The 15 Best Cream Cleansers of 2022

If you’ve got dry skin, sensitive skin, or skin that always feels tight after cleansing, then you may want to switch to a cream cleanser.

Also known as cleansing cream, this type of formula is both gentler and more hydrating than other kinds of face wash, like foams and gels. That’s because it has a thicker, richer texture and produces only a mild lather (or no lather at all). Not only does it clean your skin without throwing off its pH level or stripping its protective barrier, it can also deposit soothing and moisturizing ingredients.

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But not all cream cleansers are equal. Keep reading to discover the best cream cleansers on the market, why I chose them, and what you need to know about each one.

What to Look for in a Cream Cleanser

When choosing a cream cleanser, scan the ingredients list with the following in mind:

Sulfate-free: Sulfates are harsh detergents that can irritate your skin.^[1] Instead, choose cleansers with gentle surfactants, such as sodium cocoyl isethionate or cocamidopropyl betaine, or no surfactants at all.
Low in silicone: Rather than moisturizing your skin, silicones only create a film on the surface.^[2] This can trap debris, congest your pores and cause pilling when layering other products.
Free of mineral oil: Petroleum derivatives like mineral oil coat your skin in an occlusive barrier,^[3] which is difficult to remove, prevents other products from penetrating, and can exacerbate acne.
High in hydrators: Look for humectants (like glycerin), which attract and bind water, and lightweight emollients (like squalane), which help soften your skin.^[3]
Low in PUFAs: Oils with a polyunsaturated fatty acid profile (PUFAs) are volatile and quick to oxidize, generating free radicals that can age your skin.^[4] Ideally, use cleansers that don’t have PUFA-based oils in the first five ingredients.
Low in fragrance: Although fragrance isn’t as problematic in a cleanser compared to a leave-on product (like moisturizer), it can still cause irritation, especially if you have sensitive skin.^[5]

The Best Cream Cleansers of 2022

As an editor, I’ve tested and evaluated cream cleansers from a range of brands. These are my top picks for every preference:

Best for All Skin Types

First Aid Beauty Pure Skin Face Cleanser

First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser is a fragrance-free cleanser that’s gentle on sensitive skin, yet still effective for all other skin types. It produces a creamy lather that feels calming and hydrating, but also does a great job of removing makeup and cleaning your skin. It’s also pH-balanced, non-stripping and rinses off without residue. This was the first cream cleanser I fell in love with, and I always go back to it! See my full review here.

Alpha-H Balancing Cleanser

Alpha-H Balancing Cleanser is a unique creamy face wash that has a lower pH level than most cleansers: pH 5.5-6.0. Being mildly acidic, it restores balance by mimicking the natural pH level of your skin. But it’s not harsh or stripping—it has light, non-greasy emollients for a soothing and hydrating cleanse. For best results, the brand recommends double-cleansing at night to ensure to remove makeup thoroughly.

Best for Dry Skin

Tatcha The Rice Wash

Tatcha The Rice Wash is a gentle cream cleanser made for normal to dry skin. It takes inspiration from Japan’s centuries-old “rice washing” ritual, which involves cleansing with the milky water leftover from cooking rice. So the formula combines rice powder with a blend of humectants for a nourishing, creamy cleanse. The super-fine grains give it an ever-so-slightly grainy texture, which helps to polish away dead skin and build-up without stripping your skin.

Naturally Serious Major Moisture Gentle Cream Cleanser

Naturally Serious Major Moisture Gentle Cream Cleanser is a comforting cleanser that helps to keep your skin’s moisture levels intact. It’s formulated with “no B.A.D. ingredients,” meaning the brand uses nothing that is banned, ambiguous or debatable. So it’s sulfate-free, and packed with fatty acids, squalane and soothing botanicals. It melts away even waterproof makeup without drying or irritating your skin, and doesn’t leave residue behind.

Best for Sensitive Skin

Tata Harper Softening Cleanser

Tata Harper Softening Cleanser is a soothing cleanser that—like all the brand’s products—contains natural ingredients. But it might surprise you that it’s free of essential oils and fragrance, both of which can irritate sensitive skin. Instead, it calms with calendula and chamomile, and supports skin barrier health with shea butter and other lipids. As you massage it over your skin, it produces a barely there foam, and once rinsed off, your skin feels incredibly soft.

Pai Middlemist Seven Camellia & Rose Gentle Cream Cleanser

Pai Middlemist Seven Camellia & Rose Gentle Cream Cleanser is one of the mildest cleansers you’ll find, since it doesn’t contain any lathering agents—so it’s perfect for sensitive skin and eczema sufferers. It’s packed with plant oils and butters, which lift off dirt and makeup while protecting the skin’s oil and pH balance. It comes with a double-sided cloth to help remove it from your skin. Depending on your level of sensitivity, you can either use the muslin side for a light exfoliation, or the softer terry flannel side to be extra gentle.

