The short answer

Neither version is shown to be better. The clean distinction is the U.S. package and Drug Facts record: Version A is the newer 49.5% petrolatum record, NDC family 49967-721; Version B is the prior 46.5% petrolatum record, NDC family 49967-500. That is a label change, not proof of a performance change.

Exact version identity

VersionExact U.S. recordWhat the label declaresWhat identifies it
A: newer recordCeraVe Healing Ointment, NDC family 49967-721Petrolatum 49.5%DailyMed record updated May 14, 2026. Package entries include 85 g, 144 g, and 340 g formats, among others.
B: prior recordCeraVe Healing Ointment, NDC family 49967-500Petrolatum 46.5 g/100 gArchived DailyMed versions run through January 1, 2024. Package entries include 85 g, 144 g, and 340 g formats, among others.

The percentage and NDC family are more useful version checks than package size. Both records include several of the same broad sizes, so an 85 g tube, 144 g tube, or 340 g jar cannot identify the formula by itself.

What changed on the declared lists

The two DailyMed records also have different declared inactive-ingredient lists. Ingredients declared in the prior 46.5% record but not the newer 49.5% record include ceresin, dimethicone, lauroyl proline, phenoxyethanol, pantolactone, and ethylhexylglycerin. Ingredients declared in the newer record but not the prior record include microcrystalline wax, glycerin, synthetic wax, triethyl citrate, caprylyl glycol, and benzoic acid.

Several names changed as well. The older record uses ceramide 1, ceramide 3, and ceramide 6 II; the newer record explicitly lists ceramide NP, ceramide AP, and ceramide EOP. The records establish different declared names, not that ceramide EOP was removed from the current label. They do not tell us whether a name change reflects nomenclature, raw material, grade, concentration, or another manufacturing change. They also do not disclose inactive-ingredient percentages, pH, process, stability, texture, residue, tolerance, or outcome.

Why the retail answer is not simply “old is gone”

The newer NDC family shows package marketing-start entries beginning November 1, 2025, with another package entry beginning May 14, 2026. The older record has no universal retail marketing-end date. Old and new units may therefore overlap while inventory turns over, but the checked records do not establish how much overlap exists or which retailer or size contains which version. A marketing-start date is not a manufacture date or a guaranteed store cutoff.

There is also an official-page conflict. The current CeraVe Healing Ointment consumer page still says 46.5% petrolatum, while the newer DailyMed record declares 49.5%. Treat that as page and label drift. Check the package’s Drug Facts panel and NDC family rather than silently choosing one online statement.

These conflicts explain why public reports may disagree. People may be holding different NDC families, buying old and new inventory in the same size, or relying on the consumer page instead of the package. A public report about feel, residue, or tolerance also remains a report from an individual, not evidence that a label difference caused that experience.

What sampled public discussions asked

The August 13, 2026 buyer-question report found recurring questions across a small sample of CeraVe Healing Ointment and comparison videos. In discussions including CeraVe Healing Ointment vs Aquaphor, Aquaphor vs CeraVe Healing Ointment, CeraVe vs Aquaphor vs Vaseline, and CeraVe’s new Healing Ointment, repeated buying questions included whether the formula changed, which added ingredients matter, which version is being sold, and which questions require an actual use test.

This is a sampled discussion theme, not a measure of prevalence, satisfaction, or performance. Those videos do not establish that the newer record is better or worse.

Choose A, B, or neither

  • Choose A, the 49.5% record, if the package you are considering clearly identifies U.S. NDC family 49967-721 and that is the version you want to buy. This is a version choice, not a superiority claim.
  • Choose B, the 46.5% record, only when the package clearly identifies U.S. NDC family 49967-500 and you intentionally want that prior label. Do not assume an older-looking package or a shared size proves it.
  • Choose neither when the NDC, Drug Facts panel, market, or package identity cannot be checked, or when you need evidence that one version has better feel, tolerance, or results. The records cannot answer those questions.

This page is a formula and package audit, not a treatment recommendation.

Evidence grade: mixed

Evidence is strong for the two U.S. DailyMed active percentages, NDC families, archived dates, package entries, and declared lists. It is mixed for retail overlap because NDC dates are not inventory records. It is insufficient for texture, tolerance, efficacy, medical suitability, or any claim that the newer label is objectively better.

Sources