Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer

Vanicream is a gentle, fragrance-free moisturizer designed for sensitive and dry skin, providing effective hydration without common irritants, ideal for everyday use and compatible with tretinoin treatment.

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Rankings by Sentiment Analysis

Reddit Rank

Total Upvotes

3278

Editorial Summary: Vanicream’s a solid, gentle moisturizer that’s affordable and easy to find. Works great for sensitive and dry skin, especially if you’re on tretinoin. Some hate it though - can be heavy or cause breakouts for a few. Cream’s thick, lotion’s lighter. Worth a try if you want basic no-nonsense hydration.

Pros

✓Gentle and suitable for sensitive skin
✓Affordable and widely available
✓Effective for dry and irritated skin
✓Non-comedogenic for many users
✓Works well with tretinoin and other treatments

Cons

✗Can cause breakouts or irritation for some users
✗Cream version may feel too heavy or greasy
✗Some users report redness or burning
✗Absorption can be slow or leave residue
✗Texture varies between formulations

Methodology: We analyzed over 100 Reddit user quotes spanning subreddits like 30PlusSkinCare, SkincareAddiction, AsianBeauty, and others from May 2015 to June 2025, synthesizing the most common pros, cons, and user concerns to deliver an impartial consumer-focused overview.

Asked by Redditors

Is Vanicream good for sensitive skin?

Yes, it is formulated to be gentle, hypoallergenic, and suitable for sensitive skin types.

What is the difference between the lotion and cream?

The cream is thicker and richer, better for very dry skin or nighttime use; lotion is lighter for daytime or oily skin.

Can Vanicream cause acne?

While many find it non-comedogenic, some users report breakouts or irritation, so patch testing is recommended.

Does Vanicream work well with tretinoin?

Yes, many use Vanicream to soothe and moisturize skin during tretinoin treatment.

Where can I buy Vanicream?

It is affordable and commonly available at drugstores, Amazon, and some online retailers, though availability may vary by region.

Reddit Reviews:

Calculated by the the number of posts or comments that have an opinion on this product

Positive

114

Neutral

Negative

For ages I'd been putting my moisturiser – Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturiser with hyaluronic acid and ceramides, this one – on DAMP skin, then waiting 10 mins or so before applying La Roche Posay Anthelios Ultra SPF50+ (in the mornings) or 0.05% tretinoin (every other evening). This was fine, but not GREAT. My skin often still eventually felt tight and flaky during the day, and I always had redness. Recently I tried putting the Vanicream on, um, SOPPING WET skin. Like, dripping wet from the shower. Just mixing the moisturiser in with all the water, doing a little massage, and then letting it dry. Now, is this messy and a bit annoying? Yes. Does it take a good 15–20 minutes to dry? Also yes. But: my god! My skin just slurps it all up! It's like a cactus that has not seen rain in 200 years! Even just doing this at nighttime, my skin looks and feels so SO much better. SO MUCH BETTER. I am humbled by it, yet furious. A lot of my redness and irritation has gone away. My skin feels much smoother and softer and breakouts have calmed down. Even my hyperpigmentation somehow looks better. I've started doing the wet face routine in the mornings as well, making myself late, but my skin has got even better so I simply do not care.

u/KaizenTherapySentiment: likely positive Upvotes: 937

Team Vanicream checking in. I use it head to toe.

u/bearable_lightnessSentiment: likely positive Upvotes: 386

I’ve tried cerave and vanicream in the past and they don’t work for me.

u/[deleted]Sentiment: likely negative Upvotes: 382

The Vanicream tub, and for me there isn’t even a remotely close second.

u/bearringtonSentiment: likely positive Upvotes: 340

My current routine AM leaves my skin pretty dewy when it’s humid out (micellar water, Hada Labo Shirojyun Premium, Cos de BAHA AZ, SeoulCeuticals Day Glow, Cos de BAHA CH, an TO’s Niacinamide + Zinc, then a Sephora eye cream + Vanicream Daily Moisturizer).

u/solskinnratelSentiment: likely neutral Upvotes: 294

I switched to La Roche Posay gentle cleanser and love it. I also use Vanicream daily facial moisturizer and love it

u/Dittany_KittenySentiment: likely positive Upvotes: 274

Vanicream, CeraVe, La Roche Posay, and Cetaphil all have good options.

u/jax2loveSentiment: likely positive Upvotes: 183

My routine currently looks like this: ... Vanicream moisturizer ... I have LOVED the Niacinamide serum. ...

u/[deleted]Sentiment: likely positive Upvotes: 163

Vanicream is great because it truly is gentle, basic, and most people would be able to use it. It has a short ingredients list and no real actives. I liked it when I was starting tret but I found it wasn’t enough when I started to use tret nightly and when I moved up in strength. I was still getting peeling and irritation with it despite how heavy it was.

u/MiaGothicSentiment: likely neutral Upvotes: 163

The Vanicream line is pretty harmless and relatively cheap

u/LadyMac82Sentiment: likely positive Upvotes: 132

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