The Best Water Based Cleansers for Acne Prone Skin

This post discusses the best water based cleansers for acne prone and clog prone skin. All of my water based cleanser recommendations are gentle, fragrance and essential oil free. [This post uses affiliate links, which means I may earn a small % fee if you choose to buy on the link – but please don’t feel you have to use them.]

Before we start, here are some notes about these cleansers:

• They are not in any particular order, and when I discover new ones I just add them on to the end of the blog post
• Most of them are suitable for all skin types, unless stated otherwise. Understandably skin types do matter sometimes (SPF, moisturiser perhaps) but I personally think the importance of ‘skin type’ is a little overplayed when it comes to cleansers. You want your cleanser to cleanse, and your treatments to do the heavy lifting.
• These water based cleansers also don’t contain any exfoliating actives, such as salicylic acid, because my personal philosophy is that cleansers should simply… cleanse. If you use an exfoliating cleanser twice a day, or even daily, you can cause incremental skin barrier damage. I much prefer to have a failsafe water based cleanser that you can use in any scenario, without having to worry about your barrier health.

1. Dermatica Balancing Glycerin Gel Cleanser

I genuinely really like Dermatica’s range of simple but effective products. I like that they’re all fragrance and essential oil free, are reasonably priced and have no-frills formulas.

This water based cleanser is a good option for pretty much anyone, and has a similar texture to to Dr Sam’s Flawless Cleanser (which I currently use).

Here are some cleansing tips when using a water based cleanser:

• Always use warm or tepid water. Hot water does not ‘clean’ better’ and can dry out your skin, cause broken capillaries and skin barrier damage.
• If you use a face cloth, make sure to change it daily or every other day. If the cloth doesn’t dry out over night (on a radiator, for example) it’s going to begin gathering bacteria.
• If your face cloth smells, that’s a sign of bacteria – change it!
• Cleanse for at least one minute. If you’re cleansing for less than 30 seconds you’re probably not actually cleaning your face.

2. Dr Sam’s Flawless Water Based Cleanser

I’ve been using this water based cleanser for years now and I still haven’t tired of it. It’s super gentle and contains allantoin and aloe vera, plus it doesn’t foam.

At first it’s an unusual texture, but I’ve come to look forward to using it. I do have a discount code (NATALIEONEIL) for Dr Sam’s as I am a long time user and recommend her range any day.

3. SOS Cleanse Facial Cleanser

Another simple gel cleanser with just eight ingredients, SOS Serum are a somewhat unknown brand who (I think) ship mostly from Amazon.

I have also gotten on pretty well with their SOS SPF, although after a while it did give me a few suspicious forehead spots – though none on my cheeks.

The only major downside of this water based cleanser is that it’s a little expensive for the amount of product you get.

4. Aveeno Calming Oat Cleanser

Aveeno is a great drugstore range, in general I get on well with the Aveeno Calm & Restore products and also recommend their Aveeno Oat Barrier Serum.

This one is pretty affordable and often on sale for £5! This is not really a gel cleanser, moreso it has the consistency of a very thick toner.

5. Hyram Centella and Green Tea Hydrating Gel Cleanser

I don’t really watch skincare blogger Hyram on YouTube anymore (or consume much skincare content to be honest!) but I do like this water based cleanser he has created. If you know me, you’ll know centella is one of my favourite ingredients. It’s a barrier health ingredient which, as long as it doesn’t disagree with you, you can never really have too much of.

6. [Coat]s Gentle Hydrating Facial Cleanser with Ceramides

Ever since I came across the brand [Coat]s I’ve fallen in love with this water based cleanser. The way it makes your face feel so much softer after you use it is something I’ve not experienced before. In general, I really love the [Coat]s range and I feel they don’t get enough airtime at all on social media.

The main downside of the brand is that they’re difficult to get outside of the UK and US. At the time of writing this, they’re primarily stocked on Amazon and in CVS in the states.

7. Curel Foaming Gentle Cleansing Face Wash Cleanser

Japanese brand, Curel, is another skincare brand I gravitate towards. This time they’ve created a gentle foaming formula, which is perfect if you simply prefer the feel of a foaming wash without the stripping surfactants they often contain.

8. Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Moisture 5.5 Soft Cleansing Gel

Now we’re venturing into K beauty recommendations, and one brand I really like is Haruharu Wonder. Their black rice range is especially minimal, simple and gentle on the skin. If you’re looking for a double cleansing duo, they also have a fragrance free version of their black rice oil cleanser.

This post showed you the best water based cleansers for acne prone skin.

You may also like:

• How to Double Cleanse Your Face (10 Tips for an Effective Routine)
• The Best Oil Cleansers for Acne Prone Skin