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CeraVe

Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser.

CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser
Cleansers

About this product

A foaming cream cleanser containing 4% benzoyl peroxide, niacinamide, ceramides, and hyaluronic acid, designed to cleanse and help treat acne-prone skin.

Best for

Type

CleansersFoam & mousse

Formula notes

Fragrance-freeNo drying alcohol

Full ingredients

Guru Score

72%

Mixed

10 experts · Strong agreement
10Gurus
6Approved
1Mixed
3Skip
#21 in CleansersSee the ranking →

What the gurus are saying

The 4% benzoyl peroxide concentration earns strong praise for hitting a sweet spot: low enough to minimise irritation while still tackling acne bacteria, especially since the formula includes ceramides and niacinamide to buffer dryness. Most gurus recommend starting a few times a week and building up to daily use, and several note it works well on body acne too. One important caveat: benzoyl peroxide can bleach fabrics, so rinse thoroughly after use. A safety concern has been raised about benzene contamination in some batches, which is worth checking before purchase.
Synthesized from 10 expert reviews · most recent take June 2026
Every take, in full

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 Approved takes Critical takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored
~Skip
"When I ran out of my usual benzoyl peroxide gel, [...] I switched to this and [...] it did nothing for my acne. My issue with CeraVe in general [...] is that their products contain a lot of ceramides, and the humectants and other ingredients they use can make it so the product doesn't give you the results you need. [...] I bought about four of these because I couldn't believe [...] benzoyl peroxide [...] wasn't working, but the formulation is why it wasn't working. [...] I would not recommend this and don't think it was worth it."
~Skip
"This CeraVe benzoyl peroxide cleanser isn't my favorite. I only have it because of a points promotion at Ulta."
Top Pick: cleanser for acne prone dry skin
All 5 takes from AliceintheRabbitHole
SKINCARE EMPTIES: the greatest hits! (2/26)
"This CeraVe benzoyl peroxide cleanser isn't my favorite. I only have it because of a points promotion at Ulta."
Ulta 10x Points Walkthrough (Don't Miss It!!!)
"The CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser with 4% benzoyl peroxide is a holy grail for me. The CeraVe was the better deal with the 10x points and the $3.50 off."
How I Save Money on Skincare: the PRODUCTS vs the INGREDIENTS I need
"The CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser is what started it all for me. Before this I thought I couldn't use benzoyl peroxide as a leave on, it's difficult for my dry skin type, but in a cream based cleanser this has been so wonderful. However, I was browsing the Ulta website recently and I could not believe the price of it, it used to be a lot cheaper and now it's nineteen dollars, that's way more than a normal inflation rate, so I started looking around for other options."
Best Cleansers for Dry Skin! | 2023 Best Skincare Products
"My pick for acne prone dry skin is once again the CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser with four percent benzoyl peroxide. What's so interesting is that it's a more creamy cleanser in its appearance and yet it does foam, and it also includes an active ingredient designed to target acne. Benzoyl peroxide is a very drying ingredient and I struggle with using it in a leave on product, it makes my skin very dry, very very itchy, sometimes red, but when you have an active in a cleanser what you're essentially getting is short contact therapy, I'm getting the benefits of that benzoyl peroxide ingredient but it's not staying on my skin to continue drying it out and irritating it. It has been a game changer for me, very few products get even close to that label for me. As somebody with dry acne prone skin I am so glad CeraVe came out with this, this is my fifth tube of this at this point and absolutely my most used cleanser, I use it basically every other PM wash."
Best AFFORDABLE Skincare Products: What WORKED for me!
"This is CeraVe's Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser with four percent benzoyl peroxide acne treatment. For a long time I thought I couldn't use benzoyl peroxide, it stung my skin, made it red, and bleached everything, so I hated it. But when CeraVe came out with this cleanser in a creamy base, the same type of cleanser I like as a person with dry skin, I gave it a try and I could not believe how much it leveled up my acne prevention as well as the ability to fight off the acne I already had. It still might be my number two product of all time, maybe number three."
~Mixed
