For blemish-prone skin, a great skin-care routine starts with the best face wash for acne. We get that there’s a dizzying number of facial cleansers on the market and finding a formula that effectively targets hormonal acne,
whiteheads, cystic acne, blackheads, and other blemishes isn’t the easiest task — so we (and our board-certified dermatologist friends) are here to assist.
Acne-prone skin, in particular, should laser-set on a cleanser that unclogs pores, gently exfoliates, and doesn’t exacerbate existing acne.
Claire Chang, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, has a key guideline to abide by. She always recommends gentle cleansers over harsh soaps — especially those with physical exfoliants —
to clear the skin of dirt and excess oil. Don’t aggressively rub, scrub, or over-cleanse either (twice a day, morning and night, is perfectly fine) to avoid worsening your skin’s condition and encouraging scarring.
Best Overall: La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser
Why It’s Worth It: La Roche-Posay’s Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser includes the word “medicated” for good reason.
Dr. Chang explains that 2% salicylic and lipo hydroxy acids clear pores and “prevent acne before it even starts,” which is essentially the best type of news.
Best for Clogged Pores: Paula’s Choice Pore Normalizing Cleanser
Why It’s Worth It: In case you weren’t aware, 2% is the maximum amount of salicylic acid, one of our favorite acne-fighting ingredients of all time, that can be used in an OTC product.
Paula’s Choice Pore Normalizing Cleanser has a smaller dose of the beta hydroxy acid — 0.5%, to be exact — which Dr. Kim says is “less irritating to the skin but still effective for acne.”
Best Fragrance-Free Cleanser: CeraVe Renewing Salicylic Acid Cleanser
Why It’s Worth It: Two dermatologists, Dr. Chang and Dr. Kim, offer up CeraVe’s Renewing Salicylic Acid Cleanser as one of their top choices, but Kim points out that CeraVe doesn’t actually disclose the percentage of salicylic acid, if that’s important to you.
However, both agree that it’s a gentle cleanser that removes dirt and excess sebum from pores.
Best for Active Breakouts: Rosen Earth Cleanser
Why It’s Worth It: Rosen’s Earth Cleanser keeps its ingredient list short and simple, with no fillers in sight. This creamy, slightly foaming cleanser combines pore-clearing Fuller’s earth clay, zinc oxide, and antibacterial eucalyptus oil to keep breakouts at bay.
Not to mention, niacinamide makes a special appearance to reduce inflammation and minimize the appearance of large pores.
Best for Inflammation: Versed Keep the Peace Acne Calming Cleanser
Why It’s Worth It: Another affordable acne-busting face wash is Versed’s Keep the Peace Acne Calming Cleanser. It’s spiked with 1.5% salicylic acid (close to the max allowed) so it “gives that extra oomph for people with oily skin,” Dr. Kim notes.
Best Foaming Cleanser: Hero Cosmetics Exfoliating Cleanser
Why It’s Worth It: It comes as no surprise that a brand responsible for award-winning pimple patches also created an acne-fighting cleanser that’s won us over.
Meet Hero Cosmetics’ Clear Collective Exfoliating Jelly Cleanser, a jelly-to-foam (via dissolving konjac jellies that activate the foam) and fragrance-free formula infused with a long list of good-for-skin ingredients.
Best Cleansing Bar: DamDam Snow Mushroom Salt Cleanser
Why It’s Worth It: Here’s a 2023 Best of Beauty Award winner from J-beauty brand DamDam. The Snow Mushroom salt cleanser is a solid, waterless cleansing bar, which not only makes it lower-waste, but it lasts a while too.
It has a refreshingly simple ingredients list: Snow mushroom (which acts kind of like hyaluronic acid), salt, and plant fiber for that good, foaming action.
Best Value: Differin Daily Deep Cleanser
Why It’s Worth It: As the first prescription acne drug to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for over-the-counter (OTC) use, Differin is still as reliable as ever.
For example, the Daily Deep Cleanser is both accessible in price point and highly effective at keeping acne at bay — a winning combination.
Best for Dark Spots: Hyper Skin Gentle Brightening Cleansing Gel
Why It’s Worth It: Hyper Skin’s AHA cleanser relies on gentler mandelic acid to sweep away pimple-causing bacteria, plus other antibacterial botanicals like willow bark extract.
Not only is this cleanser good for people with acne, but it works on hyperpigmentation and overall dullness, too.
Packed with AHA and BHA: The Klog Double Action Exfoliating Cleanser
Why It’s Worth It: Don’t let The Klog’s Double Action Exfoliating Cleanser’s gentle gel-to-cream formula fool you. The rich texture feels satisfyingly cooling and soothing, yet it’s especially tough on acne-causing bacteria.
That’s all thanks to the combination of lactic, salicylic, and glycolic acids, a trifecta of exfoliating agents that rid skin of pore-clogging impurities, dead skin cells, and excess oil.
Best for Sensitive Skin: Drunk Elephant Beste No.9 Jelly Cleanser
Why It’s Worth It: Dr. Green is also a fan of Drunk Elephant’s Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser, a face wash that gently unclogs pores without over-stripping your skin of its natural oils.
This fragrance-free skin-care product contains a blend of mild surfactants, including coconut-based surfactants that are potent with fatty acids, to cleanse without irritating skin.
Most Iconic: Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash
Why It’s Worth It: Chances are, you’ve tried Neutrogena’s Oil-Free Acne Wash at least once in your lifetime. This drugstore MVP contains salicylic acid, a chemical exfoliator that’s known as one of the biggest key ingredients for minimizing breakouts.
Best Drugstore: St. Ives Deep Cleanse Cream Wash
Why It’s Worth It: Don’t let the St. Ives Deep Cleanse Cream Wash’s cushiony formula fool you, because it contains tea tree oil and witch hazel, two stellar antibacterial that instantly target clogged pores.
Frequently Asked Questions
What ingredients should you look for in a face wash for acne?
Dr. Chang tells us to look out for two powerhouse ingredients: salicylic acid, a type of beta hydroxy acid (or BHA) that “goes deep into the pores to clear them from excess oil and dirt” and benzoyl peroxide, which guards against inflammation and kills acne-causing bacteria.
Milder ingredients include tea tree oil or green tea, which also provide skin-soothing benefits.
David Kim, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City, keeps it real when it comes to face washes marketed toward acne-prone skin.
Facial cleansers are naturally washed-off so, while helpful, they’re not the most important aspect of an acne-targeted routine as, say, a more intensive spot treatment.
When if I’m on a prescription for acne?
As someone who personally went through two rounds of the acne treatment Accutane, Dr. Kim strongly believes that a patient on a good prescription topical or systemic regime can use any cleanser, including those that are not specifically designed for acne.
But he adds that “if a patient has very mild acne and is only using over-the-counter (OTC) topicals, adding an acne-specific cleanser can be helpful.”
So, I used a cleanser…now what?
As for follow-up tips, always apply any acne medications immediately after cleansing to allow the active ingredients to really work their magic, which Dr. Chang says can take up to 6 to 12 weeks of continued daily use.
And never forgo moisturizing. Rather than clogging your pores, a lightweight cream will ensure your skin stays properly hydrated — especially if you’re using a drying topical medication — and protected.
Kavita Mariwalla, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in West Islip, New York, recommends avoiding layering retinoids, as well as products that contain fragrance and/or alcohol, on top of acid-laced cleansers — because these pairings can lead to dryness and irritation.
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