Every good skincare routine starts with cleansing.
Before we can think about adding serums and moisturisers, having a clean base that’s free from dirt and impurities is essential – and the cleanser you choose can have an effect on your skin further down the line.
“You should cleanse at least once a day in the evening to clean your skin from pollution, sweat, SPF, and makeup,” says Dr Timm Gouleke, dermatologist and founder of Royal Fern. “A good cleanser should tolerate the skin’s natural pH to keep it balanced, and should not be too harsh as this can strip the skin of precious natural oils.”
So, it’s important to choose a gentle formula which isn’t drying or abrasive. The right product will leave you fresh-faced while also retaining moisture, removing excess oil and can even fight breakouts, too.
When choosing the right one for you, you need to listen to your skin’s needs. If you tend to be on the dry side, look out for those with moisturising properties. If you have an abundance of oil, though, then sebum-regulating ingredients should be the ones on your wishlist.
Dr. Gouleke’s top tips? “For oily and acne-prone skin types, a gel or foam cleanser should be fine. Ingredients like salicylic, alpha-hydroxy acids, niacinamide, and zinc can help with breakouts. But overall the ingredients should be not noncomedogenic, which means they won’t clog your pores.
“For dry skin, cleansing creams or balms are great. Look out for ingredients like ceramides and hyaluronic acid with a lot of moisturising benefits.”
The vast range of cleansers on the market can be a little overwhelming, so we’ve put together a guide with options to suit every skin type and budget, from crowd-pleasing Horace to Augustinus Bader’s luxurious cleansing gel.
Best face cleansers for men at a glance:
- Best for gently refreshed skin every day: Aesop Fabulous Face Cleanser 200ml – £37, Aesop
- Best for your moisture barrier: The Ordinary Squalene Cleanser 150ml – £14.90, The Ordinary
- Best for a great all-rounder for an even better price: Horace Purifying Face Cleanser 200ml – £13, Horace
- Best for nourishment: Q+A Oat Milk Cream Cleanser 125ml – £7.50, Sephora
- Best for soft, soothed, moisturised skin: Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel 100ml – £39.50, Space NK
- Best for a juice cleanse for your skin: Youth To The People Superfood Cleanser 237ml – £38, Cult Beauty
- Best for a glowing, youthful complexion: Augustinus Bader The Cleansing Gel 100ml – £56, Augustinus Bader
- Best for quality cleansing on a budget: Byoma Creamy Jelly Cleanser 175ml – £10.99, Cult Beauty
- Best for mature skin: Royal Fern Phytoactive Cleansing Balm 200ml – £85, Harvey Nichols
- Best for hydrating thirsty skin: CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser with Hyaluronic Acid for Normal to Dry Skin 236ml – £12.50, LOOKFANTASTIC
- Best for refreshing dry skin: Votary Superseed Cleansing Oil 100ml – £65, Cult Beauty
- Best for skin rejuvenation: Patricks FW1 Anti-Ageing Cell Regenerating Foaming Face Wash, 100ml – £58, Patricks
- Best for a wake-up call: Kiehl’s Facial Fuel Energising Face Wash 250ml – £26, Kiehl’s
- Best for preventing blemishes and breakouts, even for sensitive skin: Malin+Goetz grapefruit face cleanser 236ml – £34, Space NK
- Best for a healthier-looking complexion: Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip Cleanser 150ml – £20.80, Sunday Riley
- Best for gentle exfoliation: Dr. Barbara Sturm Enzyme Cleanser 75g – £60, Dr. Barbara Sturm
Keep scrolling to shop our edit below.
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Aesop Fabulous Face Cleanser 200ml
Best for: Gently refreshed skin every day
Best suited to: Normal - combination skin
A mild face wash for those with normal and combination skin, Aesop’s offering is olive-derived and infused with purifying and hydrating botanicals of bergamot, chamomile, and rosemary that will leave your pores cleansed and your skin fresh. As with most Aesop products, it smells divine, so you’ll look forward to using it on a daily basis. Bonus points for its apothecary-style aesthetics.