"I like to use a benzoyl peroxide cleanser, benzoyl peroxide is great. CeraVe makes a good one, it's a 10 percent. I don't like 10 percent benzoyl peroxide on the face, it's pretty drying, but people tolerate it really well on the back. It's like their Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser, a 10 percent benzoyl peroxide. They do make a 4 percent version that I like better on the face."
All 3 takes from 208SkinDoc
Dermatologist Reacts to the CeraVe Cancer Headlines
"Only two CeraVe products are actually named in these lawsuits, the Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser with 4% benzoyl peroxide and the acne foaming cream wash with 10% benzoyl peroxide. The FDA ran its own validated testing on 95 benzoyl peroxide acne products and found more than 90% had undetectable or extremely low benzene levels, and CeraVe was not among the six products flagged for voluntary recall. So if you use the Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser there is no reason to panic, you do not need to throw it out. That said, the science on whether benzoyl peroxide degrades into benzene under normal conditions is genuinely contested, so I'd store it as labeled, at room temperature and out of direct sunlight, and replace it by its expiration date or every few months if you're using it regularly."
Back Acne (Backne), Chestne & Buttne — The Truth About Body Acne
"I like to use a benzoyl peroxide cleanser, benzoyl peroxide is great. CeraVe makes a good one, it's a 10 percent. I don't like 10 percent benzoyl peroxide on the face, it's pretty drying, but people tolerate it really well on the back. It's like their Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser, a 10 percent benzoyl peroxide. They do make a 4 percent version that I like better on the face."
The Best Cerave Cleanser for Your Skin Type
"With 10 percent benzoyl peroxide, this is a better option for acne on the body, though it does stand a bit of a bigger risk of drying out the skin on the face. I like to recommend that my patients use that one in the shower if they're treating body acne."
~Approved
"I am a big fan of benzoyl peroxide at night. What I like to do is use the CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser as my second step. I mostly focus on areas that tend to break out, so on my nose, on my chin, and leave that on for a few minutes and rinse off. You could do that nightly or a few times a week in place of your regular cleanser if you struggle with a little bit of that hormonal acne around perimenopause and menopause."
All 3 takes from Dr. Jenny Liu
Dermatologist creates acne routine for $100 | Dr. Jenny Liu
"Cerave also makes a great benzoyl peroxide cleanser that's very gentle, that contains I think 2.6% micronized benzoyl peroxide, and that retails for $9.72."
Your Skin After 40: A Derm’s Guide to Menopause & Perimenopause Skincare | Dr. Jenny Liu
"I am a big fan of benzoyl peroxide at night. What I like to do is use the CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser as my second step. I mostly focus on areas that tend to break out, so on my nose, on my chin, and leave that on for a few minutes and rinse off. You could do that nightly or a few times a week in place of your regular cleanser if you struggle with a little bit of that hormonal acne around perimenopause and menopause."
Ultimate Sensitive skincare guide for winter from Dermatologist | Dr. Jenny Liu
"The CeraVe acne foaming cleanser is 4% benzoyl peroxide, also very creamy and very nice to use. Start it a few times a week and gradually build up tolerance to once daily if needed to help target acne."
~Approved
"This has 4% benzoyl peroxide in it. You can get benzoyl peroxide over the counter in strengths up to 10%, but the higher the strength the more potential it has to irritate your skin. I like to start low. 4% can get the job done and balance the side effects of that irritation. I specifically chose this cleanser by CeraVe because not only does it have that benzoyl peroxide, but it's in a really great formulation to decrease that risk of irritation. This also contains ceramides and niacinamide, which is another great ingredient that can address a couple of the causes of acne."
~Skip
"An independent laboratory, Valisure, reported that certain benzoyl peroxide based acne treatment products, including some of Cerave, contained benzene, a known cause of cancer at levels which exceeded federal safety standards. [...] The FDA says that any drug product containing more than 2 parts per million of benzene should be recalled due to unacceptable levels of toxicity. The laboratory results apparently show that the affected Cerave products had levels of benzene between 5 and 12 parts per million."
~Approved
"The newer brand that has really good active ingredient, it's really good for sensitive skin is CeraVe Acne Foaming Cleanser. If your skin is more on the sensitive side I would opt for lower percentage such as four or 5%. Let the cleanser sit on the skin, rub it in really good and then rinse it off."
~Approved
