REVIEWS

Products, reviewed honestly

Specific products, assessed the same way as everything else on this site — what's actually in them, who they suit, and what to watch out for. No sponsorships or paid placements. Some “where to buy” links may earn a small commission, which never changes our verdict.

A313 Pommade

The cult French ointment people call OTC tretinoin. A dermatologist on why it's actually retinyl palmitate, the weakest retinoid there is.

AmLactin Daily 5%

A lighter 5% lactic acid lotion with ceramides, gentle enough for the face. A dermatologist on why it's quietly leaving AmLactin's catalogue.

AmLactin Daily Nourish Lotion 12%

12% ammonium lactate, the same active and strength that needs a prescription as Lac-Hydrin. A dermatologist on the OTC version.

AmLactin Intensive Healing 15%

15% ammonium lactate in a ceramide base. A dermatologist on the strongest and best-formulated product AmLactin makes.

AmLactin Ultra Smoothing 15%

Discontinued, and the weakest 15% formula AmLactin made. A dermatologist on why Intensive Healing 15% has the same acid in a better base.

Anua Dark Spot Correcting Serum

10% niacinamide and 4% tranexamic acid, a well-chosen pigment pair at a fair price. A dermatologist on this Korean dark-spot serum.

Anua Nano Retinol 0.3% + Niacin Renewing Serum

The name says 0.3%; Anua's own ingredient list says 0.11%. A dermatologist on why both are true and why that's the problem.

Aquaphor

41% petrolatum and one of the most useful products in any cabinet. A dermatologist on the lanolin, once named Allergen of the Year.

Aveeno Calm + Restore Moisturizer

A light oat gel for sensitive skin. A dermatologist on the one ingredient worth knowing about if you have a ragweed allergy.

Aveeno Calm + Restore Nourishing Oat Face Cleanser

An extremely mild oat cleanser for reactive skin. A dermatologist on the plant in it from the ragweed family.

Avène Tolerance Control Soothing Skin Recovery Cream

Fifteen ingredients, no fragrance, no preservatives, in a sterile pump. A dermatologist on a truly minimalist cream for reactive skin.

Beach Sun Straw Hat UV UPF 50

A dermatologist on straw sun hats: why the weave lets UV through and why a study found the top-selling hats' UPF labels can't be trusted.

BeautyStat Universal C Skin Refiner

20% pure L-ascorbic acid in a waterless base, a clever fix for vitamin C stability, from a cosmetic chemist. A dermatologist's take.

Biossance Squalane + Copper Peptide Rapid Plumping Serum

A copper peptide serum in a squalane base. A dermatologist on why what you feel immediately is the humectants, not the peptide.

Black Girl Sunscreen

A chemical sunscreen built to leave no white cast on deep skin, and it solves that completely. A dermatologist on the eye-stinging complaint.

Bliss Bright Idea Vitamin C + Tri-Peptide

A mid-price serum on a vitamin C derivative and a peptide. A dermatologist on a gentle, pleasant formula with undisclosed concentrations.

CeraVe Acne Control Cleanser

A 2% salicylic acid gel cleanser with ceramides. A dermatologist on why it unclogs pores while repairing the barrier instead of stripping it.

CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser

4% benzoyl peroxide in a cleanser with ceramides. A dermatologist on one of the few acne washes with a real mechanism and barrier support.

CeraVe Diabetics' Dry Skin Relief

It's sold on urea and contains none. A dermatologist on why, with no petrolatum, it's arguably weaker than the $12 CeraVe tub beside it.

CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser

A well-made foaming cleanser for oily skin. A dermatologist on why it's the one CeraVe cleanser that still contains parabens.

CeraVe Healing Ointment

49.5% petrolatum with ceramides and no lanolin. A dermatologist on why this is the obvious swap if Aquaphor has ever irritated you.

CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser

A cleanser so mild it barely cleanses, which is right for dry skin. A dermatologist on why that's a real problem if you wear sunscreen.

CeraVe Moisturizing Cream

About a dollar an ounce, genuinely fragrance-free, and the cream most dermatologists actually recommend. A dermatologist on its one real flaw: the tub.

CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion

A light, fragrance-free night lotion with niacinamide and ceramides. A dermatologist on why having no retinoid or acid matters more than it sounds.

CeraVe Psoriasis Cream

A genuinely excellent moisturizer with 2% salicylic acid. A dermatologist on why it removes the scale but doesn't treat the disease.

CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser

It has SA in the name and isn't a drug. A dermatologist on why CeraVe won't disclose the salicylic acid, and why it isn't the 2% you'd assume.

CeraVe Skin Renewing Eye Cream

A dermatologist on why CeraVe's own night cream has the same peptides and ceramides for about a fifth of the price per ounce.

CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream

A richer CeraVe night cream. A dermatologist on why the two headline peptides sit below the preservative, meaning trace amounts.

CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum

A gentle, fragrance-free encapsulated retinol with ceramides. A dermatologist on the formula and why CeraVe won't disclose the strength.

CeraVe Vitamin C Serum

10% pure L-ascorbic acid with ceramides in an opaque pump. A dermatologist on why it gets the three things about vitamin C right, for about $24.

Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser

A cheap, effective foaming cleanser for oily skin. A dermatologist on the masking fragrance in a product sold for sensitive skin.

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser

The classic sensitive-skin cleanser, quietly reformulated around 2021. A dermatologist on why the new version is milder than the one people miss.

Cetaphil Mineral Stick

A fragrance-free mineral sunscreen stick. A dermatologist on where it genuinely helps, and why it fails as your only sun protection.

Coconut Oil (Virgin, Cold-Pressed)

A dermatologist on coconut oil: the eczema evidence is real, but it's comedogenic, feeds fungal acne, and is emphatically not a sunscreen.

COOLA Sunscreen Mist

A sunscreen mist for the scalp and hair part. A dermatologist on a rare product for a spot most people miss and where cancers get found.

Cortizone-10 Maximum Strength Anti-Itch Creme

Hydrocortisone 1%, the weakest steroid class. A dermatologist on why the label says seven days, most people use it for months, and that gap matters.

Cosrx Peptide Serum

Six peptides plus niacinamide in a 150 ml bottle for about $20. A dermatologist on why the niacinamide is doing more work than the peptides.

DermaCalm SOS Therapy

A marketplace-only eczema and baby cream that contains rose oil while advertising itself as fragrance-free. A dermatologist on the mismatch.

Derma E Advanced Peptides & Collagen Serum

Two well-known peptides placed high in the formula. A dermatologist on the collagen claim that isn't what it sounds like.

Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Retinol Serum

A 3.5% Retinoid Complex that won't say how much retinoid is in it, perfumed with seven essential oils, for $99. A dermatologist's take.

Differin Daily Deep Facial Cleanser

5% benzoyl peroxide and almost nothing else. A dermatologist on a seven-ingredient wash with no barrier support and a sensitive-skin warning.

Differin Gel (Adapalene 0.1%)

A prescription-strength retinoid sold over the counter. A dermatologist on why it's the single most effective acne product you can buy OTC.

Differin Oil Absorbing Moisturizer SPF 30

A mattifying SPF 30 moisturizer built to sit alongside adapalene. A dermatologist on why, despite the name, it contains no retinoid.

Dr. Jart+ Every Sun Day Mineral Sunscreen

SPF 50 mineral sunscreen with a silicone-smooth finish that absorbs fast. A dermatologist on the citrus oils hiding in a gentle-branded formula.

DRMTLGY Peptide Night Cream

A $46 peptide night cream from a company with an F BBB rating. A dermatologist on the formula, the peptide evidence, and the ordering risk.

Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream

1% pure retinol, honestly stated, with no fragrance or essential oils. A dermatologist on a $74 cream where 1% can hurt if you rush it.

Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream

$68 for a competent but unremarkable emollient cream. A dermatologist on a safety-focused brand that recalled this exact product for contamination.

EltaMD AM Restore Moisturizer

A light niacinamide lotion with a name that implies SPF. A dermatologist on why it has none, and the structural claim a cosmetic shouldn't make.