When I was young, I suffered from eczema, and even though it isn’t my concern anymore, my skin is dry throughout the year. During warm months, flakey skin isn’t a concern as occasional exfoliation with a mitt or a cloth is enough. When the cold months hit, and the heating is in use, I turn into a snow cloud. It is simply impossible to control the unremitting flaking of the skin. Throughout the years, I have tested several exfoliating body care product. Still, none of them would wow me or would work well enough to justify the high price. Instead, I would use facial exfoliating acid products and body lotions with urea. However, the CeraVe SA Smoothing Cream stands out in the crowd; it destroys dead skin within days, and it’s at an accessible price point. 

The formula contains a mix of moisturising ingredients like glycerine, ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and dimethicone — an excellent base for a rich body cream on its own. There’s also niacinamide for brightening and strengthening skin. It has urea, salicylic acid, and LHA, L’Oréal’s proprietary acid similar to salicylic acid yet gentler on skin, as exfoliating agents. Like all of CeraVe’s products, the cream includes the MVE Technology, which locks moisture in skin for up to 24h, it’s also fragrance-free and suitable for all skin types. 

This cream has a lush yet ungreasy texture, and it sits on skin without being sticky. For me, the biggest asset of this product is that it allows me to get all the benefits of an exfoliating lotion and circumvent applying petrolatum on my skin. It’s not that petrolatum is terrible, but I am not a fan of it. I feel like it suffocates my skin and doesn’t hydrate it well enough. I prefer body moisturisers based on glycerine and shea butter, which is the case here. 

From my experience, I can tell you that you will start to see results after the first three days, your skin will be smoother and silky to touch. After a few initial applications, I experienced some reddening, but it went away quickly. After finishing the first tub of this cream, my skin became soft, more even and Keratosis Piliaris decreased on my arms with continuous use. It does what it says on the tin, literally. Also, having used this cream for a couple of months, I noticed that it lightened some of the darker patches on my body like my waistline where there’s always friction between my skin and trousers. 

This product contains salicylic acid, which in theory means that it should work against breakouts, considering it also includes two other exfoliants. But, I feel like it provokes spots on my back and arms at times. I get breakouts on my trunk, but it’s when I go to the gym regularly and sweat excessively, but now gyms are closed and the little at-home exercises that I do, do not cause me to sweat a lot. So I am not sure if it is the product, or something internally, but I think it’s worth putting it out there if some of you experience a similar thing.

Overall, CeraVe’s SA Smoothing Cream is a fantastic, exfoliating body cream. It desquamates dead skin cells, brightens skin, and decreases Keratosis Piliaris. It works for all skin types, but people with acne-prone skin should be wary as it may cause breakouts. You can also use it as a foot cream if the skin on your feet isn’t too demanding. 

Ingredients:

WATER, UREA, CETYL ALCOHOL, GLYCERYL STEARATE SE, CETEARYL, ALCOHOL, NIACINAMIDE, BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII BUTTER / SHEA BUTTER, C12-13 ALKYL LACTATE, PEG-100 STEARATE, GLYCERIN, BEHENTRIMONIUM METHOSULFATE, DIMETHICONE, TRIACETIN, CERAMIDE NP, CERAMIDE AP, CERAMIDE EOP, CARBOMER, SODIUM LACTATE, SALICYLIC ACID, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, SODIUM LAUROYL LACTYLATE, SODIUM HYALURONATE, CHOLESTEROL, PHENOXYETHANOL, DISODIUM EDTA, CAPRYLOYL SALICYLIC ACID, HYDROXYACETOPHENONE, CITRIC ACID, LACTIC ACID, PHYTOSPHINGOSINE, XANTHAN GUM, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN (cerave.co.uk)