CeraVe SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin On your shelf ✓
Our read, in one look
Salicylic acid (BHA) is the reason to consider this moisturizer, with Ceramide 3 behind it.
The case for it
- Salicylic acid (BHA), moderate evidence for oil and breakouts
- Ceramide 3, strong evidence for the barrier
- No fragrance or alcohol
Mind this
- Sunscreen the next day, acids leave skin more sun-sensitive
- Add it on its own for a week or two, so you know what your skin is answering to
Maya's readCeraVe SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin is a moisturizer built around Glycerin, Salicylic acid (BHA) and Ceramide 3. It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair, oil-control & blemishes. Best suited to dry, dehydrated and oily skin. Go slow: the active is potent enough to irritate if overused.
Skip it if your barrier is already sensitised or compromised: the acids can sting broken or over-exfoliated skin.
The formula, drawn
Every ingredient in label order, coloured by the job it does here.
14 of the 26 sit above the 1% line. The other 12, hatched, are each under 1%. Widths show the ORDER on the label and nothing else: the label never discloses amounts, so we never draw them.
- Actives & signals
- Hydrators
- Texture & base
- Preservation
- Not in our library yet
- No fragrance anywhere on the label
What it delivers
How it feels A rich, cushiony cream that sinks in slowly. Comforting on dry skin, possibly too much for oily skin in summer. (estimated from the formula)
What's in it that matters
Classic humectant with strong evidence for improving skin hydration and supporting barrier when combined with emollients.
Oil-soluble exfoliant that penetrates pores to reduce blackheads and breakouts; can be drying or irritating if overused.
Skin-identical ceramide that plays a key role in restoring and strengthening the skin barrier.
Highly purified mineral oil that forms an occlusive layer to reduce water loss and soften very dry skin.
Ceramide that supports barrier integrity and helps smooth rough, dry skin when combined with other skin lipids.
Structural ceramide important for a resilient, well-organized barrier lipid matrix.
How to use it
In the evening, and not every night: 2–3 times a week is plenty. Follow with a moisturiser, and wear sunscreen the next day.
Keep it away from
- Retinoids (retinol, tretinoin)
- Benzoyl peroxide
- Other exfoliating acids the same night
Where it acts
The same cross-section as our 500 dalton page, with this formula's actives on the layer each one works on. Depth is the anatomy's, never an ingredient's.
Skin surface
The stratum corneum
- Ammonium lactatederived from what it is
- Ceramide 1derived from what it is
- Ceramide 3derived from what it is
- Ceramide 6-IIderived from what it is
- Glycerinderived from what it is
- Mineral Oilderived from what it is
- Salicylic acid (BHA)derived from what it is
7 of this product's actives have a layer we can defend.
Against the average moisturizer
It scores higher than the median moisturizer on oil control.
On hydration, barrier repair, brightening and anti-aging it is level with the median, so that is not what sets it apart.
A median, not an average: one unusual formula should not move the middle. The numbers are the same 0 to 10 reads the comparison pages use.
The full ingredients list, decoded
Every ingredient on the label, in the order it appears (highest amount first). We link the 21 our library knows, name what each one does, and flag anything that can irritate or clog. The rest we leave plain, nothing is hidden.
All 26 ingredients, decoded
- Aqua / Water / EauSolvent (base)
- GlycerinHumectant
- TriethanolaminepH buffer
- Salicylic AcidExfoliantmild irritant
- Glyceryl StearateEmulsifier
- Ammonium LactateExfoliantmild irritant
- PEG-100 StearateEmulsifier
- Cetearyl AlcoholEmollient
- Cetyl AlcoholEmollient
- Zea Mays Oil / Corn OilPlant oil / butter (emollient)
- Ceramide NPBarrier lipid
- Ceramide APBarrier lipid
- Ceramide EOPBarrier lipid
- roughly the 1% lineThe rules only require descending order above 1%. From Carbomer down, these 12 can be listed in any order the brand likes, so position stops telling you anything.
- CarbomerThickener
- Behentrimonium MethosulfateConditioning agent
- DimethiconeOcclusive
- MethylparabenPreservative
- Sodium Lauroyl LactylateSurfactantmild irritant
- Cholecalciferol
- CholesterolBarrier lipid
- Disodium EDTAChelator
- PropylparabenPreservative
- Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic AcidHumectant
- PhytosphingosineSphingoid base
- Xanthan GumThickener
Copy the raw INCI list
Aqua / Water / Eau, Glycerin, Paraffinum Liquidum / Mineral Oil / Huile Minerale, Triethanolamine, Salicylic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Ammonium Lactate, PEG-100 Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Zea Mays Oil / Corn Oil, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Carbomer, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Dimethicone, Methylparaben, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Cholecalciferol, Cholesterol, Disodium EDTA, Propylparaben, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Phytosphingosine, Xanthan Gum
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We don't make or sell skincare of our own. So there's nothing here we're trying to push, just an honest read of whether this formula suits your skin.
Against your shelf
Read from your own shelf, in your browser. We never see it.
Compare it with…
All 10 comparisons
- SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin vs CeraVe Moisturizing Cream
- SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin vs CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion
- SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin vs CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion
- SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin vs Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream
- SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin vs The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA
- SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin vs La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+
- SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin vs Bioderma Atoderm Intensive Baume
- SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin vs Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel
- SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin vs Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion
- SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin vs La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ M
Common questions
Is CeraVe SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin good for dry skin?
By our read of the formula, it suits dry, dehydrated, oily skin. CeraVe SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin is a moisturizer built around Glycerin, Salicylic acid (BHA) and Ceramide 3. It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair, oil-control & blemishes. Best suited to dry, dehydrated and oily skin. Go slow: the active is potent enough to irritate if overused.
How do you use CeraVe SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin?
In the evening, and not every night: 2–3 times a week is plenty. Follow with a moisturiser, and wear sunscreen the next day.
What are the key ingredients in CeraVe SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin?
The actives that do the work are Glycerin, Salicylic acid (BHA), Ceramide 3, Mineral Oil, Ceramide 6-II, Ceramide 1. The rest of the list is texture, preservatives and emulsifiers that hold the formula together.
Does CeraVe SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin contain fragrance?
No. By our reading of the ingredient list it is fragrance-free, which is a plus for sensitive or reactive skin.
What the 3D scene shows
The scene shows CeraVe SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin beside a cross-section of skin, with 3 of its ingredients drawn at the layer each one acts on and at one shared molecular scale: Ceramide 3 and Glycerin and Salicylic acid (BHA) in the stratum corneum, the dead outer layer where most skincare works. Depths come from the same sourced layer data as the rest of this site, and any ingredient whose layer is not established is left out rather than guessed.
