CeraVe Healing Ointment is a staple in my skincare routine.
Even though I have dry, dehydrated skin and acne prone skin, CeraVe Healing Ointment never breaks me out. Plus, it protects the more sensitive areas of my face super well.
Regardless of your skin type, it’s a great addition to any winter skincare routine to protect your barrier from cold temperatures and harsh winds.
This article will explain everything you need to know about CeraVe Healing Ointment, how to use it, where to buy it, and some alternatives.
CeraVe Healing Ointment
| Best for: | Cracked skin, sensitive skin, eczema prone skin, extremely dry skin |
| Key Ingredients: | 46.5% petrolatum |
| Approved? | Yes! |
| Alternatives: | Aquaphor↗ |
| More Like This: | First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Lip Therapy↗ |
CeraVe Healing Ointment is a great occlusive balm formulated to lock in hydration and oil to your skin for long lasting moisturization.
It’s one of my favorite skincare products, and I think it could be a great addition to your routine too!
Active Ingredient
- 46.5% petrolatum
Key Ingredients
- Hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid
- Three essential ceramides
- Panthenol
- Cholesterol
Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic acid is a great skin loving ingredient to help attract environmental water. My skin feels deeply hydrated after applying it because it supports your skin’s natural moisture barrier!
Three Essential Ceramides
CeraVe products are known for being formulated with ceramides like:
- Ceramide AP
- Ceramide NP
- Ceramide OP
These guys are great moisturizing ingredients for supporting your protective skin barrier and locking in that essential moisture that your skin loves.
Other Ingredients
Among others, some common ingredients in CeraVe include:
- Mineral oil
- Paraffin
- Dimethicone
- Water
- Sodium lauroyl lactylate
- Cholesterol
Non Ingredients
Healing Ointment is:
- Lanolin free
- Fragrance free
- Dye free
CeraVe Healing Ointment Review
CeraVe
Healing Ointment
I love CeraVe Healing Ointment! I use it almost every night to soothe my dry skin and for a million other purposes.
Benefits
Healing Ointment is phenomenal to relieve extremely dry chapped or cracked skin. It has a non greasy feel and locks in moisture at the end of your skin routine which helps prevent water loss.
In turn, this process helps restore and soothe inflamed skin and protect your natural skin barrier from external irritants.
My Favorite benefits
I particularly love using in the winter to protect my exposed skin from super cold winds. Plus, sometimes when I overdo it with active ingredients like Differin, I’ll add this healing ointment to my routine to soothe my skin.
User Experience
Texture
Healing Ointment has a waxy texture and applies smoothly.
Color
The color is white in the tub but applies on clear with no white cast.
Fragrance
Thankfully, Healing Ointment is fragrance free.
Packaging
Healing Ointment comes in a few different product package options, including a 16oz tub and a tube.
CeraVe Healing Ointment Uses
Everyone thinks CeraVe Healing Ointment is just for slugging, but it’s way more versatile than that. Check out some of my favorite uses for one of my favorite skincare products!
Soothe Diaper Rash
Many studies confirm the efficacy of petrolatum as an effective prevention method for diaper rash and treatment.
Help with Skin Burns
Because of its wound healing properties, one study concluded that, “Petrolatum gel appears to be an effective, affordable and widely available alternative in the treatment of minor superficial partial thickness burns in adults.”
Manage Dry Skin
Healing Ointment is amazing for dry skin. By locking in water and oil to the outermost layer of your skin’s surface, the ointment helps heal dryness and protect you from
extreme dryness cracked skin and other dry skin conditions.
Wound Healing
Petrolatum helps support your body’s wound healing process, including minor cuts. This is because the ointment helps create an optimal environment by retaining skin’s moisture.
Help with Chafing
CeraVe Healing Ointment is phenomenal to temporarily protect and relieve chapped and chafed skin.
Manage Eczema
The National Eczema Association supports the use of petroleum jelly in the topical treatment of eczema prone skin.
Maintain Skin Hydration
Healing Ointment is amazing for supporting your skin’s natural moisture barrier as it reduces rates of transepidermal water loss.
Lip Balm
Many chapsticks include irritating ingredients like menthol that can actually irritate your lips over time. Instead, Healing Ointment is a great alternative lip therapy. I even use it as an overnight lip mask!
How to Use CeraVe Healing Ointment
For best results, CeraVe Healing Ointment should be the last step of your skincare routine. Follow these steps to use it correctly:
Wash your face thoroughly with a gentle cleanser
Apply a moisturizer or lotion
Wait for your moisturizer to absorb
Apply a facial oil (if necessary)
Wait for oil to absorb
Apply healing ointment to particularly dry patches or your entire face
Can you use CeraVe Healing Ointment on your face?
Yes, you can use CeraVe Healing Ointment on your face.
Before applying it though, make sure you use a gentle cleanser to fully remove dirt and other impurities from your skin’s surface. This is especially important if you’re acne prone!
Is CeraVe healing ointment good for face?