Buy now £37.00, Aesop
The Ordinary Squalene Cleanser 150ml
Best for: Your moisture barrier
Best suited to: All skin types
The Ordinary’s products are fuss-free, from the minimal branding to the no-nonsense formulas. This soap-free cleanser harnesses the power of squalene, a plant-derived saturated oil which is both moisturising and anti-inflammatory. Beyond that, it uses lipophilic esters, too, which help to dissolve makeup while delivering a soft and smooth finish.
Buy now £14.90, The Ordinary
Horace Purfying Face Cleanser 200ml
Best for: A great all-rounder for an even better price
Best suited to: All skin types
Made using 99 per cent natural ingredients, the purifying cleanser by French independent grooming brand Horace will leave your skin feeling clean, clear, and soft. It works for all skin types and prevents outbreaks and redness whilst retaining moisture - and with a 4.8-star rating across over 5,000 reviews, it’s clear to see it’s a crowd-pleaser.
Buy now £13.00, Horace
Q+A Oat Milk Cream Cleanser 125ml
Best for: Nourishment
Best suited to: All skin types
If your skin is in need of a little TLC, Q+A’s Oat Milk Cream Cleanser could be the answer. It’s packed with organic oat milk from UK-farmed oats, vitamin E-rich oat seed oil which is also full of anti-aging ceramides and amino acids which help with moisture retention and gentle cleansing.
Buy now £7.50, Sephora
Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel 100ml
Best for: Soft, soothed, moisturised skin
Best suited to: All skin types
UK-based brand Oskia is a specialist in cellular nutrition. The cleanser, which starts as a pink balm and transforms into a milky oil, is packed full of vitamins, enzymes, and nutrients that repair sun-damaged or dry skin, remove dead skin cells, and promote collagen production - all topped off with a soothing rose and chamomile fragrance. What more could you want?
Buy now £39.50, Space NK
Youth To The People Superfood Cleanser 237ml
Best for: A juice cleanse for your skin
Best suited to: All skin types
Powerful enough to purify your skin yet gentle enough to use twice daily, Youth To The People’s cleanser is an eco-conscious nutrient-rich formula that will provide your face with its five-a-day - and the rest. Boasting cold-pressed antioxidants, vitamins C, E, and K, and extracts of spinach, kale, and green tea, it will soothe irritated skin whilst boosting your skin’s natural barrier with essential fatty acids. This is the green juice cleanse for your face.
Buy now £38.00, Cult Beauty
Augustinus Bader The Cleansing Gel 100ml
Best for: Glowing, youthful complexion
Best suited to: All skin types, a glowing complexion
Founded by Professor Augustinus Bader, a front-runner in the field of Stem Cell Biology, his eponymous brand is an authority in science-led skincare. If you’re in the market for glowing, youthful, and revitalised skin (...who isn’t?), then this cleanser will grant all of your skincare wishes. With ingredients that smooth imperfections, tighten pores, and promote cellular renewal, you’ll step out of the shower with a renewed, hydrated, and refreshed complexion on a daily basis. It’s time to get that glow.
Buy now £56.00, Augustinus Bader
Byoma Creamy Jelly Cleanser 175ml
Best for: Cleansing on a budget
Best suited to: All skin types
Byoma’s lightweight and jelly cleanser transforms into a rich foamy lather upon contact with warm water, and will leave your face feeling refreshed. It breaks down dirt, excess oil and makeup without breaking down your all-important skin barrier. Your complexion will feel nourished thanks to extracts of liquorice root and green tea.
Buy now £10.99, Cult Beauty
Royal Fern Phytoactive Cleansing Balm 200ml
Best for: Mature skin
Best suited to: All skin types
With over 20 years of experience in dermatology, Dr Timm Golueke, Royal Fern founder, brings a wealth of knowledge to the development of skincare products at the brand.
