When it comes to natural face cleansers, I have a pretty straightforward philosophy. To complete my daily and weekly routines, I need:
A non-foaming/cream for gentle morning cleanses (usually with a konjac sponge) or for when my skin is extremely dry or irritated
A light foaming/gel cleanser for double cleansing after oil cleansing at night
A thick gel cleanser to use with my Clarisonic 1-2 times a week or as needed
While I tend to splurge on facial oils and antioxidant treatments, my budget for face cleansers is much more conservative. Spending more than $25 on a cleanser (which doesn’t stay on your face very long) simply pains me.
So, it’s out of line for my skincare philosophy (and budget) to spend more than that on a cleanser. While I have marked a few repurchases below that cost more than my $25 preference, you’ll see that many of my tried-and-true favorites cost way less than $25 (and are easily accessible at your local health food store or even Target!).
These are the ones I constantly recommend to friends, family and readers who are interested in cleaning up their beauty routines, and these are the ones I purchase for myself.
*Indicates press sample. Yes, I do buy my own products, and yes, free stuff gets the same level of criticism as stuff I paid for myself!
(Bookmark for later reading: The Ultimate Guide to Natural Deodorants; The Ultimate Guide to Natural Hand Creams; The Ultimate Guide to Natural Mascaras; The Ultimate Guide to Natural Shampoos ; The Ultimate Guide to Natural Sunscreens)
Non-Foaming / Cream Cleansers I Will Repurchase
*Acure Organics Sensitive Facial Cleanser
$9.99 for 4 ounces
Designed for dry and sensitive skin, Acure Organics Sensitive Facial Cleanser delivers a relaxing, soothing blend of organic argan oil, coconut oil, olive oil, vitamin E and pumpkin seed oil to hydrate and gently cleanse the skin. Probiotics give fussy skin additional nutrients and balance.
Acure Organics pretty much always blows me away with its affordable, certified organic, cruelty-free products. This cream cleanser is also scent-free, which makes it perfect for those who have truly sensitive skin or are experiencing reactions or irritation from switching up their products too much (ahem). The texture is of medium creaminess — very easy to spread, but not runny at all. I love using this with a konjac sponge in the morning.
INGREDIENTS: Organic Anthemis Nobilis (Chamomile) Flower, Organic Euterpe Oleracea (Acai) Berry, Organic Rubus Fruticosus (Blackberry), Organic Rosa Canina (Rosehips), Organic Punica Granatum (Pomegranate), Fair Trade Organic (Rooibos), Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate (from Coconut), Glyceryl Stearate SE (Vegetable), Organic Virgin Cocos Nucifera (Coconut Oil), Stearyl Dihydroxypropyldimomium Oligosaccharides (from Sugar), Vegetable Glycerin, Glyceryl Oleate (Fatty Acid), Decyl Glucoside (Sugar Soap), Disodium Cocoglucoside Citrate (from Coconut), Phenethyl Alcohol (Fatty Alcohol), Glyceryl Caprylate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate (Lactic Acid Salt), Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Sclerotium Gum (Sugar Gum), Organic Agania Spinosa (Argan Oil) , Organic Olea Europea (Olive Oil), D-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate (Natural Vitamin E), Hippophae Rhamnoides (Sea Buckthorn) Seed Oil, Marrubium Vulgare (White Horehound) Stem Cell Culture, Echinacea Stem Cell Culture, Fermented Resveratrol Extract (Probiotic), Organic Argania Spinosa (Argan) Oil, Ubiquinone (CoQ10), Olea Europea (Olive Leaf) Extract, Organic Curcubita Pepo (Pumpkin) Seed Oil, Argania Spinosa (Argan) Stem Cells, Paeonia Lactiflora Leaf Cell Extract, Glycerophosphoinositol Lysine (from Sunflower).
*Blissoma Solutions Fresh Mild Rice Facial Cleanser
$31.99 for 4 ounces
Need hydration and blemish-blasting? This cleanser is for you. Blissoma Solutions Mild Rice Facial Cleanser’s smart combination of moisturizing oils (sunflower oil, coconut oil, apricot kernal oil, hemp oil) and acne-busting ingredients (willowbark extract, lavender, frankincense and rosemary) makes it ideal for transition skin — or skin that just can’t decide its classification. Litsea cubeba and palmarosa tone the skin while providing additional antiseptic to keep your pores clean.
This cleanser has exfoliating power thanks to little brown rice “scrubbers,” but is gentle enough to use everyday. I’d definitely classify this as a cleanser (versus an exfoliator) because it’s at a lower intensity.
Read the original review for full ingredients and additional information.
*Josh Rosebrook Moisturizing Cleanser
$50 for 4 ounces
This is the ultimate sensitive skin cleanser. Josh Rosebrook’s Moisturizing Cleanser is slippery and gentle, keeping your skin’s acid mantle balanced while kindly cleansing away the day. The aloe base makes this cleanser extremely moisturizing, while ingredients such as African black soap, honey and white willow bark work to keep acne at bay. Organic oils of olive, jojoba, evening primrose, sunflower, sea buckthorn and offer a powerhouse of hydration.
This is one of those cleansers that’s out of my typical price range, but I love it so much and reserve it for when my skin needs some extra TLC. I like to massage this into my skin — using it with a konjac sponge will cause you to lose too much product to absorption.
