With my skin-care products, I am not a monogamist. In fact even when I find “the one”—a product that makes a noticeable difference in my skin’s clarity or texture—I’m on the hunt for the next best thing as soon as the last drop of product hits my fingertips. Surely, there has to be something that can make my skin even better than this, I’ll think to myself. And so the skincare product search begins anew.
Last summer, my skin-care routine and I had a good thing going until videos began populating my TikTok “For You” page about the humble, affordable drugstore brand CeraVe, whose products were selling out in drugstores across the country. At first it was confusing. I used CeraVe products back in 2007 and while I liked their face wash and moisturizers, I had moved on to better (and, admittedly, more expensive) products. Was this the same tried and true CeraVe I knew? And like the good consumer I am, the product’s scarcity only made me want CeraVe even more.
CeraVe’s coveted status can be traced back to TikTok skinfluencer Hyram Yarbro a.k.a. @SkincarebyHyram—who boasts almost 7 million followers on TikTok alone. His many reviews of CeraVe products instruct on why the brand’s salicylic acid ingredients are ideal for acne-prone skin and why CeraVe’s non-stripping hydrating cleanser is best for dry, sensitive skin. While Yarbro is not a dermatologist, he’s won trust and a loyal following from a Gen-Z audience by acting as an industry whistleblower, cutting through marketing speak, and prioritizing skin health by way of an ingredient-aware regimen. And while there’s caution to be had from a one-size-fits all approach beamed to thousands or millions of people in bite-sized videos, Yarbro and other skinfluencer’s no-nonsense, informative approach is compelling. They give viewers a feeling of agency to make their own decisions.
On my next trip to the drugstore for something unrelated, I walked past the skin-care section and couldn’t help but notice the CeraVe waiting for me on the shelf. I picked up a bottle of the hydrating facial cleanser, which was, to my surprise, all in stock. This accessibility, I thought, had to give part to the brand’s meteoric rise. Walk into any drugstore and—unless there’s another sold-out frenzy—you can have CeraVe instantly. No waiting for your online order to arrive.
Now, months have passed and I am getting down to the last drops of my summertime CeraVe purchase. But, this time, I have the feeling that I’m not yet ready to let go of it. While I don’t have a before and after transformation that could go viral, the TikTok hype wasn’t wrong. My dry skin looks good (and less dry) after consistently using the hydrating cleanser. I could return to my hunt-for-something-better-ways but should I stick with my reliable, tried and true CeraVe? While some of the other products in my skin-care regimen are expensive (keep in mind that not all brands have the economy to scale, so while CeraVe sits at an affordable price point that doesn’t mean you can expect the same with great quality from every brand), I plan on sticking with CeraVe’s affordable face wash for another round.
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