"The acne foaming cleanser is a 4% benzoyl peroxide wash that can help to clear up and prevent breakouts. It can also be used on the body as well. Benzoyl peroxide can be a bit drying, so a wash form is one way to utilize the ingredient, derive the benefits with less irritation and dryness. It may take a little bit longer to start working, but definitely beneficial in a wash form."
All 2 takes from Dr Dray
Amazon Prime Day October 2023 Beauty Deals
"The acne foaming cleanser is a 4% benzoyl peroxide wash that can help to clear up and prevent breakouts. It can also be used on the body as well. Benzoyl peroxide can be a bit drying, so a wash form is one way to utilize the ingredient, derive the benefits with less irritation and dryness. It may take a little bit longer to start working, but definitely beneficial in a wash form."
*NEW* DRUGSTORE ANTI-AGING SKIN CARE 🛍 Dermatologist @DrDrayzday
"With this you take advantage of something called short contact therapy where you lather it to your face, [...] let the lather sit on the skin for a few minutes and then rinse it off so the benzoyl peroxide can get into the skin, help give you some acne control, and then you rinse it off. You don't have to worry about it bleaching your clothes [...] if you're careful and you rinse it off in total."
~Approved
"CeraVe makes a nice one that's four percent, and they recently made a 10% benzoyl peroxide cleanser. I like benzoyl peroxide because it mildly exfoliates and its antimicrobial kills the bacteria that causes acne. If you're on topical prescription antibiotics, this will prevent or decrease the chances of you getting bacterial resistance. Be sure to wash off benzoyl peroxide well because it will bleach your clothes and towels."
All 3 takes from Dr. Daniel Sugai
The Most Common Retinoid Mistakes I See in Clinic (Dermatologist Guide)
"Say CeraVe's Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser, I'll do that at night, rinse off, pat dry, wait a few minutes or even an hour, and then apply your retinoid."
Dermatologist Reviews: Men’s Skincare Routine- Is there a difference between Men and Women?
"I'm impressed by this one. It's only 0.5 percent salicylic acid and very very gentle, so you can use these for your body too in the shower. I like to have some on the sink some in the shower and I can wash my face, my body, especially if you worked out you want to wash your body to prevent body acne. This one has niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and four percent benzoyl peroxide. Benzoyl peroxide is antimicrobial so it kills the bacteria that causes acne and it works really well with your acne medications, especially if they have antibiotics, so it helps prevent your body from getting resistant to those antibiotics. It also has exfoliative benefits as well. You can wash your face and body with it, but make sure you cleanse off all of the benzoyl peroxide because if you have a little bit on your skin when you go and get your towel over it or you put your clothes on you can bleach everything it comes into contact with, your pillowcase, your linens. So please wash it off well."
Dermatologist Reviews: Target Skincare Routine for Teenagers
"CeraVe makes a nice one that's four percent, and they recently made a 10% benzoyl peroxide cleanser. I like benzoyl peroxide because it mildly exfoliates and its antimicrobial kills the bacteria that causes acne. If you're on topical prescription antibiotics, this will prevent or decrease the chances of you getting bacterial resistance. Be sure to wash off benzoyl peroxide well because it will bleach your clothes and towels."
~Approved
"The CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser has four percent benzoyl peroxide and it's a really nice once a day wash to help fight acne. Benzoyl peroxide products don't just have to be used on the face, they're great for acne that's on the body like on the chest or the back or the buttocks, or if you struggle with bacterial folliculitis benzoyl peroxide products can be really helpful for that too."
Top Pick: benzoyl peroxide product
Common questions

Frequently asked.

What is CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser?

A foaming cream cleanser containing 4% benzoyl peroxide, niacinamide, ceramides, and hyaluronic acid, designed to cleanse and help treat acne-prone skin.

Is CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser worth it?

The gurus are split. 6 of the 10 gurus give it their stamp of approval while 3 would skip it, which lands it in the middle at a Guru Score of 72%.

What is CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser's Guru Score?

CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser holds a Guru Score of 72%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 10 expert reviewers we have collected. At least one expert has named it a Top Pick in its category.

Who is CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser best for?

CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser is generally suited to acne-prone skin.

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