Nourishing Skincare Routine for Dry Skin | CeraVe
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A Nourishing Skincare Routine for Dry Skin

Caring for dry, flaky skin requires a daily skincare routine that hydrates the skin and helps restore its natural protective barrier. Ahead, learn all about skincare for dry skin—including which hydrating ingredients and products to look for when building your CeraVe dry skin routine. Plus, discover how to help soothe dryness and reveal a softer, healthier-looking complexion with CeraVe’s gentle yet effective cleansersmoisturizersserums, and eye creams.

Key Ingredients in This Routine

Dry skin lacks sufficient moisture and can appear dull, rough, and flaky, with more visible fine lines. It may also feel tight, itchy, uncomfortable. To help relieve these symptoms of dryness, it’s important to look for skincare products that contain beneficial ingredients for dry skin. Here are a few key ingredients to look out for in CeraVe’s gentle, nourishing skincare routine for dry skin:

  • Hyaluronic acid: This popular humectant helps attract and retain the skin’s natural moisture.
  • Ceramides: A key component of the skin barrier, ceramides can help lock in moisture to support the skin’s natural moisture barrier.
  • Niacinamide: Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 that can help calm the skin and promote a more even-toned complexion.
  • Marine & Botanical Complex: Formulations with this complex, like our Eye Repair Cream, can help brighten the entire eye area.
  • Glycerin: Also known as glycerol or glycerine, this sugar alcohol is an effective moisturizer that can help boost skin hydration and improve skin texture.
  • Dimethicone: Used as a skin protectant in many moisturizing products for dry skin, dimethicone is a silicone-based polymer that helps improve skin’s softness and flexibility.
  • Vitamin B5: Sometimes known as panthenol, this hydrating ingredient helps support smoother, softer, and more hydrated skin.
  • Squalane Oil: When applied topically, this ingredient mimics your skin’s natural oils to help improve skin hydration and reduce moisture loss.

Dry Skin, Explained

When your skin appears supple and soft, it’s a sign that it has plenty of moisture in its uppermost layer. According to Harvard Health, balanced, healthy skin requires a minimum of approximately 20% to 35% water in its top layer.1 Unfortunately, for those with dry skin, water evaporates off the skin’s surface too quickly. This occurs when internal or external factors deplete your skin’s natural oils (sebum), which are responsible for helping your skin hold on to water. Examples of potential dry skin triggers include harsh weather, low humidity, improper skincare techniques, and certain dry skin conditions (such as eczema or psoriasis).

 

Who can experience dry skin?

Dryness is a common skin issue that can affect people of all ages. However, research shows that dry skin tends to worsen with age (especially after age 40) as the skin becomes thinner and produces less sebum.2 You may also be more likely to experience dryness if you live in a cold, low-humidity climate. Lastly, this skin concern may be more common in people who have a weakened skin barrier, according to recent studies.3 Your skin’s natural moisture barrier (formally known as the stratum corneum) plays a crucial role in filtering out harmful toxins and helping to prevent dryness. This is why, for those with dry skin, maintaining a healthy skin barrier can be especially important.

 

What Do Dermatologists Recommend for Dry Skin on the Face?

When it comes to skincare for dry skin, dermatologists tend to agree on a few basic guidelines. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recommends following a consistent, hydrating skincare routine that includes daily cleansing, moisturizing, and sun protection.4 You may also want to look for moisturizing products that contain beneficial ingredients like ceramides, urea, or dimethicone. Here are some additional tips that dermatologists often recommend for those with dry skin:

 

  • Choose cleansers that are gentle and fragrance-free. Fragrance chemicals may worsen dryness or cause skin irritation in some people.
  • Avoid long, hot showers. Excessively hot water may strip moisture from your skin and contribute to dryness.
  • Treat your dry skin gently and avoid harsh scrubbing or rubbing. After bathing, gently pat your skin dry with a clean, soft towel.
  • Apply moisturizer regularly to help relieve dry skin. Doing so within five minutes of bathing, onto slightly damp skin, can be especially beneficial for locking in moisture.
  • Wear protective clothing, such as gloves and scarves, before heading outdoors into harsh, cold weather.
  • Apply sunscreen daily with broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher, in addition to taking sun protection measures like wearing protective clothing and seeking shade during peak hours. Unprotected ultraviolet (UV) exposure may contribute to skin damage and dry skin.

 

Note: It’s important to remember that everyone’s dry skin is unique and may require different care. If your dry skin is persistent, uncomfortable, or experiences cracking, chafing, bleeding, or extreme itching, seek the help of a doctor or board-certified dermatologist. A dermatologist can also answer general questions and recommend appropriate skincare products for dry skin.

Products In This Routine

With CeraVe's easy-to-use products, you can create a dry skin routine that you and your skin will feel good about.

