Our New Office Obsession: A $27 Multi-Purpose Repair Balm Saving Our Dry Winter Skin
Sadaf Razi is Adore Beauty's Senior Beauty Editor.
She's a former fashion editor (who worked at various glossy mags) and stylist-turned digital beauty and lifestyle writer. She has been in the lifestyle/media industry for over 10 years and her work has also been featured on international covers like Elle France and Vanity Fair Mexico.
Some of her fave Adore Beauty products include Cicaplast B5, CeraVe Cleansing Oil and Lancôme Renergie Triple Serum.
In partnership with CeraVe.
In a dream world, the dryness on our hands, elbows and knees would stop rearing their crusty heads every winter.
However, every year when the cooler weather rolls around, like clockwork, our parched, flaky skin emerges just in time to make our lives rudely uncomfortable.
No matter how many times I try to nourish, hydrate and moisturise those often neglected dry bits, I’m talking behind the ears, the skin between our fingers, our heels, feet, hands and lips, it seems a mere hours later, the dryness appears once again.
It’s a vicious cycle.
For me, one dryness bugbear is the skin between my hands.
I’m one of those naughty beauty editors that tells you to moisturise and protect your skin, but then I’ll go ahead and wash dishes and clean my bathroom without gloves.
Then sit there and wonder why my hands or the webs between my fingers look reptilian?
So it was just in time that CeraVe launched their latest product.
A multi-purpose repair balm that “immediately hydrates, soothes and protects dry and rough skin.”
It also happens to be a new beauty product obsession at the Adore Beauty office.
Let's find out more plus our honest CeraVe Advanced Repair balm reviews.
What Is the CeraVe Advanced Repair Balm?
The CeraVe Advanced Repair Balm is a nourishing multi-purpose balm developed with dermatologists and is suitable for the whole family.
Here’s what else you need to know:
- It’s enriched with 3 essential ceramides, petrolatum and hyaluronic acid and combined, these ingredients help restore the skin’s moisture barrier.
- Is designed to immediately soothe, hydrate and protect dry and rough skin.
- Provides lasting protection and shields skin from harsh environmental factors.
- Is artificial fragrance free, alcohol free and lanolin free.
- Is suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin.
- Can be used on the face, body (think: elbows, knees, feet and heels) lips and hands.
- Protects dry, rough and mildly compromised skin by also forming a protective layer on the skin.
- Is hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic (won't clog your pores).
- Can be used on babies from 1 month old and on the *nappy area only.
- On 60 subjects, 18-65 with dry/very dry skin, 100% agree face and body feels smoother after 1 week. Body immediately feels moisturised and protected from dryness after immediate, 1 day, and 1 week of use.
Now! Onto our mini reviews and how the Adore Beauty team have been using this dry skin saviour.
Our CeraVe Advanced Repair Balm Reviews:
"Long story short, I wish CeraVe made this repair balm as soon as I came out of my mother’s womb.
Here’s why…
It made my reptilian hands FAR less reptilian almost immediately.
No matter how many times I usually moisturise the dry, rough skin between my fingers as well as the inside of my hand, the visible white ashiness, dry patches and flaking reappears.
I first applied the CeraVe Advanced Repair Balm between my fingers and the inside of my hands at 11AM where dryness shows up most.
I then went to a fancy birthday lunch and at 3PM whipped out my phone while my friends were mid-chat, “Don't mind me, I need to take a photo of my hands for work” (at this point no one in my life asks questions anymore).
As you can see in the image above, four hours later the rough skin and dryness was still almost out of sight!
I then moved on to two of my other dry pain points - elbows and cracked heels.
Elbows: Immediate results and usually the scaly, rough skin is back the next day. This time I rolled up my sleeves again the next day and they were still nourished.
Here is the immediate results:
On cracked heels: I was wearing some open back heels over the weekend and let's just say my heels were looking - criminal.
I applied some of this balm - not only an instant fix but again, still didn't look criminal the next morning.
This balm is a salve that I now cannot be without ESPECIALLY in the winter season.
The only con? A very mild one…
As it is a balm, it does leave that protective film, so I wouldn't put this on dry hands then start touching your computer or newly polished silverware etc. I made that mistake and it did leave a slight streak on my black laptop.
But overall I say well done CeraVe! 11 out of 10 from me!" - Sadaf.
"This advanced repair balm has been a real product I didn't know I needed!
It has come in so handy on two occasions.
We love a gym injury, but carpet burns from doing a plank, didn't think it was a thing but alas - it was a lifesaver, it helped heal and protect the damaged skin on my elbows.
I also suffer from dermatitis/eczema on my hands and it is a great product to help soothe the irritated skin and aid the natural repair process!" - Anika.
"The CeraVe Advanced Repair Balm couldn't have come into my life at a better time.
Winter is trying its best to wreak havoc on my already dry skin, punishing me with random breakouts, irritation and just general bleh-ness.
I've been loving slathering this balm on my face right before bed on days my skin is having a tantrum, and have found it helps soothe and soften it come morning.
It's also been great as a more heavy-duty hand cream and heel balm.
Will definitely be keeping a tube of the CeraVe Advanced Repair Balm on my skincare shelf from here on out." - Jas.
Final Verdict...
There were even more AB staffers who were loving this balm for post-gym nourishment and even for behind their ears! So enough said really.
If you suffer with any sort of unwanted dryness, add this to cart QUICK.
Want more of our CeraVe recommendations? Check out these BIQs next:
