11 best face cleansers: Oil, balm and foamy formulas for every skin type
The starting point for any skincare routine is a decent cleanser. It’s an important first step to ensuring a healthy, hydrated and clean complexion, and a good one can be used both morning and evening, and successfully remove make-up, dirt, grime, sweat and SPF.
However, finding the right cleanser can be a minefield, as it’s an ever-growing category in skincare, with many brands making bold claims about a product’s effectiveness and results.
So, to help, we’ve put a number of cleansers to the test across a range of price tags. Whether you’re looking to tackle acne on a budget or splash out on a luxurious high-end brand you’ve had your eye on, we’re sharing which ones are worth adding to your skincare collection.
A common approach to this section of your skincare routine is double cleansing, which means using an oil or balm-based product first to take your make-up off, followed by a second cleanse that’s typically gel or cream based. This second cleanser is also designed for use in the morning when there’s no make-up to be removed.
How we tested
Here, we tried products that can do both, or work best as just a morning or second cleanse. Putting them through their paces, we’ve judged each cleanser on how well they clean the skin, how it felt afterwards, if we noticed any difference in the long term and whether they’re designed for acne-prone, dehydrated, dry, oily or combination skin.
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The best cleansers for 2021 are:
Best overall – Kate Somerville deliKate soothing cleanser: £34, Cultbeauty.co.uk
Best for acne-prone skin – La Roche Posay effaclar purifying cleansing gel: £18.50, Boots.com
Best budget cleanser – The Ordinary squalane cleanser: £13.90, Deciem.com
Best for dehydrated skin – Lixirskin electrogel cleanser: £25, Cultbeauty.co.uk
Best for oily skin – SkinCeuticals simply clean gel cleanser: £35, Feelunique.com
Best cream cleanser – Milk Makeup vegan milk moisturizing cleanser: £12, Cultbeauty.co.uk
Best for dry skin – Glossier cleanser concentrate: £18, Glossier.com
Best for removing make-up – Superfacialist vitamin C+ skin renew cleansing oil: £8, Boots.com
Best cleansing oil – Codex Beauty bia wash off cleansing oil: £50, Codexbeauty.com
Best for combination skin – Beauty Pie Japan fusion pure transforming cleanser: £25, Beautypie.com
Best for all skin types - Then I Met You living cleansing balm: £37, Cultbeauty.co.uk
Kate Somerville deliKate soothing cleanser, 120ml
Best: Overall
Rating: 10/10
This is a robust cleanser for acne flare-ups and bouts of redness but it doesn’t have that clinical feel that some other products for problem skin often have. Rich and creamy, this is every bit as luxurious as the purple tube suggests and the packaging is very travel-friendly. It’s a joy to apply, with a very subtle scent that’s barely detectable and, after three weeks of use, spotty areas on our chin and forehead were less inflamed. Think of it as real saviour for angry skin that needs a bit of TLC. Apply to a wet face and massage in before rinsing off.
Buy now £34.00, Cultbeauty.co.uk
La Roche Posay effaclar purifying cleansing gel, 400ml
Best: For acne-prone skin
Rating: 9/10
For sensitive, acne-prone and oily skin, this gel cleanser is hard to beat. When added to damp hands and applied to the skin, it lathers into a rich foam that gives a deep clean and left our skin feeling calmer and decongested amid a particularly painful bout of hormonal acne. After consistent use over two weeks, it reduced shininess in our T-zone and we saw less blackheads across the nose and forehead. It’s a hefty 400ml pump bottle too, which will last you months, for a very agreeable price. Simple and effective, it’s a no brainer buy.
Buy now £18.50, Boots.com
The Ordinary squalane cleanser, 150ml
Best: Budget cleanser
Rating: 9/10
Cheap, cheerful and brilliantly effective, this budget-friendly cleansing tube by powerhouse brand The Ordinary is perfect if you find a traditional balm too rich. Once massaged into dry skin, add a splash of water to make a milky consistency and remove with a warm flannel. Silky and functional, it’s a no-frills formula that instantly melts down every trace of make-up.
There’s no fragrance or luxury packaging here but, thanks to the squalene-rich formula (a hero ingredient that acts as a very effective moisturiser), it leaves your skin decongested with a non-sticky, non-greasy glow. While we tested the larger size, the 50ml tube is a bargain £5.50.
Buy now £13.90, Deciem.com
Lixirskin electrogel cleanser, 100ml
Best: For dehydrated skin
Rating: 8/10
For city dwellers and anyone concerned about pollution’s impact on your skin, this lightweight gel cleanser is made for you. The formula contains negatively charged electro gel, which works to draw out toxins such as pollution and free radicals, leaving your complexion squeaky clean. As well as being a cleanser, it works brilliantly as a quick face mask in the mornings to double down on its hydrating and soothing benefits. We found our skin was baby soft after use and we appreciated the multi-use benefits.