  • 1. Cleanse
  • 2. Smooth
  • 3. Treat
  • 4. Moisturize & Help Protect
  • 1. Cleanse
    CeraVe Skincare Cleansers Facial Cleansers Hydrating Foaming Oil Cleanser

    CeraVe Skincare Cleansers Facial Cleansers Hydrating Foaming Oil Cleanser

    Hydrating Foaming Oil Cleanser

    For Dry to Very Dry Skin

    CeraVe Hydrating Foaming Oil Cleanser combines oil-based ingredients and surfactants to thoroughly cleanse your skin without disrupting the skin barrier or stripping the skin of essential moisture.

    Developed with dermatologists, this lightweight oil cleanser transforms from an oil into a soft lathering foam. It gently yet effectively cleanses the skin’s surface and removes excess oil without leaving your skin feeling tight or dry. Our oil cleanser with glycerin and three essential ceramides helps to lock in moisture and helps maintain the skin’s protective barrier. It also features beneficial ingredients for healthy-looking skin, such as squalane oil, triglyceride, and hyaluronic acid.

    CeraVe Hydrating Foaming Oil Cleanser is ideal for dry to very dry skin but is also suitable for sensitive skin, eczema-prone skin, and baby skin (3+ months). It’s also non-comedogenic, fragrance-free, non-greasy and residue-free. Using our foaming oil cleanser as the first step in your daily routine for dry skin can help support comfortable, hydrated skin on your face and body.
  • 2. Smooth
    CeraVe-Hydrating-Hyaluronic-Acid-Serum

    CeraVe-Hydrating-Hyaluronic-Acid-Serum

    Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Serum

    For Normal to Dry Skin

    Hyaluronic acid is a powerful hydrating ingredient found naturally in your skin; however, as you age, it becomes depleted. CeraVe Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Serum helps bind moisture to your skin’s surface, smoothing it and providing up to 24 hours of hydration. Formulated with vitamin B5 and three essential ceramides, this formula locks in skin’s moisture and helps restore the skin’s protective barrier.

    This refreshing gel-cream facial serum replenishes hydration, helps restore the skin barrier, and provides instantly smoother, softer skin. Our MVE Technology encapsulates moisturizing ingredients to ensure efficient delivery within the skin’s barrier and slow release over time—supporting your protective skin barrier, long after you’ve finished applying. Immediately after use, 90% of consumers tested said their skin felt intensely hydrated, and 98% of consumers tested said their skin felt smoother after just four weeks of use. CeraVe Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Serum can be used alone or layered under other serums and moisturizers.
  • 3. Treat
    CeraVe-Eye-Repair-Cream

    CeraVe-Eye-Repair-Cream

    Eye Repair Cream

    For All Skin Types

    The delicate skin around your eyes can be prone to puffiness, dark circles, and other visible signs of fatigue. Adding a moisturizing eye cream, like CeraVe Eye Repair Cream, to your daily skincare routine can help hydrate, brighten, and smooth your under-eye area. When selecting a moisturizing eye cream to improve the appearance of puffy, tired-looking eyes and dark circles, look for products formulated with beneficial ingredients—like ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide—to lock in moisture and help maintain your skin’s protective barrier.

    CeraVe Eye Repair Cream is ophthalmologist-tested and features a non-greasy, fast-absorbing, fragrance-free formula that works to minimize the appearance of dark circles and eye puffiness. Formulated with three essential ceramides, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and a Marine & Botanical Complex, it helps brighten your entire eye area. Plus, it features our MVE Technology, which continually releases moisturizing ingredients for all-day hydration.
  • 4. Moisturize & Help Protect
    CeraVe-Am-Facial-Moisturizing-Lotion-With-Sunscreen

    CeraVe-Am-Facial-Moisturizing-Lotion-With-Sunscreen

    AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30

    For Normal to Dry Skin

    Moisturizer and sunscreen are two essential steps in any skincare routine for healthy-looking skin. To help keep things simple, you can use a facial moisturizer that includes broad-spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen, like our AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion. Facial moisturizers with sunscreen allow you to hydrate your skin and help protect it from the sun’s rays in one convenient step. However, sunscreens must be reapplied at least every two hours for sunscreen protection.

    CeraVe AM Facial Moisturizer is a morning skincare multitasker that moisturizes and nourishes your skin while helping to absorb and reflect the sun’s damaging UVA and UVB rays. It’s formulated with three essential ceramides, along with hydrating hyaluronic acid, soothing niacinamide, InVisibleZinc™ Technology (microfine zinc oxide), and our MVE Technology—which releases a steady stream of moisturizing ingredients for continuous, all-day hydration.

    Our moisturizer with SPF 30 sunscreen offers both chemical and mineral sun protection, spreads easily and evenly, and is formulated to help maintain the skin’s protective barrier. This formula is lightweight and non-comedogenic (meaning it won’t clog your pores), which makes it an ideal pick for all skin types.

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CERAVE IS DEVELOPED WITH DERMATOLOGISTS

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