Yes, CeraVe Healing Ointment is good for your face, especially if you have very dry skin. However, for some people, it may cause milia or contribute to breakouts. This is totally dependent on your individual skin type and how you react to it.
Is CeraVe Healing Ointment a moisturizer?
Since it’s an occlusive, Healing Ointment is technically a moisturizer.
That being said, it works best when applied after a hydrating serum and a moisturizer so you can lock in all the water and oil.
This method is non greasy and helps relieve chafed skin and protect your skin’s barrier.
Is CeraVe Healing Ointment good for eczema?
Yes, CeraVe Healing Ointment is good for eczema. Petrolatum protects skin and supports your skin’s natural barrier which is especially important if your’s is dry cracked and chafed.
Where to Buy CeraVe Healing Ointment
You can pick up Healing Ointment on Amazon or in stores like Ulta and CVS.
CeraVe Healing Ointment Alternatives
Laneige
Lip Sleeping Mask
Vaseline
Petroleum Jelly
Aquaphor
Healing Ointment
Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask
Laneige
Lip Sleeping Mask
This is my favorite overnight sleeping mask! It stays on all night and leaves you with a perfect pout in the morning.
Vaseline
Vaseline
Petroleum Jelly
Vaseline is a tried-and-true staple in my household too. Pro tip: layer some over moisturizer if you get cracked hands in the winter!
Aquaphor
Aquaphor
Healing Ointment
Aquaphor is an alternative formulated with lanolin.
It works well as a lip therapy, although I don’t like the texture as much as CeraVe products. Also, lanolin is not dermatologist recommended for treating eczema like petroleum jelly is.
Frequently Asked Questions
CeraVe Healing Ointment is like enhanced Vaseline. While Vaseline is 100% refined white petrolatum, CeraVe healing ointment combines petrolatum, essential ceramides, and other hydrating ingredients that your skin will love.
It is unlikely you will experience side effects with CeraVe Healing Ointment. However, if you are allergic to it, you may experience some redness or irritation. Additionally, people prone to acne or millia may experience an exacerbation of their conditions.
CeraVe Healing Ointment is great for relieving cracked and chafed skin, moisturizing dry skin, and protecting your skin barrier.
Yes, CeraVe Healing Ointment is good for eczema on face. Because occlusives trap moisture into the skin, Healing Ointment provides a great environment for your skin to heal even with conditions like eczema and psoriasis.
You should not put Healing Ointment on active acne. Doing so can trap sweat, oil, and dirt into your pores which can aggravate your acne even more.
No, CeraVe Healing Ointment does not have lanolin.
Yes, CeraVe Healing Ointment expires. However, this time period is sped up by bacteria getting into the product moreso than the actual product not working anymore.
Yes, CeraVe Healing Ointment has 46.5% petrolatum.
No, CeraVe Healing Ointment does not have any ingredients that help with hyperpigmentation. However, it is great for wound healing and for dry skin.
No, CeraVe Healing Ointment does not have steroids.
CeraVe Healing Ointment can help soothe inflamed and irritated skin, but it does not directly treat acne.
Depending on your skin type, CeraVe Healing Ointment can make breakouts worse. However, it does not directly cause acne.
Yes, CeraVe Healing Ointment comes sealed. It also comes a few different types of packaging, including a tub and a squeeze tube. The squeeze tube is the more sanitary option if you’re concerned about cross contamination.
No, CeraVe Healing Ointment does not have any ingredients that help with dark spots. However, it is great for wound healing and for dry skin.
Yes, CeraVe Healing Ointment can be used on your face. It’s a great product to use after your moisturizer to lock in hydration and protect your skin barrier.
Yes, CeraVe Healing Ointment can be used on your lips. In fact, it’s a much better alternative than chapstick since it doesn’t have any irritating ingredients like menthol.
Yes, CeraVe Healing Ointment can be used around your eyes. The skin around your eyes is much thinner than the rest of your face, so it is more prone to drying out and getting irritated. Applying an occlusive after your moisturizer at night is a great way to protect your eyes instead.
If you are already acne prone or experiencing a breakout, applying CeraVe Healing Ointment over a hot spot can cause more breakouts to occur. That being said, Healing Ointment should not directly cause you to breakout if you are cleansing your skin properly beforehand.
CeraVe Healing Ointment is an occlusive, and all occlusives are also moisturizers. That being said, it works best when applied on top of a moisturizer rather than just as a moisturizer by itself.
CeraVe Healing Ointment provides an environment for healthy skin to heal by trapping moisture and protecting your skin from external irritants.
Yes, CeraVe Healing Ointment is a great treatment for diaper rash as it will protect the baby’s skin from chafing.
Yes, you can put CeraVe Healing Ointment on your face. It works well when layered on top of a moisturizer as part of your nighttime skincare routine to protect against extremely dry skin.
CeraVe Healing Ointment is good for protecting your skin from chafing and chapping, wound healing, soothing eczema, and many other benefits. It supports your skin’s natural barrier and is suitable for sensitive skin and very dry skin.
