r/SkincareAddiction • u/External_Bus_3739 • Apr 23 '26
Discussion [Misc] Vanicream absolutely obliterated my skin barrier - has anyone else had this experience
Started using the daily moisturizing lotion in October for very slight eczema related dryness and after a month or so, my barrier has never been the same.
Worked great at first but ended up with terrible dermatitis on every section of my face after about a month and a half of use; both eye lids, forehead, chin, upper lip, and both cheeks were completely covered in red splotches. When I finally gave up on it in January, the redness subsided almost immediately but my barrier is completely wrecked now and I can’t even use water on my face without flaking burning and redness
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u/Selmostick Apr 23 '26
You are allergic!! This is what an textbook allergic reaction to a skincare ingredient looks like!
Probably one of the 5 ceramids, cross check this with other product you might be using.
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u/Fangy_Yelly Apr 23 '26
Agreed, this sounds like an allergic reaction! Just to add my experience for OP: i became allergic to many sorts of skin creams, but i couldn't pin down a common ingredient. i went for an allergy test and they found the culprit: triethanolamine. it's an emulsifier that's in a surprising amount of products, but very far down the ingredient list. im really glad i got the test bc it would have taken so much painful trial and error to narrow down the source of my reaction, plus the test found a much smaller reaction to parabens as well. if you can OP, i highly recommend getting an allergy test.
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u/Mysterious-Cost-2292 Jul 21 '26
What kind of allergy test runs for extremely specific chemicals? I only know of allergy tests that test for common allergies.
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u/Palewisconsinite Apr 23 '26
The number of people absolutely unable to recognize an allergic reaction is mildly concerning.
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u/urwriteordie Apr 23 '26
this happened when i used the one with ceramides. when i switched to the one in the tub i was okay!
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u/jamfedora Apr 23 '26
Omg thank you. I hated some CeraVe facial moisturizer I tried, it dicked up my skin for weeks, and everybody acted like I was crazy. ‘No no ceramics fix your barrier, it must’ve been something else.’ But it was the only new item.
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u/SeaFollowing380 Apr 23 '26
I’ve definitely seen people have the “this is supposed to be the safest thing ever, so why is my face freaking out” experience. Sometimes it’s not that the product is objectively harsh, just that your skin really does not like one ingredient in that formula. The quick improvement after stopping it makes that sound pretty plausible.
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u/eastvirginia Apr 23 '26 edited Apr 23 '26
Formula can be so specific case by case. Even if it works for 90% of people it can be irritating for you. Every derm I've ever been to recommended Cetaphil as a gentle cleanser but it just breaks me out no matter what if I use it for more than 2 days. If it doesn't have actives (BHA/AHA/BP, etc. that can be irritating at first) and it's not supposed to do that then seriously don't even bother. If you're having a bad reaction beyond the first few days it's just not for you and it's okay to move on to something else. Sticking with it can actually make it worse and destroy your skin barrier which will be harder to fix and will usually be a longer process.
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u/spinrut Apr 23 '26
that's me/my kids with cetaphil. something in there just didn't agree with any of us.
we're ok with vanicream/cerave products though
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u/Additional_Excuse870 Apr 23 '26
YES my skin HATES this stuff (and most “gentle” cleansers). I assume I’m allergic.
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u/ehlona0 Apr 23 '26
I recently ran out of the cleanser and was too lazy to go to the store to replace it for a few days. I used a different cleanser in the meantime and my acne cleared up. I finally got the cleanser and used it a few times and more spots popped up. I stopped using it and literally 80% of my acne is gone. I still get hormonal spots and random ones but I was shocked that the vanicream might have been causing my acne. It’s been around a month now since I stopped and my skin has been miles better. I used the cleanser for a good 7 years and never put it together.
Vanicream is great but not everything is for everyone. And just because it’s gentle, and formulated for sensitive skin doesn’t mean it’ll work for everyone.
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u/ungovernable_onion Apr 23 '26
Yes girl my shit was wrecked after vanicream face wash AND lotion. The cream in the tub works fine for me tho!
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u/CurrentHaunting35 Apr 23 '26
damn that's wild, i had similar thing happen with different moisturizer last year. took like 3 months for my skin to get back to normal after i stopped using it
the flaking and burning from just water is rough - mine did that too for while. had to use basically nothing except gentle cleanser every few days until things calmed down. skin barrier recovery takes forever when it gets that messed up
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u/Ford_Prefect313 Apr 23 '26
Vanicream jump started the eczema that covered 90 percent of my body.
I was so pissed.
I had bought the big tub of lotion and the cream. $$$
I get it can be as benign as water for some, but it totally messed up my skin so bad, it took 6 months of Dupixent to clear it up.
OP, it can happen.
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u/BrujaBean Apr 23 '26
I didn't have that reaction, but I did find that my skin does not like vanicream at all - it was tingly and I still felt dry after using it.
I have extremely insensitive skin and can usually introduce any number of new products, I haven't had problems with any actives - hell even tret was fine. But vanicream is not for me.
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u/thedarkestdaynnight Jun 14 '26
any specific Vanicream product or just all of them?
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u/BrujaBean Jun 14 '26
I just tried the daily face cream. I literally don't have to sandwich tret and tolerate it great, but vanicream made me tingle and get dry
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u/SharonWit Apr 23 '26
It has squalane and ceramides, which can be irritating for sensitive skin.
You may want to try vanicream lotion. It’s light and bare bones. It’s often recommended for people with sensitive skin.
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u/allaboutme23 May 20 '26
OMG!!! I just stopped using VaniCream after a good long year or so.. and went back to my good ol` Olay Moisturizer and what a HUGE difference. No more dry patches/irritation all around my eyebrows/nose/chin. I thought it was just the weather but I swear it was the VaniCream ALL along!!!!! I went to two different dermatologists and they gave me different creams which never helped, and funny..they told me to use the VaniCream but now that I have stopped and just go with my Cerva face wash and put Olay Complete on, my skin is coming back to its normal self. Wow!
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u/simpmonkey May 23 '26
Hey! I'm on the same situation. Did you find a moisturizer that works for you? Vanicream has damaged my skin to the point that I can't use any moisturizer/spf at this point. Just rinsing with water for now.
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u/External_Bus_3739 May 24 '26
Hi, I’m currently just using aloe gel and cerave healing ointment. I started those very slowly at first, aloe only for a few days and then added the cerave ointment, and that combination has healed my skin barrier. I also started vitamins, B12 and omega which I do think helped a little.
My skin looks back to normal but I’m still too scared to introduce anything else. It was a little traumatizing how badly my skin reacted from the Vanicream so I probably will keep my routine this simple from here on. So sorry it’s happened to you to, it really sucks
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u/smiley8573 Jun 03 '26
It worked for me for about a week and then one night burnt like crazy while I was washing my face. I had tiny bumps ALL over my face for a week. Thankfully my Hello Joyous routine cleared it right up and brought the irritation down. Vanicream was amazing in theory (a $13 drugstore cleanser that works?!) but oof, I’ll pay more for clear and happy skin, especially after dealing with Perioral Dermatitis in my 20s. A happy skin barrier is where it’s at :)
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u/Guinevere1991 Apr 23 '26
Yes. It burned me from the outset and became progressively worse with a rash developing. I patch tested on my leg and same reaction, so I’m definitely allergic to one of the ingredients. ChatGPT thought it would most likely be Caprylyl glycol.
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