The 18 Face Washes Our Editors Buy Over and Over Again
- 1/19
The 18 Face Washes Our Editors Buy Over and Over Again
Here’s some good news—and bad news—about face wash. The good first: Washing your face really is as important as you think it is. “We should definitely wash our skin morning and evening,” says Emer Gillen, ELEMIS Skincare Expert. “Cleanse in the morning to remove what the skin has expelled to the surface during the night and cleanse in the evening to remove what the skin has been exposed to during the day, makeup and SPF included.”
On to the not-so-great news: It’s shockingly easy to over-cleanse. “The surface environment of the skin (microflora/microbiome/acid mantle) is essential not just to the function of the skin, but to its integral health,” says Gillen, who describes the protective barrier as mainly “sebum, pH, bacteria, and water” working together. “Without its barrier shield, intruders in the form of germs and bacteria are more likely to get in,” she explains. “That is why when we clean our skin, we want to remove dirt, impurities, makeup, and SPF. However, we do not want to strip away the surface environment, we want to bring balance to it.”
Though it sounds tricky, there are face washes out there that walk this careful tightrope. Below, 18 powerful products that’ll cleanse and balance every skin type.
- 2/19
1) Superfood Cica Calm Cleansing Foam
ELEMIS
dermstore.com
$32.00
Feather-light foam will instantly calm down redness-prone and irritated skin the moment you layer it on. It leaves skin feeling refreshed once you rinse—but not tight or stripped.
- 3/19
2) Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser
CeraVe
amazon.com
$11.99
Benzoyl peroxide isn’t just for teens. CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser pairs the acne fighter with moisture-locking ceramides to cleanse without overdrying.
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- 4/19
3) Ultra Gentle Daily Facial Cleanser
Neutrogena
amazon.com
$4.29
If you're a one-and-done kind of cleanser, this is the face wash for you. It gently foams to remove all signs of makeup, so you can move right on to skincare and forget about double cleansing.
- 5/19
4) Tashmoo Water Lily Nourishing Milky Wash
HoliFrog
dermstore.com
$38.00
HoliFrog's expertly crafted face wash—balanced at 5 pH—is ideal for a sensitive or out-of-whack skin barrier. 14 amino acids and a boatload of vitamins will encourage skin to once again relax.
- 6/19
5) Ultra-Calming Foaming Cleanser and Makeup Remover
Aveeno
amazon.com
$5.99
It's hard to find a foaming cleanser that won't irritate dry and sensitive skin, but Aveeno's team of experts nailed this fragrance-free formula.
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- 7/19
6) Power Calm Hydrating Gel Cleanser
Peach & Lily
ulta.com
$28.00
Even though Peach & Lily's sudsy cleanser uses a gel-like formula, it's still so gentle—so you can deep clean without a worry.
- 8/19
7) Clearing Skin Wash
Dermalogica
ulta.com
$39.00
Salicylic acid, known for its ability to balance oil-prone skin, acts as an exfoliator for Dermalogica's luxe face wash. Meanwhile, lactic acid and tea tree oil will keep skin glowing long after.
- 9/19
8) Soy Makeup Removing Face Wash
Fresh
sephora.com
$44.00
According to the 5,000 perfect reviews at Sephora, this soy-protein-based cleanser is well worth the buy. Better yet? It's gentle enough to wash off mascara, too.
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- 10/19
9) Regenerating Cleanser
Tata Harper
credobeauty.com
$84.00
Consider this luxe cleanser as a face wash and an exfoliator. It's gentle enough for everyday use, but is enriched with beta-hydroxy acids and apricot seed powder.
- 11/19
10) Ocean Cleanser
OSEA
follain.com
$48.00
Like a serum masquerading as a face wash, the algae extract inside OSEA's Ocean Cleanser protects the collagen your skin naturally produces.
- 12/19
11) Squalane Cleanser
The Ordinary
sephora.com
$7.90
A vegan, crulety-free squalane cleanser for under $10? Thanks to The Ordinary, anything is possible.
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- 13/19
12) Vinopure Pore Purifying Gel Cleanser
Caudalie
sephora.com
$28.00
This gentle gel cleanser is perfect for acne-prone but reactive skin, thanks to the pore-refining salicylic acid.
- 14/19
13) Gentle Cleansing Foam
Weleda
weleda.com
$15.00
Once you start cleansing with this cloudlike foam, you’ll find other face washes to be disappointing. Its plush texture removes makeup swiftly without any harsh ingredients.
- 15/19
14) Purity Made Simple Cleanser
philosophy
sephora.com
$36.00
We turn to this rich, milky cleanser time and time again because it just works—removing all traces of eye makeup and gunk in seconds.
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- 16/19
15) Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser
Youth To The People
sephora.com
$10.00
This best-selling cleanser at Sephora gets props for the natural, soothing formula and gorgeous glass bottle.
- 17/19
16) First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser
First Aid Beauty
dermstore.com
$21.00
This ultra-gentle and skin-coddling cleanser will remove oil and makeup without leaving skin tight or stripped.
- 18/19
17) Truth Juice Daily Cleanser
OLEHENRIKSEN
sephora.com
$12.00
Like a fresh glass of orange juice for your skin, this jelly cream cleanser feels zippy and refreshing as it gently removes stubborn makeup and tackles excess oil.
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- 19/19
18) Gentle Foaming Cleanser
Clarins
nordstrom.com
$26.00
More reactive complexions will love the creaminess of the low-lather Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser with Shea Butter.
Keep it clean with these award-winning face washes.
