CeraVe Healing Ointment

Editor's Take

For cracked, compromised skin, this is the jar I’d reach for: petrolatum does the sealing, ceramides add substance, but the environmental bill is hard to ignore.

Four-pillar formula scores

• Performance: 8.8 / 10
• Innovative Ingredients: 6.5 / 10
• Clean Standards: 8.6 / 10
• Formula Sustainability: 2.1 / 10

The Verdict

With 46.5% petrolatum, this formula is well aligned good at reducing water loss and shielding a damaged barrier. Three ceramides, cholesterol, and phytosphingosine make it more useful than plain petroleum jelly, while the fragrance-free base suits sensitive skin. Cosmetic-grade petrolatum is highly refined, so the real drawback here is environmental persistence, not a dramatic skin-safety concern. A strong rescue ointment with a stubbornly fossil-derived footprint.

Is CeraVe Healing Ointment clean?

DARE scores CeraVe Healing Ointment by CeraVe 8.6 / 10 on Clean Standards, the human-health pillar of the Formulation Architecture Model™. That reading comes from the published INCI list read as a system — preservative, fragrance and surfactant choices in context — not from flagging single ingredients in isolation.

What are the key ingredients in CeraVe Healing Ointment?

The formula leads with Petrolatum 46.5%, Mineral Oil, Paraffin, Ozokerite, Dimethicone, Hyaluronic Acid. DARE reads the full INCI list below in order, so position and pairing shape how each ingredient contributes under Performance and Innovative Ingredients.

How does DARE score CeraVe Healing Ointment?

Under the Formulation Architecture Model™, CeraVe Healing Ointment by CeraVe scores Performance 8.8 / 10, Clean Standards 8.6 / 10, Innovative Ingredients 6.5 / 10, and Formula Sustainability 2.1 / 10. Each pillar is scored from the finished formula rather than from isolated ingredient flags.

Read the Formulation Architecture Model™ →

DARE vs single-ingredient apps like Yuka →

Full INCI list

Petrolatum 46.5%, Mineral Oil, Paraffin, Ozokerite, Dimethicone, Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Ceramide 1, Ceramide 3, Ceramide 6-II, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Carbomer, Panthenol, Water, L-Proline, Xanthan Gum