CeraVe Oil Control Balancing Shampoo

Editor's Take

A proper reset for greasy roots, with stronger oil removal than sensitive-scalp shoppers may expect, though the ceramide complex gives it more finesse than most clarifiers.

Four-pillar formula scores

• Performance: 8.2 / 10
• Innovative Ingredients: 7.5 / 10
• Clean Standards: 3.8 / 10
• Formula Sustainability: 7.4 / 10

The Verdict

CeraVe promises oil control, thorough cleansing, scalp purification, lightweight hydration, and a refreshed, balanced scalp without stripping, including for sensitive, curly, and color-treated hair. Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate leads an assertive sulfate-free cleansing base, while Salicylic Acid and Zinc PCA make the oil-control brief credible; the triple ceramide complex, cholesterol, and phytosphingosine help soften the trade-off, but they cannot guarantee that everyday washing will suit dry lengths or very reactive scalps. The ingredient list does not support a natural formula character: Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Cocamide MIPA, Carbomer, and Polyquaternium-10 keep it well outside stricter clean standards. Formula sustainability is respectable rather than exemplary, held back mainly by the petrochemical sulfonate base and poorly biodegradable Polyquaternium-10. Worth it as a targeted greasy-root shampoo with barrier-minded extras, rather than a universally gentle daily wash.

Is CeraVe Oil Control Balancing Shampoo clean?

DARE scores CeraVe Oil Control Balancing Shampoo by CeraVe 3.8 / 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 Oil Control Balancing Shampoo?

The formula leads with AQUA / WATER / EAU, SODIUM C14-16 OLEFIN SULFONATE, DISODIUM LAURETH SULFOSUCCINATE, DISODIUM COCOAMPHODIACETATE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, GLYCOL DISTEARATE. 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 Oil Control Balancing Shampoo?

Under the Formulation Architecture Model™, CeraVe Oil Control Balancing Shampoo by CeraVe scores Performance 8.2 / 10, Clean Standards 3.8 / 10, Innovative Ingredients 7.5 / 10, and Formula Sustainability 7.4 / 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

AQUA / WATER / EAU, SODIUM C14-16 OLEFIN SULFONATE, DISODIUM LAURETH SULFOSUCCINATE, DISODIUM COCOAMPHODIACETATE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, GLYCOL DISTEARATE, SODIUM LAURYL SULFOACETATE, COCAMIDE MIPA, CERAMIDE NP, CERAMIDE AP, CERAMIDE EOP, CARBOMER, NIACINAMIDE, ZINC PCA, TRIETHYL CITRATE, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, SODIUM BENZOATE, SODIUM LAUROYL LACTYLATE, SALICYLIC ACID, SODIUM HYALURONATE, CHOLESTEROL, COCO-BETAINE, CITRIC ACID, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, PHYTOSPHINGOSINE, XANTHAN GUM, POLYQUATERNIUM-10, BENZOIC ACID, PPG-5-CETETH-20 (F.I.L. N70073597/1)