Arcona Four O’Clock Flower Gentle Cleansing Cream

Arcona Four O’Clock Flower Gentle Cleansing Cream is a low-lather cleanser named for the Mirabilis jalapa (a.k.a. the “four o’clock flower”), which is prized for its soothing properties. So it’s extra-gentle on delicate skin, and won’t disrupt the integrity of your skin barrier. Besides the flower extract, which takes down redness, it has clay to draw out impurities, and hyaluronic acid and seaweed to bind moisture.

MV Skintherapy Gentle Cream Cleanser

MV Skintherapy Gentle Cream Cleanser is a lightweight cream cleanser with such a satisfying, whipped texture—like the perfect moisturizer—that you almost want to leave it on your skin (but please don’t!). While it’s aimed at sensitive skin types, it’s not heavy or greasy. For best results, you’re meant to follow the brand’s “3 Minute Skin Ritual”: massage it on and then remove it with a steamy muslin cloth, transforming the act of cleansing into a pampering ritual.

Best for Acne-Prone Skin

Versed Keep the Peace Acne-Calming Cream Cleanser

Versed Keep the Peace Acne-Calming Cream Cleanser is a foaming cream cleanser that takes a gentle approach to breakouts. You need to massage it in well for a full minute before you rinse it off, in order for the 1.5% salicylic acid to work its magic on blocked pores. But unlike most acne-fighting cleansers, which can be harsh and drying, it calms and moisturizes with ingredients like blue tansy oil and stearic acid.

Best Exfoliating

Alpyn Beauty Creamy Bubbling Cleanser with Fruit Enzymes & AHA’s

Alpyn Beauty Creamy Bubbling Cleanser with Fruit Enzymes & AHA’s starts out as a cream, but becomes bubbly and sudsy when you massage it over your skin with wet hands. While it’s packed with hydrators (including barrier-supporting stearic acid), it’s also a mild exfoliant, thanks to pomegranate and papaya enzymes and glycolic and lactic acids. For a more intensive exfoliation, you can also apply it in a thicker layer and leave it on for 5-10 minutes as a mask.

Best for Makeup Removal

Fenty Skin Total Cleans’r Remove-It-All Cleanser

Fenty Skin Total Cleans’r Remove-It-All Cleanser removes all traces of makeup. Founder Rihanna set out to create an intensive deep-cleanser that wouldn’t dry out skin, even when used twice per day. So it transforms from a cream to a rich lather and does the job of both a makeup remover and a face wash in one. It’s also oil-free and rinses clean with just water.

Best Two-in-One

Honua Hawaiian Skincare Pa‘akai Cleansing Cream

Honua Hawaiian Skincare Pa‘akai Cleansing Cream is an all-natural, non-lathering cleanser. It’s packed with tropical ingredients sourced from Hawaiian farms, such as hibiscus (which gives it its pink hue). Not only does it remove grime, it also does double-duty as a brightening face mask. You just mix it with your favourite toner or face mist (such as the brand’s Hawaiian Beauty Water), and then leave it on for 15 minutes before rinsing off.

Best Splurge

Omorovicza Moor Cream Cleanser

Omorovicza Moor Cream Cleanser is a luxurious, spa-like cleanser that purifies and nourishes your skin. It’s made with Hungarian Moor mud and the brand’s signature Hungarian thermal water—both of which are rich in skin-supporting minerals like calcium and magnesium. Going on, it has the texture of a creamy mud mask, and when you rinse it off, your skin feels soft and fresh, almost like you’ve had a pampering facial.

Best Budget

Acure Seriously Soothing Cleansing Cream

Acure Seriously Soothing Cleansing Cream is a soothing creamy cleanser that has an identical velvety texture to higher-end cleansers, but for a fraction of the cost. It even has some of the same calming plant extracts (chamomile and calendula). Mild surfactants do the cleansing, while hydrating emollients protect skin from water loss. Despite how creamy it is, it rinses off easily with just water.

The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser

The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser starts out as a cream—but once you rub it between your palms for about 10 to 30 seconds, it transforms into an oil. This helps to trap and dissolve debris without stripping your skin, and since squalane (the key ingredient) is so lightweight, it is suitable for all skin types. Although it rinses away with just water, because of the oily consistency, it’s a good idea to use a toner to remove any residue. For more on this brand, see my review here.

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