Take a peek in any Gen Z’s bathroom cabinet these days and there’s one brand you’re almost guaranteed to find: CeraVe.
For a certain age group, it’s requisite. It’s almost as if it’s government mandated. Anyone who attended a music festival this summer would have noticed its telltale white, medicinal packaging littering the shower talls. And if you’ve been looking into gifting for the 12-27 range this Christmas, chances are there’s one skincare brand that keeps cropping up.
For a generation raised on YouTube tutorials and indoctrinated into the cult of skincare from a very young age, this might surprise you. CeraVe (pronounced serra-vee) prides itself on being a no-frills, affordable, basic brand. In many ways, it’s the skin equivalent of a 3-in-1 shampoo.
And yet, Gen Z cannot get enough of it. On TikTok, the “Results of CeraVe” search term has 54.4m related posts, with before and after videos raking in anywhere between up to 12.6m views a pop. Of the top 12 search results for this term, the average video viewership is 1,300,000.
Initially, the CeraVe boom was primarily located in the US, but now that’s changing. According to a L’Oreal sales report from this September, nearly half of CeraVe’s sales now come from outside the US, as part of a general sales performance they call “remarkable.”
And according to Nielsen HQ’s market research, CeraVe’s blemish control cleanser had the most value sales within the entire Problem Skin Cleansing category in the UK for 52 weeks up to this May.
The brand has also sought out meaningful collaborations with high profile UK-based TikTok influencers, such as beloved comedic influencer @italianbach and BAFTA-nominated satirist Munya Chawawa.
@natalie_oneillll I think its cus people are scared? This one isn’t scary though 🎀 the most underrated skincare product from Cerave #overrated #skincare #cerave #retinol #cloggedpores #affordableskincare #drugstoremakeup
♬ original sound - Natalie O'Neill
One Gen Z who swears by CeraVe is Chloe Alexander, a 22-year-old Londoner who started using their products in 2021. “I was staying at a friend’s house after a party and she recommended I try it. It felt right so I bought some,” Chloe recalls. She remembers seeing the results “quite quick[ly]. I realised after maybe two weeks that I hadn’t had any spots for most of that time.”
Now she swears by CeraVe, even over more expensive products that other people swear by. “Despite the results the expensive ones give other people, CeraVe is giving me and my skin great results and that’s all that really counts to me,” she says.
Clinical aesthetician and founder of Mortar & Milk Pam Marshall says CeraVe’s popularity among young people is down to two main factors. “One, it’s affordable. Two, it’s labelled specifically and is easy to understand. There’s no guessing game on who or what it is good for,” she says.
Marshall also argues that the CeraVe appeal reaches further than just the 12-27 age bracket. “Gen Z may be more vocal about it online because they are more comfortable on social media, but I think most people are having a push back from complicated and overly ‘active’ skin routines. I’ve been fighting against this the whole time and have had to help heal extremely stressed skin for a very long time.
“My personal opinion is that there are too many voices on social media, most of whom don’t understand skin, but know how to get a lot of followers. This is really what’s harmed skin. Thankfully there are brands out there like CeraVe that have put money into marketing and PR in the last few years to remind people to be kind to their skin.”
Meanwhile, CeraVe’s success on TikTok can now be translated into sales easier than ever, due to the products being shoppable within the app. Marketing director at adQuadrant Nick Grant explained this process to Retail Gazette last month, saying: “TikTok influencers are crucial to the success of TikTok Shop because they engage followers through authentic content that drives sales directly within the app. Their real-time engagement, strong follower trust, and compelling content make them indispensable to TikTok Shop’s explosive growth.”
@lifewithmils Replying to @Anja Muhič cerave: yes or no? *acne healing guides in my bio* #skincare #skinbarrier #Skintok #viralskincare #fyp #explore #acne #acnesafeskincare #skincarereview #porecloggingingredients
♬ original sound - millie mae
There are still CeraVe doubters out there, though. The brand’s status as a “drugstore” or high street brand means that it doesn’t carry exactly the same esteem as the likes of La Mer or Dr Barbara Sturm. This, Marshall says, is misguided. “I personally don’t think that just because something is cheap, that it’s bad. I think all brands can put out both good and ‘bad’ products. We are a society that craves newness, and this puts us in a pickle. It means brands need to put out products on a regular basis to stay relevant.
“Unfortunately that puts pressure on brands and formulations, consumers' pockets, and most sadly, the environment. But inexpensive skincare isn’t by nature bad. I recommend certain CeraVe and LaRoche Posay products all the time. At the same time, I would never recommend an extremely high priced product without having tested its efficacy first. Sadly, very few make the cut.”