The cleanser is rich in nutrients, nourishing, and provides plenty of moisture whilst preserving the skin’s natural healthy pH. Featuring the label’s patented ‘Royal Fern Complex’, it has a natural complex of active ingredients which are anti-inflammatory, promote regeneration, and reduce the appearance of wrinkles for a soft and even complexion.
Buy now £85.00, Harvey Nichols
CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser with Hyaluronic Acid for Normal to Dry Skin 236ml
Best for: Hydrating thirsty skin
Best suited to: Normal - dry skin
CeraVe’s hydrating cleanser is a nourishing and gentle formula which sweeps away dirt and grime without damaging the skin’s natural barrier - in fact, it reinforces it with essential ceramides and hyaluronic acid.
As a non-foaming formula, it will leave your face feeling soft and smooth, with no feeling of tightness or dryness. Great for restoring dry skin to its former moisturised state.
Buy now £12.50, lookfantastic
Votary Superseed Cleansing Oil 100ml
Best for: refreshing dry skin
Best suited to: Sensitive or dry skin
Known for their ability to harness the power of premium plant oils which provide age-defying benefits, Votary’s cleanser is designed to balance your skin and deliver a healthy, radiant complexion. Packed with over 20 ‘super-seed’ oils, it will reduce inflammation, provide nourishment, and breathe new life into skin that could do with a touch of reinvigoration.
Buy now £65.00, Cult Beauty
Patricks FW1 Anti-Ageing Cell Regenerating Foaming Face Wash, 100ml
Best for: Skin rejuvenation
Best suited to: All skin types
Specialising in science-based formulations that encourage the skin to support itself from within, Patricks is a brand every man should know about. The face wash is deep cleansing, mattifying, and balancing, whilst also promoting cell regeneration and reducing redness. Infused with amber and bergamot for a refreshing fragrance, you’ll enjoy the foamy goodness seven days a week.
Buy now £58.00, Patricks
Kiehl’s Facial Fuel Energising Face Wash 250ml
Best for: A wake-up call
Best suited to: All skin types
If you find waking up in the morning a daily struggle, then Kiehl’s Facial Fuel will awaken your skin to give you a fresher, healthier appearance every morning. With extracts of caffeine, menthol, and vitamin E, you’ll start the day with a spring in your step. Pair with the brand’s eye fuel, and moisturiser to feel extra zingy.
Buy now £26.00, Kiehl’s
Malin+Goetz grapefruit face cleanser 236ml
Best for: Preventing blemishes and breakouts, even for sensitive skin
Best suited to: All skin types, including dry and sensitive
Infused with grapefruit for its gentle antibacterial tendencies and amino acids to remove makeup and dirt, Malin+Goetz’s face wash is a product that’s kind to your skin - especially if you’re prone to dryness or sensitivity. It won’t strip any natural oils, yet will also leave you feeling fresh and clean.
Buy now £34.00, Space NK
Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip Cleanser 150ml
Best for: A healthier-looking complexion
Best suited to: All skin types, even the most sensitive skin
Known for its potent, rich and science-based formulas, Sunday Riley is committed to creating the highest quality products with as little impact on the planet as possible - and this cleanser is no exception. The silky plant-based formula pulls out impurities whilst pulling in hydration, leaving you with smaller-looking pores and a glowing complexion.
Buy now £20.80, Sunday Riley
Dr. Barbara Sturm Enzyme Cleanser 75g
Best for: Gentle exfoliation for a fresh glow
Best suited to: All skin types
A celebrity favourite, not only is Dr Barbara Sturm backed by Oprah Winfrey herself, but it’s also a favourite of both the Kardashian and Hadid clans - and who doesn’t want skin like theirs?
You only need to use this cleaner two to three times a week as part of your skincare routine to minimise pores, reduce blackheads and leave your complexion looking fresh and revitalised. You’ll be glowing in no time.
Buy now £60.00, Dr. Barbara Sturm
