I know how hard it is to find a suitable face wash for your skin. There are just too many different products, and with marketing efforts, it seems like every single one can suit you. So I decided to round up the five best face washes for every skin type to make it easier for you to find a perfect one.
Best face washes for sensitive skin
Sensitive skin can be very demanding when it comes to skincare. You have to be careful what you put on your face and do your research before you buy it. I wrote a post last week about what to be looking out for in face washes for sensitive skin. You can read it here: A guide to cleansing sensitive skin.
This one is probably my favourite face wash I have tried so far. It left my skin visibly less red every time I used it. It was the first and only time a face cleanser did that on my skin. There are no harsh ingredients, and instead of SLS, they use Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate as a surfactant.
Even though it is very gentle, it’s still strong enough to be used as a second cleanse in the evening, but I prefer it much more as a morning cleanse.
I wrote a review about it here: La Roche-Posay Toleriane Softening Foaming Gel Wash Review
I already have a review for this product: Bioderma Sensibio Face Wash Review
I love this product for everyday use. It has no SLS or fragrances, so it is suitable for sensitive skin. Instead, it uses gentle surfactants Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate and Sodium Cocoamphoacetate. It leaves the skin feeling clean but not tight.
You can use it for a second cleanse in the evening or as a morning cleanser.
CeraVe is well known to be a brand for sensitive skin. The main ingredient in most of their products is ceramides which are fantastic for repairing damaged skin. They can also prevent trans epidermal water loss so having it in a cleanser, which is usually the primary cause of TEWL, is a fantastic solution.
It might be too weak to be used as a second cleanse, but it would be a wonderful one for the morning.
This cleanser is full of soothing ingredients such as glycerine, allantoin and aloe vera. Also, it has an antioxidant blend of liquorice extract, white tea and feverfew extract.
Ideally, it can be used as the first step in a double cleanse and morning routine.
The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm is a fantastic option for the first cleanser in your double cleansing routine.
Oatmeal is a lovely soothing, and anti-inflammatory ingredient that can help reduce redness and help with dry skin.
The balm consistency of this product will be excellent for melting away the makeup and other debris from the day. Just don’t forget to use another product, such as a gel cleanser, to remove it all.
Best face washes for dry skin
The most important thing when choosing a product for dry skin is that it won’t dry it out further. So we are looking for a product with lovely nourishing ingredients and non-drying surfactants.
This product has a blend of vitamin E, sweet almond oil and grapeseed oil to nourish the skin and replace the lost lipids.
It is a fantastic first cleanser in your double cleansing routine, as it melts the makeup effortlessly.
It can also be used as a nourishing treatment if left on the skin for 10 minutes.
This product is full of nourishing and hydrating ingredients, ideal for dry skin. Glycerine acts as a humectant, meaning it brings in moisture. Then, ceramides and cholesterol help repair the barrier of the skin. And lastly, hyaluronic acid and squalane are there to hydrate the skin.
It also has three mild surfactants that help clean the skin without stripping it of its natural oils.
This one has starflower oil, sweet almond oil, wheat germ oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil and shea butter to replace lost lipids making the skin nourished and soft. There is also oat kernel oil to soothe and hydrolysed collagen for anti-ageing benefits.
Use this balm in the evening as your first cleanse to remove your makeup and dirt from that day. Follow on with a foam or a gel to cleanse it all off.
Paula’s Choice cleanser has a lovely balance of antioxidant ingredients such as green tea and chamomile and nourishing emolients to nourish the skin.
It leaves the skin clean and hydrated without stripping it of natural oils.
It is effective at removing makeup and dirt. So it’s perfect for the evening routine, but it’s also gentle enough to be used in the morning.
(or 50ml for €7.20)
The Ordinary Squalane cleanser is a fantastic budget-friendly option for dry skin. It is a soap-free and non-comedogenic formula.
This cleanser has a unique balm-to-oil formula where you have to rub the product between your fingertips for 10-30 seconds, after which the balm becomes an oil. And then, the oil is ready to remove all the makeup and dirt from your face.
Squalane is known to be hydrating and gentle on the skin, and along with squalane, there are other lipids for nourishing purposes.
It can be used as a morning cleanse or in either step of your evening double cleanse.
Best face washes for oily skin
People with oily skin often think they need a cleanser to remove that oil and keep their skin matt and oil-free. That is a mistake because doing so will only dry out their skin. And that will lead to more oil production in their skin because it lacks natural oils. We need to find a cleanser that will balance oil production but won’t strip the skin.
