Dealing with acne is one of the most frustrating things you can face when it comes to skincare. And although it might feel right to attack it 110% with tons of exfoliants, actives and oil-stripping washes- approaching your pimples more gently will help clear you up a lot quicker than the contrary plan of attack. Here’s 7 best gentle cleansers for acne that will battle breakouts without making matters worse.
Out of all the skincare woes in the world, acne might be the most dreaded. And if you’re anything like me, you’ve done your due diligence in terms of researching what the best approach to eradicating your spots is. After dealing with ongoing hormonal acne for the past 5 years, I’ve learned that a gentler approach is almost always rewarded with a quicker clear-up. Especially when it comes to a washing your face.
In this post I’m sharing 7 top picks for the best gentle cleanser for acne. They include cream cleansers, lightly-lathering washes, salicylic acid face cleansers, and more. All of which are effective at battling breakouts AND being gentle enough to not make acne more angry.
This post is all about the best gentle cleansers for acne.
Best Gentle Cleansers For Acne
The Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Acne Prone Skin Cleanser hits the nail on the head when it comes to a cleanser that won’t make acne matters worse. It’s fragrance-free, non-foaming, non-comedogenic, and features and incredibly short ingredients list. I find this one to be especially helpful if your acne is inflamed or painful to the touch.
The creamy-gel formula glides gently over any bumps or oozing spots ( gross but true ) with no harsh scrubbing or tugging needed, so it’s easy to get a thorough but still gentle clean. There’s no frills or anything fancy about this face wash. It’s everything you need and nothing you don’t, earning the title of a best gentle cleanser for acne. And $10 for 16 oz is also gentle on your wallet.
This next pick has earned some serious praise in the review department. Versed’s Keep The Peace Acne-Calming Cream Cleanser includes 1.5% salicylic acid to unclog pores and fight pimples in a creamy, luxurious, and non-stripping way. The blue hue comes from the Blue Tansy oil in the formula, which has anti-inflammatory and soothing properties.
Any skin type can use this, but combo to oily folks with acne might find it particularly pleasing because it’s gentle enough to keep your moisture barrier intact, but still foams up quite a bit. It removes the excess oil, but doesn’t strip your skin of what it needs to stay balanced. We all know efficacy is what matters most, but this looks pretty nice sitting on your bathroom counter too.
{ RELATED POST: 15 Game-Changing Salicylic Acid Products That Fit Into Any Routine }
I consider CeraVe’s Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser a best gentle cleanser for acne because of the fact that it works fantastically both as a benzoyl peroxide face wash, and as a rinse-off mask. Benzoyl peroxide is an effective, but typically very drying ingredient for fighting acne. This makes it hard to come across a product that incorporates the ingredient in a tolerable way, but CeraVe accomplishes the task.There’s also niacinamide, ceramides, and hyaluronic acid included to help maintain the moisture barrier.
It functions wonderfully as a cleanser, but if you want to try it as a mask( my personal fave way to use it), dampen your face then apply a thin layer to the most affected areas. Leave on for 5 minutes then rinse. It’s a great way to let the ingredient penetrate your skin for a bit longer.
Youth To The People’s Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser isn’t specifically geared towards breakouts, but its refreshing and gently clarifying properties make it a fantastic gentle cleanser for acne. A blend of kale, spinach and green tea work to simultaneously prevent pore buildup and soothe irritation. The super-rich gel formula feels luxurious- juicy even- and the lather is gentle enough for daily use but effective at keeping breakout-inducing buildup at bay. 
Yup, another CeraVe product. They are just constantly hitting home runs when it comes to reliable and effective skincare formulas. Their Acne Control Cleanser utilizes 2% salicylic acid to remove acne-causing buildup in the pores, as well as hectorite clay to absorb excess oil. This face wash has the same barrier-supporting ingredients that their foaming benzoyl peroxide cleanser does (niacinamide and ceramides), except this formula is a gel consistency that works up into a light lather as you massage it in.
One pick isn’t necessarily better than the other, but I personally find salicylic acid washes like this one are better at keeping mild to moderate acne under control rather than tackling more severe, inflamed breakouts. Either way, CeraVe’s got you covered.
COSRX’s Calming Foam Cleanser takes on acne while imparting some serious soothing effects. A very gentle .5% salicylic acid concentration is accompanied by asiatic acid, madecassic acid and asia ticoside- all derivatives of the ultra-calming ingredient, centella asiatica.
If you’re new to salicylic acid- or if your skin is a bit more sensitive- this is a good option to start with because the percentage is very low, and the calming ingredients will help reduce the risk of irritation. It starts creamy and ends foamy. And a little goes a long way, so only squeeze out a tiny amount!
Where to even begin with the Clear Collective Exfoliating Jelly Cleanser from Hero Cosmetics? Aside from just looking cool, this gentle cleanser for acne is absolutely loaded with skin-clearing ingredients. Konjac jellies help slough away pore-clogging dead skin cells, leaving your face feeling insanely soft, hydrated and smooth, never stripped or dry.
The different exfoliants in this face wash- glycolic acid, mandelic acid, willow bark extract and gluconolactone- might lead you to believe it’s going to be an intense cleanse for those with the oiliest of complexions. Well, think again. This product has racked up a lot of its five-star reviews from sensitive skin users claiming it gives the perfect amount of gentle exfoliation. And that’s not all. With continued use, expect brighter skin too thanks to the yuzu fruit extract at work in the formula.
This post was all about the best gentle cleansers for acne.
Other posts you may like:
- The 7 Most Effective Benzoyl Peroxide Skin Care Products For Acne
- 15 Skincare Products For Large Pores That You Should Know About
- The Best Gentle Face Wash – 16 Picks To Cleanse In Comfort
