We all know it is important to remove your makeup at the end of the day, so a good face wash is a must. If you have dry, sensitive skin it can be a challenge to find an effective cleanser that doesn’t leave your face feeling dry and tight or cause breakouts. Below are the top 3 face cleansers and washes that have worked for me.
For background, this is generally what I look for in a good cleanser:
- Clean ingredients: especially no parabens (you don’t want your skin absorbing chemicals and ingredients that aren’t good for you)
- Gentle but effective: the goal is a clean, makeup-free face without drying out your skin
- Preferably fragrance free: I’m not a fan of strong-smelling skincare products and some fragrance chemicals can irritate the skin
My top 3 picks for gentle face cleansers with clean ingredients for dry or sensitive skin:
First Aid Beauty (FAB): Pure Skin Face Cleanser
FAB Face Cleanser has a gentle formula with a lightweight texture that leaves your skin feeling clean and refreshed without causing dry patches or breakouts. It has a slight, herbal fragrance that disappears after a minute.
- Texture: creamy, foamy
- Clean ingredients: contains aloe, allantoin & glycerin to soothe & hydrate skin
- Retails for: 2 oz for $11, 5 oz for $21, 8 oz for $34 at Sephora
Drunk Elephant: Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser
I got a sample size of this in my Sephora birthday gift, and liked it so much that I ordered the full size. Of the 3 cleansers mentioned here, this is the priciest for the amount of product you get. Beste No. 9 is a gentle cleanser with no fragrance, that feels good on the skin and really gets your makeup off. However, I did notice a couple of small breakouts and dry patches after a few weeks of daily use.
Texture: Clear, jelly texture
Clean ingredients: Contains marula oil, glycerin and cantaloupe extract for hydration and antioxidants
Retails for: 5 oz for $32 at Sephora
Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare: All in one Cleanser with Toner
I generally stay away from toners because they are too drying, but after hearing Olivia Palermo praise this product by her dermatologist, I picked it up during the Sephora VIB sale. Even though it is called a cleanser, it doesn’t work like a traditional one. The Dr. Dennis Gross Face Cleanser is more of a lotion makeup remover that you apply to dry skin and gently rub in to remove makeup and grime and then rinse off with water afterwards. It’s a good multitasking product that leaves the skin feeling fresh and hydrated without any dryness. I’ve noticed that it’s not as effective at removing waterproof makeup or high coverage foundation, so I like to use this after a makeup wipe because it leaves my skin feeling refreshed and clean and helps prevent breakouts.
- Texture: Creamy, lotion like
- Clean ingredients: contains hyaluronic acid for hydration, green tea extract and vitamins A, C, E for antioxidants and witch hazel to soothe the skin
- Retails for: 6 oz for $32 at Sephora
Overall, these are 3 good face cleansers I recommend looking into if you have dry, sensitive skin or if you just want a cleanser with clean ingredients. Each of these functions a little differently so it depends on what your needs are. Currently, I’ve gone back to using the FAB: Pure Face Skin Cleanser for daily makeup removal and I try to use the Dr. Dennis Gross All-in-one Cleanser with Toner a couple of times a week to keep my skin clear and breakout free. If you want to learn more about gentle, clean skincare check out my other articles on this topic! Hope you found this helpful! Leave a comment below if there’s a specific skincare product you’d like to hear more about.
