Best Facial Cleansers

Cleansers for normal skin types

So what should you look for when choosing a facial cleanser? Skin-care experts say a good cleanser should be water soluble, meaning it will rinse off easily without leaving the skin feeling greasy or clogging pores. It shouldn't dry, burn or irritate the skin. Your skin should feel clean, with fewer breakouts, and makeup should be removed, including around the eyes, without the need for scrubbing. Facial cleansers with alpha or beta hydroxy acids (AHAs and BHAs) or topical disinfectants like benzoyl peroxide or triclosan aren't useful because they're rinsed down the drain before those products have a chance to work on the skin. Experts say facial cleansers usually have a pH that renders those ingredients ineffective anyway.

Altogether, you're better off looking for other skin care products, such as a moisturizer, with more ingredients beneficial to skin (see our accompanying report on facial moisturizers), and spending a little less money for a basic, gentle cleanser. That's because moisturizers stay on your skin all day, whereas cleansers are only in contact with skin for a minute or two.

Although many cosmetics companies would have you believe that you get what you pay for in terms of quality skin care, experts say it's just not true. The cosmetics chemists at TheBeautyBrains.com (a beauty blog), for example, say there are many quality products available at the drugstore that are just as good as or better than those at the department store. In fact, some of them are practically identical. Lancome and L'Oreal, for instance, are owned by the same company as are Estee Lauder and Clinique. Furthermore, many cosmetics companies share similar skin-care products between brands.

Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash (*Est. $6 for 6 oz.) is one example of a highly reviewed drugstore cleanser. Experts and consumers alike recommend this as a gentle, water-soluble cleanser suitable for all skin types. Purpose cleanser has also garnered beauty magazine accolades by being named in InStyle magazine's Best of Beauty awards for several years and being awarded a spot on Allure magazine's Best of Beauty list in 2007 and 2008. Editors praise the cleanser for gently removing dirt, makeup and oil without drying out the skin. Julyne Derrick, beauty guide for About.com, says although she has used several high-end cleansers, Purpose is her favorite cleanser for everyday use. She says it removes oil, dirt and makeup with ease but doesn't leave her skin feeling dry. Users at MakeupAlley.com and Drugstore.com also give Purpose high ratings, praising it for its affordable price and gentle cleansing. Note that if you can't find Purpose in your store, its formula is identical to Clean & Clear Foaming Facial Cleanser (*Est. $4.75 for 8 oz.); both are made by Johnson & Johnson.

Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser (*Est. $10.75 for 16 oz.) is another basic and gentle option. Reviewers say it's a good choice for normal, oily or combination skin types. For those with dry skin, Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser (*Est. $10 for 16 oz.) is an option, but it doesn't seem to remove makeup as well as the daily version. A few users at Amazon.com say the Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser formula leaves their skin feeling tight, but both formulas get equally good ratings with users in general. Reviewers say, however, that it is easy to confuse the two because the bottles are nearly identical. Cetaphil Gentle contains only eight ingredients, while Cetaphil Daily contains 14. User reviewers at TotalBeauty.com report that the Daily Facial Cleanser is a clear watery gel and contains masking fragrance, and the original Gentle Skin Cleanser is a thick white liquid with no fragrance.

Paula Begoun, skin care expert and author of "Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me," also favors the Daily Facial Cleanser over the Gentle Skin Cleanser. Although she has recommended the gentle formula for years, she complains that it contains too much SLS. Begoun points out that although Cetaphil likely contains less than 1 percent of the ingredient, there are other gentle cleansers that avoid SLS altogether. Ultimately, when it comes to drugstore brand facial cleanser, the best-reviewed distinction goes to Purpose since it garners better user reviews and reportedly removes makeup better.

Pond's Original All Day Clean Towelettes ( *Est. $6 for a 30-pack ) – formerly Pond's Clean Sweep Original Clean Wet Cleansing Towelettes – are marketed with the claim of convenience. These single-use disposable towelettes are designed to cleanse skin and remove makeup. Users at Drugstore.com and TotalBeauty.com love the convenience of these wipes, saying that they often use them while traveling and on late nights when they are too tired to bother with washing their face. The easy-to-use wipes are ideal for all skin types and gentle enough for sensitive skin. They come in a resealable package to keep them moist. Paula Begoun warns that they won't remove all long-wearing makeup but are a good option for minor cleansing and refreshing when away from home. Although All Day Clean Towelettes don't require rinsing, several users prefer to do so because the wipes leave a bit of residue on the skin. The towelettes are also sold in 5-, 15- and 75-count containers.

Department store facial cleansers

Gentle yet effective cleansers abound at department stores as well, though some will cost you a pretty penny. La Prairie Foam Cleanser (*Est. $75 for 4 oz.), for example, is a standard but good water-soluble cleanser, according to experts. One review, however, found that it didn't work any better than drugstore brands. Philosophy Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser (*Est. $20 for 8 oz.), on the other hand, costs less and is praised in expert and user reviews. The water-soluble cleanser is among the highest-rated facial cleansers among users at MakeupAlley.com, TotalBeauty.com and Drugstore.com. Users love that it cleans gently without stripping the skin of its natural moisture, but it is strong enough to remove even the most stubborn eye makeup. Several also like the light fragrance, but a few mention that the cleanser dried out their skin over time. This could be due to the rosewood and cinnamon oils as well as black pepper extract, which Paula Begoun says makes this cleanser too irritating for most skin.

Clinique Liquid Facial Soap (*Est. $16 for 6.7 oz.) is another popular department-store cleanser. It is available in extra-mild, mild and oily skin variations. The extra-mild version is not water-soluble because of its oil content, but experts still recommend it for those with dry to very dry or sensitive skin. The oil is supposed to help dissolve makeup, but some users say it doesn't remove all of it. The mild formula is designed for normal to slightly dry or slightly oily skin, and the oily skin version is recommended for those with that problem. Paula Begoun highly recommends the first two formulas but frowns on the oily skin version because of its "senseless inclusion of menthol," which she says is an irritant that holds no benefits for skin. Several users say this formulation is a bit too drying, but admit that this can be counteracted when used in conjunction with Clinique's moisturizers.

For those who want a cleanser that also exfoliates their skin, reviewers say Philosophy Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash (*Est. $25 for 8 oz.) does an excellent job of sloughing off dead, dry skin without stripping natural moisture. Several users at MakeupAlley.com and TotalBeauty.com, where it tops users' ratings, say the formula is gentle enough to use on a daily basis. Users also like the convenience of cleansing and exfoliating in one step and say Philosophy does a good job on both counts. Some users say it isn't ideal for removing makeup, though, especially around the eyes, due to the abrasive nature of the scrub. Paula Begoun warns that the cleanser contains clay, which can be "a bit drying" for all but oily skin. Still, many users say they have been using the formula for years with nary an irritation. Given the good reviews we found for Purpose, however, it's hard to recommend paying more for this Philosophy product – and there are also other less expensive exfoliating cleansers.

For example, Olay Definity Pore Redefining Scrub (*Est. $9.50 for 5 oz.) is an exfoliating cleanser that costs less than Philosophy's cleanser, ounce for ounce. It gets high marks from Paula Begoun, even though she says it makes a better cleanser than a scrub because it does not contain enough polyethylene beads to be a very effective exfoliant. (Polyethylene is a plastic.) Although a handful of users at MakeupAlley.com and TotalBeauty.com agree, several love that Olay Definity Pore Redefining Scrub doesn't irritate their skin like most scrubs, and say it leaves their face looking smooth without drying out the skin. Still, most recommend using it sparingly – every other day or once a week – to keep from irritating the skin.