It may look like an unassuming skin care staple but CeraVe’s Moisturising Cream is anything but, having earned cult beauty status.
Over the past 18 years, the drugstore brand’s ceramide-infused cream has earned the respect of both consumers – American actress and director Olivia Wilde is an A-list fan – and dermatologists alike due to its ultra-hydrating properties.
The brand’s hype even led to CeraVe being acquired by beauty giant L’Oréal in 2017 as part of a US$1.3bn deal, and today the cream is still producing strong sales numbers.
CeraVe sold one unit of product, including Moisturising Cream (originally launched internationally with the Americanised spelling 'Moisturizing') every two seconds during Amazon’s Prime Day 2 for 2024, but just what is the secret sauce to its success?
Tom Allison, CeraVe’s Senior VP, Global Professional Sales, Marketing and Strategy, reveals the product’s origin story in Cosmetics Business new ‘Untold Story’ series.
How CeraVe’s Moisturising Cream came to be
CeraVe was founded in 2005 and launched into the market a year later with just three core products – Moisturising Cream, Moisturising Lotion and Hydrating Cleanser – but the brand’s debut was anything but simple.
CeraVe started its journey as part of US company Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, “which was building prescription medications for dermatologists to treat patients across a lot of common skin diseases, like acne, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, etc,” says Allison.
“The fact the brand started as part of a pharmaceutical company is important because Moisturising Cream was really built for the exam room – it started as a utility product for dermatologists to utilise on the face and body.
“And when you develop something for the exam room, there is really no margin for error, as those who go to see a dermatologist with a skin disease want immediate resolution.”
A vintage packshot of CeraVe's original product line-up
CeraVe went through “multiple” formulations for the capsule collection to ensure it was differentiated enough to what was already on the market.
The brand positioned itself as a simple
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