is a very rich cream with niacinamide, and in contrast to the lotion this is a lot richer of a formula."
    SKIN CARE EMPTIES 2022 🗑 DERMATOLOGIST @DrDrayzday
    "I also finished this one up by Cetaphil, their Rich Hydrating Cream, and I went through it pretty quickly. The consistency is not as heavy as CeraVe cream, it's more of a lightweight, fast absorbing lotion consistency. But this is a great product, no fragrance, and if you're just looking for a basic facial moisturizer, maybe for very sensitive rosacea prone skin, this would be a wonderful choice."
    Vlog: Trying out TATCHA CLAY MASK 😍 TARGET RUN 🛍 @DrDrayzday
    "This is the Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Cream. Love this, as the name implies it is rich and hydrating, but it's [...] a really fast absorbing cream consistency, almost like a splash in the face feel rather than a dense cream. [...] If you have oily skin and you're dealing with a lot of irritation and skin barrier issues, try this out, you might actually like it even though it's marketed for dry sensitive skin. It is on the shiny side, but for a nighttime moisturizer who cares."
    Starting tretinoin: WHAT TO USE & AVOID| Dermatologist @DrDrayzday
    "I like this product from Cetaphil, their Rich Hydrating Cream for dry and normal sensitive skin. This is a great option too to use."
    ✓Yay
    "You have to check out Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Cream for $15. This is an ultra-rich moisturizer that is formulated with wonderful ingredients to help support dry, sensitive skin, especially those with concerns of skin aging like fine lines and wrinkles. It contains hyaluronic acid, three essential ceramides, along with biomimetic peptides that help boost skin hydration and help restore and repair the skin barrier."
    ✓Yay
    "I might repair green because it has retinol ester and this is very very gentle"
    Translated from the guru's original language.
    ✓Yay
    "I absolutely love the Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Night Cream. It retails for approximately $16 and the reason I love this particular product is that it is extremely thick and rich as a moisturizer, and it contains zinc, which is [...] a very good anti-inflammatory. [...] If your skin is dry, cracked, and your barrier is broken, you want to look for a moisturizer with zinc, and this is one that I love to base my face in like a turkey on Thanksgiving morning."
    All 2 takes from Dr. Shereene Idriss
    Best Moisturizers to Soothe & Hydrate Your Skin! | Dr. Shereene Idriss
    "I absolutely love the Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Night Cream. It retails for approximately $16 and the reason I love this particular product is that it is extremely thick and rich as a moisturizer, and it contains zinc, which is [...] a very good anti-inflammatory. [...] If your skin is dry, cracked, and your barrier is broken, you want to look for a moisturizer with zinc, and this is one that I love to base my face in like a turkey on Thanksgiving morning."
    Best Products & Treatments for Your Neck! | Dr. Shereene Idriss
    "It has an excellent emollient cream formula. Because of its texture with white soft paraffin and light liquid paraffin, it goes on so light and whipped that it doesn't feel heavy like Vaseline would, and [...] it gets absorbed so easily into the neck. [...] If you have any kind of creepy neck or you're seeing your skin, this basically acts like temporary Spanx for the neck and really holds it all in, giving you the illusion of firmer-looking skin because it holds onto moisture."
    ✓Yay
    "The Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Night Cream is super popular and it's a good price at $16. I've heard a lot of people use this for underneath makeup. This is basically a less expensive, better version of things like Vaseline or petroleum jelly, or even La Mer in a twisted way. [...] The main ingredient in here is water, then we have paraffinium liquidum which is what's in Nivea and La Mer. [...] We do have some shea butter and some hydrolized soy protein, which we do like."

    What the evidence says.

    Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

    Retinoids

    Retinoids are among the best studied ingredients in dermatology, with solid evidence for acne and for the fine lines and rough texture that come from sun exposure. Dryness and flaking in the first few weeks are common and usually settle.

    Source: DermNet

    Vitamin C

    Topical vitamin C is an antioxidant with reasonable evidence for dullness and uneven tone. It breaks down in light and air, so how a product is formulated and packaged matters as much as the percentage on the front.

    Source: DermNet

    Humectants and emollients

    Ingredients like these draw water into the surface layers and slow how fast it leaves. The evidence is for comfort, softness and hydration rather than for changing the structure of the skin.

    Source: DermNet

    Frequently asked.

    What is Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Cream?

    A rich, fragrance-free night cream designed to hydrate and repair the skin barrier, formulated with hyaluronic acid, ceramides, niacinamide, and panthenol for dry and sensitive skin.

    Is Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Cream worth it?

    Yes. All 8 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 84%.

    What is Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Cream's Guru Score?

    Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Cream holds a Guru Score of 84%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 8 expert reviewers we have collected.

    Who is Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Cream best for?

    Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Cream is generally suited to dry skin and sensitive skin.

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