A Beauty Editor's Review of Cetaphil's New A.M. and P.M. Serums

I have to admit, I’ve learned a few beauty lessons the hard way. Don’t cut your own hair (I cringe just thinking about my failed side bangs); don’t apply pure coconut oil to your face (it’s comedogenic AF); and just because a product is expensive doesn’t mean that it’s more effective. Case in point: I recently received a luxuriously packaged, beautifully fragrant serum. Fragrance is usually a no-no for my sensitive complexion, but I put my skepticism aside and smoothed it on anyway, thinking the $500+ formula would give me an angelic, otherworldly glow. But it did me so wrong! I was instead met with irritation and bumps after only a couple of days.

I’ve accepted that trial and error is part of being a sensitive-skin girlie, and thankfully, I can always reach for Cetaphil when I need to soothe irritation, quench my dry skin, or just keep my pores in check. I’ve been using this brand since I was a kid, so I have a lot of favorite products, but right now, I love using the new Advanced Defense Serum ($20) in the morning and Repair & Renew Serum ($20) at night. This cute little duo not only calmed my skin after my expensive mistake, but it also gave me a much-needed hit of hydration and radiance, and basically deleted my pores too. Keep scrolling to shop my top picks to create your own sensitive-skin regimen.

Step 1: Cleanse

IMO, there’s nothing better than a rich oil cleanser to remove makeup and SPF. I follow it up with the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser ($12) to get a clean, soft canvas for the rest of my routine. If you have acne-prone skin, I recommend the Gentle Exfoliating SA Cleanser ($13).