Beauty Elixir

CeraVe · Serum · leave-on

Is CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum pore-clogging or fungal-acne safe?

70%clean
Mild risk

No heavy pore-cloggers found, but 3 ingredients are rated 2. Most people are fine; very acne-prone skin should watch for small bumps.

Not fungal-acne safe

2 ingredients can feed Malassezia yeast (itchy, uniform forehead or chest bumps).

#IngredientPoresFungal acneIrritancy
36 Butyrospermum Parkii Butter 2/5 · Mild risk Trigger
19 Cetearyl Alcohol 2/5 · Mild risk Safe
28 Tocopherol 2/5 · Mild risk Safe
3 Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride 1/5 · Low Safe
17 Dimethicone 1/5 · Low Safe
6 Polysorbate 20 0/5 · Low Trigger
1 Aqua 0/5 · Low Safe
2 Glycerin 0/5 · Low Safe
15 Niacinamide 0/5 · Low Safe
32 Sodium Hyaluronate 0/5 · Low Safe
27 ingredients not in our pore-clogging database

These have no published comedogenic rating in our data. Most are preservatives, fragrance, extracts or actives that are not known pore-cloggers.

potassium cetyl phosphatehydrogenated palm glyceridespeg-40 stearatecyclopentasiloxanehydroxyethylcellulosepotassium phosphateceramide npceramide apceramide eopcarbomerisoceteth-10triethanolaminebehentrimonium methosulfatecichorium intybus root extract / chicory root extractlecithinretinolsilicasodium lauroyl lactylatecholesterolphenoxyethanolalcoholhydroxyacetophenonecitric acidpentylene glycolxanthan gumphytosphingosineethylhexylglycerin

Ingredients rated 3–5 that appear after position 15 are usually present below about 1%, so they are shown as "Low amount" and do not trigger the pore-clog alert. Ratings come from the Fulton comedogenic scale (0–5) and published Malassezia research. They are a rough guide: the concentration and the whole formula matter, and everyone's skin is different.

Acne-safe breakdown

We found no ingredients rated 3 or higher in CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum. The ingredients doing most of the work are Aqua, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride and Polysorbate 20, which are all low-risk for pores.

Compare CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum

vs CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serumvs Minimalist Alpha Arbutin 2% Face Serumvs Minimalist Niacinamide 10% Face Serumvs Minimalist Retinol 0.3% Face Serumvs Minimalist Salicylic Acid 2% Face Serumvs Minimalist Vitamin C 10% Face Serumvs Plum 15% Vitamin C & Mandarin Glow Boost Serumvs The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HAvs The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%vs The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation)

Full ingredient list

Aqua/Water/Eau, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides, Polysorbate 20, Peg-40 Stearate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Potassium Phosphate, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Carbomer, Niacinamide, Isoceteth-10, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Triethanolamine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cichorium Intybus Root Extract / Chicory Root Extract, Lecithin, Retinol, Silica, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Cholesterol, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopherol, Alcohol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Citric Acid, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Pentylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Phytosphingosine, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter / Shea Butter, Ethylhexylglycerin

Source: official CeraVe product page, checked 27 Sep 2026. Formulas vary by country and change over time, so always check your pack.

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Frequently asked questions

Is CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum pore-clogging?

Mild risk. No heavy pore-cloggers found, but 3 ingredients are rated 2. Most people are fine; very acne-prone skin should watch for small bumps.

Is CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum safe for fungal acne?

No. It contains Polysorbate 20 and Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, which can feed Malassezia yeast.

What is the clean score of CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum?

CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum scores 70% on our pore-clog and fungal-acne scan, based on 10 recognised ingredients out of 37.

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