Another brilliant CeraVe product is a fantastic option for oily skin as it has a bit more surfactants that foam nicely and cleanse oily skin. It can help remove excess oil without stripping the skin because it contains three essential ceramides and hyaluronic acid to nourish the skin.
It also has niacinamide that can help balance out the oil production in the skin.
This cleanser can be used as a second cleanse in the evening. Those with very oily skin can also use it in the morning.
Effaclar range from La Roche-Posay is designed for oily skin.
It contains zinc PCA, which can balance out the oil production in the skin over time. It also has La Roche-Posay thermal water that can calm the skin.
This product has high foaming power, which helps remove excess oil and dirt from the skin.
It can be used as a morning or second cleanse in the evening routine.
Caudalie Vinopure Purifying Gel Cleanser has salicylic acid to deeply cleanse the pores and gently exfoliate the skin.
Grape water in this product soothes and hydrates the skin, and it also has an antioxidant and prebiotic effect which can help rebalance the skin’s microbiome.
It also has six essential oils that have purifying effect on the skin.
This cleanser is best used as a morning cleanse or a second cleanse in the evening.
This product would suit very oily and acne-prone skin. It has two types of salicylic acid, one which cleanses immediately and encapsulated one which cleanses over time.
Salicylic acid is the best ingredient for oily skin as it goes deep into the pores and breaks down excess sebum, dirt and dead skin cells leaving the skin deeply cleaned.
This product is not suitable for sensitive skin. It would be best used as a second cleanse in the evening, and if it’s too strong, it can be used a few times a week.
This cleanser from Paula’s Choice is a more gentle option for washing oily skin.
It still has salicylic acid that can help deeply cleanse, but it also has glycerine and panthenol, which are nourishing and soothing on the skin.
It’s a perfect option for anyone that wants to gently cleanse their oily skin without drying it out.
It can be used in the morning or evening as a second cleanse.
Best face washes for combination skin
Combination skin can be tricky to find a perfect product for. There are areas that are oily and dry areas. So, it’s like you have two types of skin. T-zone (forehead, nose and chin) is usually the oily part, and the cheeks are dry. Thankfully, we have plenty of different face washes suitable for this skin type because there are so many people with this skin type.
This cleanser is a fantastic product for daily cleansing. It has glycolic and lactic acid that deeply clean pores. And papaya, pumpkin, and pineapple enzymes buff away dead skin cells leaving bright and radiant skin.
This cleanser can also help with the appearance of pores, making them look smaller.
It can be used in the morning and evening as a second cleanse.
Cream-to-Foam Cleanser is another fantastic CeraVe cleanser. This cleanser also has three ceramides and hyaluronic acid that protect your skin’s barrier.
It starts as a rich, creamy formula that changes into a luxurious foam when applied to the face and mixed with water.
This cream-to-foam formula is perfect for combination skin. It has a rich cream that hydrates and a lovely foam that deeply cleanses.
You can use it in the morning or the evening as a second cleanse.
This cleanser has a mild, pH-balanced formula.
With glycerine to hydrate and antioxidant rosemary leaf oil to fight free radicals, this cleanser is a brilliant option for combination skin.
It provides a gentle yet effective cleanse for both dry and oily parts of your skin.
Use it in the morning and as a second cleanse in the evening.
This product is a powerful, luxurious cleanser with a blend of clays, lactic and salicylic acids and vitamin C. It removes impurities and gently unclogs the pores.
A blend of clays absorbs excess oils, and essential fatty acids replenish lipids in the skin, making it a perfect cleanser for combination skin.
It can be used in the morning or evening, and if you leave it on for two minutes, it works like a lovely face mask.
This really is a luxury face wash, but you can see why with its amazing ingredients.
VICHY Normaderm Deep Cleansing Purifying Gel deeply cleanses the skin and removes impurities without drying out the skin.
Salicylic acid is here to deeply cleanse and break down any dirt in the pores, and zinc gluconate helps balance out oil production.
It also has mineral-rich Vichy volcanic water that strengthens and repairs the skin barrier.
It can be used in the morning and a second cleanse in the evening.
You have probably noticed that most of my recommendations are for cleansers to be used in the morning and the evening as a second cleanser in your double cleansing routine. That is because I think these cleansers benefit the skin much more than a product for makeup removal. It is much easier to find a suitable makeup remover which can be almost any oil or a balm than to find a good face wash.
I hope this guide will help you pick a good face cleanser that will work well for you and your skin. I tried to mix up the price point so you can choose between budget-friendly options and more luxurious ones.
Have you tried any of these cleansers? What is your favourite face wash?