Buy now £25.00, Cultbeauty.co.uk
SkinCeuticals simply clean gel cleanser, 200ml
Best: For oily skin
Rating: 9/10
Word to the wise, do not apply to dry skin as we did the first time we used this, or you’ll be left with a sticky, gloopy mess. Instead, massage a dollop of product onto damp skin and you’ll get to enjoy the deep cleaning efficiency of this cleanser. Formulated to reduce excess oil and the appearance of pores, it also does an excellent job at improving skin texture, within two weeks of use we began to see a smoother, more balanced complexion. While it’s a similar size to most cleansers, it has a long shelf life and has lasted our reviewer five months with daily use.
Buy now £35.00, Feelunique.com
Milk Makeup vegan milk moisturizing cleanser, 59ml
Best: Cream cleanser
Rating: 7/10
If you like oat milk in your latte, look out for it in your cleanser too. This vegan, cream-based formula is a mix of fig, oat, argan and desert milks which, when combined, feel luxurious and creamy on the skin for a very affordable price tag. The brand’s make-up products are on the higher end of the price scale – one of its bronzers costs £24, for example – so this is perfect for someone who wants to try Milk Makeup while sticking to a budget.
When massaged into damp skin, it lathers into a frothy texture, a bit like a latte, and while it’s not the most effective at removing mascara, it’s perfect for a second cleanse as it won’t strip the skin or leave it feeling tight. It’s also available in a large 118ml size for £27.
Buy now £12.00, Cultbeauty.co.uk
Glossier cleanser concentrate, 100ml
Best: For dry skin
Rating: 8/10
This gentle but effective cleanser from Glossier is one of the more underrated products in its line up. Packed with exfoliating ingredients such as lactic acid to slough away dead skin cells and niacinamide to hydrate and refine pores, combined with antioxidants including passion fruit extract, means it cleanses skin without stripping it of moisture. It’s like a foam cleanser with more body, frothy but doesn’t feel like dish soap. It of course has the signature minimalist packaging we expect from Glossier, and aside from leaving our skin smooth and hydrated, it’s pretty stylish on our bathroom shelf.
Buy now £18.00, Glossier.com
Superfacialist vitamin C+ skin renew cleansing oil, 200ml
Best: For removing make-up
Rating: 9/10
For melting down make-up in an instant, this luxurious oil is all you need. It’s lightweight and fluid, with a citrus scent and a formula rich in vitamin C, olive, grapeseed and rosehip oils that can be massaged onto dry skin, and when it comes into contact with water, emulsifies into a milky consistency and swiftly removed with a lukewarm flannel. It gets to work in seconds to break down tough mascara and lipstick that won’t budge and is one of the best affordable cleaners money can buy that all skin types can enjoy.
Buy now £8.00, Boots.com
Codex Beauty bia wash off cleansing oil, 100ml
Best: Cleansing oil
Rating: 8/10
This organic, vegan cleansing oil is ideal for removing a full face of make-up and SPF, and we loved that it doesn’t have the gloopy texture that oils often do. It felt almost weightless on the skin but effortlessly melted down foundation, red lipstick and mascara when massaged onto a dry face and removed with a lukewarm muslin cloth. It didn’t irritate patches of broken skin or breakouts and the end result was a clean, smooth complexion. The packaging, a weighty glass-like material, is made from renewable sugarcane that can be easily recycled in a household bin once you’ve used every last drop.
Buy now £50.00, Codexbeauty.com
Beauty Pie Japan fusion pure transforming cleanser, 100ml
Best: For combination skin
Rating: 9/10
While the tube may suggest a gel or cream texture, this cleanser is actually a balm. When rubbed into dry skin it melts into a luxurious oil and then to a milky texture to rid your face of sweat, dirt, grime, make-up and sunscreen. It’s ideal for travelling as it works well for both a first and second cleanse. Fragrance-free and buttery soft, we found it left no greasy residue once rinsed off and it did a stellar job at removing our waterproof mascara, the true test of any cleanser. It also feels more hygienic than many balm cleansers that come in a pot. This costs just £7.81 for Beauty Pie members.
Buy now £25.00, Beautypie.com
Then I Met You living cleansing balm, 90g
Best: For all skin types
Rating: 9/10
This buttery soft blam is a delight to apply, with a thick, oily texture that feels like a spa treatment on the skin. It tackles all types of make-up, from the most waterproof mascara to the deepest matte lipsticks with ease, with a refreshing, but not overpowering scent. A 10p sized piece is all you need, massaged onto dry skin and removed with a flannel. While indulgent, it’s skin-softening and will leave skin feeling refreshed after a day spent in air-conditioned offices and on a sweltering tube journey.
Buy now £37.00, Cultbeauty.co.uk
The verdict: Face cleansers
While it is pricey, it’s hard to fault the Kate Somerville delikate soothing cleanser. It’s luxurious but it doesn’t compromise on efficacy, nor is it heavily scented – a common irritant for sensitive skin. If you’re prone to breakouts, redness and inflammation, keep a tube of this close by as it’ll keep skin soothed and happy year-round. For a brilliant budget buy, The Ordinary squalane cleanser is fantastic at removing make-up and SPF, leaving skin feeling as clean as can be.
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