Renewing SA Cleanser — Reddit Reviews
by CeraVe
Updated September 23, 2026
Salicylic acid cleanser for clogged pores and rough texture; can be drying.
What the community says
A salicylic acid cleanser with ceramides and niacinamide that aims at clogged pores, bumps, and rough texture. Reddit says it can help acne and KP, and studies found niacinamide can improve acne too. Dry or rosacea-prone skin often gets stripped.
What this means for you
Backed by 28 threads from r/30PlusSkinCare, r/SkincareAddiction and 6 more.
Read the threads ↓What people love
- Salicylic acid without a prescription
- Helps KP and body bumps
- Ceramides plus niacinamide for barrier support
Watch out for
Product details
Skin Type
Product Traits
Key Ingredients
What the science says vs. what Reddit says
Acne
Some evidence
Niacinamide: 6 studies tested it on its own. See all 17 studies
On Reddit: Daily use on back and chest works well to soothe bumps without much irritation. 76 mentions
Hyperpigmentation
Some evidence
Niacinamide: 5 studies tested it on its own. See all 24 studies
What the studies found
- All of these studies found niacinamide helped fade dark spots or patches
- Niacinamide 5% faded dark spots more than a placebo in studies of sun-damaged skin and dark patches
- Used with salicylic acid peels, niacinamide improved dark patches more than peels alone
- A niacinamide mix faded dark spots better than niacinamide alone in one study
- One study found the fading effect reversed after niacinamide was stopped
Research context, not treatment advice. Studies are about the ingredient, not necessarily this exact product.
Real Reddit threads — 483 mentions across 28 threads
CeraVe Renewing SA Cleanser on Reddit, in one place — 28 threads from r/30PlusSkinCare, r/SkincareAddiction and 6 more, summarized.
“Wash with Cerave SA cleanser.”
Positive
“At night I wash”
Positive
“CeraVe SA cleanser”
Positive
“Things that worked but don’t currently use:”
Positive
“I switched to this from using CeraVe SA + rx Sulfur cleanser”
Positive
“I switched to cleansing first with an oil cleanser (Hanskin BHA Pore Cleansing Oil), and then doing my second cleanse with Cerave SA Renewing Cleanser and it was a noticeable improvement!”
Positive
“Speedy Moo cleansing oil, Panoxyl cleanser(weekly only on the nose), Paula’s choice BHA toner”
Positive
“What she said! I personally swapped to an oil-based cleanser that CeraVe has and my pores have never looked better.”
Positive
“rotating cerave SA cleanser with SA cream after”
Positive
“The only thing that has worked for me to manage it externally is”
Positive
“every 2nd or 3rd shower”
Positive
“was doing cera ve SA face wash morning and night”
Positive
“use cera ve hydrating cream to foam instead of the SA cleanser morning and night”
Positive
“the SA cleanser”
Positive
“AM: Cerave SA cleanser, pure skin elf toner, the ordinary niacinamide serum and cerave am spf 30 moisturizer”
Positive
“PM: SA Cleanser, pure skin toner, niacinamide, elf holy hydration cream + holy hydration eye cream and finish with tactumpump”
Positive
“The SA cleanser and tactumpump 😼”
Positive
