As a beauty editor, I receive a lot of skincare designed for an elaborate routine. But sometimes all I want are no frills, moisture-grabbing ingredients. CeraVe Advanced Repair Ointment is that much-needed, does-it-all product and a beauty secret finally available in the UK after going viral in the US with 22 million TikTok views. (It's called the ‘Healing Ointment’ in the US, to clear up any confusion).
I jumped on the CeraVe bandwagon a few years ago with the Foaming Cleanser, which does a brilliant job of lifting away makeup and daily grime without leaving your skin feeling tight and uncomfortable. But it's the new CeraVe Advanced Repair Ointment that I've been using on repeat recently – and with good reason.
I can count on one hand the number of times I've had a break out of perioral dermatitis (a skin condition that Hailey Bieber has raised awareness of) on the right corner of my mouth. The jury is still out on what definitively causes it, but it's possible that stress, harsh products and the weather all play a part and of course it reared its head just in time for party season last year.
The tiny, blister-like spots that seem to breed like guppies over a couple of weeks are bad enough. But when they disappear, there's a new level of trauma as I'm always left with raw, crusty skin around my mouth that cracks when I eat or smile. Severely chapped lips – the result of icy temperatures sucking the moisture from my skin – only adds to the misery.
Few products have offered my skin solace, so I was keen to try the CeraVe Advanced Repair Ointment after the rave reviews I'd read on TikTok. One video by dermatologist Dr Andrew Park, which has been viewed 2 million times, describes the formula as “magical” for dry, sensitive skin – as it's “basically petroleum jelly but they've added incredible ingredients that help your skin heal from the inside out.”
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Another content creator, @kriziaofficial, uses the CeraVe ointment for slugging when she has eczema flare ups by adding a generous amount on top of her regular moisturiser. "The next day my skin didn't feel tight and the redness went down," she says.
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And they're not wrong. The CeraVe Advanced Repair Ointment is a brilliant fragrance-free salve for dry skin on the face, body and lips, which is why in the US it has been approved by the National Eczema Association.
It doubles down with ceramides and hyaluronic acid, making it even more effective at drumming up a continuous flow of hydration. The dermatologists behind the brand also threw in petrolatum, which forms an occlusive physical barrier on the skin's surface to lock all that goodness in and help protect injured skin from irritants. Hence, it's like an all-in-one slugging product.
What I would say, though, is that it's not the type of product that sinks effortlessly into the skin on your face for invisible hydration. This is more of an SOS product to slather on when all else fails. It has a similar consistency as Vaseline, which made it too gloopy to wear by day.
But after just three overnight applications, the dry, crispy skin my perioral dermatitis had left behind was smooth – and any redness had faded. Better still, my withered, flaky lips now look uncommonly juicy and plumper than a hotel pillow.
Since then, I've applied the CeraVe Advanced Repair Ointment to the snake-like skin on my shins and elbows. But most of all, I coat my lips in it every day. It's become a makeup bag mainstay and, unlike some lip balms that actually make lips drier, it is free from lanolin and fragrance, two potential irritants that can leave lips even more chapped.
Oh, and did we mention the pleasing £11 price tag? CeraVe is definitely serving up ‘heal-good’ vibes with this budget skin saviour.
For more from Fiona Embleton, GLAMOUR's Acting Associate Beauty Director, follow her on @fiembleton.