INGREDIENTS: Vitamin-Infused Aloe Gel, Organic African Black Soap, Organic Honey, Vegetable Glycerin, White Willow Bark, Sea Minerals And Grape Seed Extracts, Lemon Juice, Organic Pectin, Organic Oils Of: Olive, Jojoba, Sesame, Evening Primrose, Meadowfoam, Sunflower, Apricot, Almond, and Seabuckthorn, Organic Herbal Infusions Of: Calendula Flowers, Bilberry, Slippery Elm, Fennel Seed, Chickweed, Skullcap, Ginkgo Leaf, Hawthorn Berry, Green Tea, Marshmallow Root, St. John’s Wort and Alfalfa, Certified Organic Xanthan Gum & Potassium Sorbate, Natural Plant Sourced Vitamins A, C & E, Vinegar, Organic Essential Oils Of: Rosemary, Ylang Ylang, Litsea Cubeba And Vanilla Bean
Juice Beauty Cleansing Milk
$22 for 6.75 ounces
I’m drawn to Juice Beauty’s Cleansing Milk during my morning shower. It’s creamy and feels almost like a moisturizer as I massage it onto my face, and it rinses away easily while leaving a light balmy layer of protection on my skin.
I’ve used it at night before — just to test it against a layer of everyday makeup — and while it could cut through a bit of it, I wouldn’t recommend it as your sole cleanser for makeup removal. However, for that easy morning cleanse, this is a lovely, affordable option in a functional plastic pump container. This is another one that I enjoy using with a konjac sponge.
Read the full review for full ingredients and additional information.
*Mad Hippie Cream Cleanser
$15.99 for 4 ounces
Mad Hippie is one of those brands that constantly blows my mind. Awesome packaging. Awesome ingredients. Awesome pricepoint. I am constantly recommending this line and this cleanser to those looking for an easy transition into nontoxic beauty, and for good reason: Mad Hippie is the real deal!
The Cream Cleanser is lovely to use with a konjac sponge in the morning. The formula is thick and creamy, but easy to spread and feels almost like a light lotion on the skin (thicker than Acure Organics mentioned above). This is thanks to sesame oil, coconut oil derivatives and shea butter — not too heavy, not too creamy, but just right. Mad Hippie’s Cream Cleanser is housed in a glass pump bottle, making it easy to recycle or reuse (major bonus points!).
INGREDIENTS: Deionized Water, Sesame Oil (Sesamum Indicum), Caprylic/capric Triglycerides, Shea Butter (Butyrospermum Parkii), Cetearyl Glucoside, Carrageenan Gum, Vegetable Glycerin, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium PCA, Green Tea (Camellia Sinensis Leaf), Jojoba (Simmondsia Chinensis), Squalene, Organic Macadamia Oil (Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil), Organic Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia Chinesis), Yeast Extract, Glucosamine HCL, Vitamin E (Tocopheryl), Sodium Hyaluronate, Algae Extract, Orchid Extract (Orchis Mascula), Titanium Dioxide
*The Wonder Seed Hemp Facial Cleanser, English Daisy
$14.95 for 3.4 ounces
You know that sweet compliment I gave Mad Hippie and Acure Organics ? Same goes for The Wonder Seed. This is yet another line that sources high-quality ingredients yet keeps its prices within reach, making it perfect for those new to green and figuring out their favorites as well as those who are budget-conscious or have different philosophies when it comes to what they will spend on certain skincare items.
The Wonder Seed’s star ingredient is hemp seed oil (yes, hemp seed is the wonder seed!), which means that this everything in this line is incredibly moisturizing, including its facial cleanser. The texture of this face wash is a bit more dense compared to Mad Hippie; I would say it’s a similar texture to that of Acure Organics’ Cream Cleanser, though a bit slicker. It works well with a konjac sponge and leaves skin feeling hydrated without any films or residue.
If you’re sensitive to scents, do know that the English Daisy scent in this cleanser is present — though to my significant other and me, it smells more like a minty scent (I spy peppermint extract toward the end of the formulat). It’s not overpowering, but it’s definitely detectable.
INGREDIENTS: Purified Water (Aqua), Virgin Organic Hemp Seed Oil, English Daisy Essential Oil, Grape Seed Oil, Organic Aloe Vera, Organic Green Tea Extract, Glycerin (Vegetable), Behenic Acid, Organic Cucumber Extract, Cetyl Alcohol (Coconut Oil Based), Sweet Birch Extract, Hyaluronic Acid (Natural Plant Based), Borage Seed Oil, Hydroxyethylcellulose (Coconut Oil Based), Cellulose, Coconut Oil, Echinacea Extract, Licorice Root Extract, Xanthan Gum, Magnesium Cocoate (Coconut Oil Based), Dextrin, Potassium Stearate (Natural Plant Based), Peppermint Extract, Lauric Oil Extract, Centaurea Cyanus Extract, Nutmeg Oil Extract, Sea Salt
Non-Foaming / Cream Cleansers I Will Not Repurchase
Eminence Coconut Milk Cleanser
$36 for 8.4 ounces
This is a great summertime cleanser thanks to the healing coconut milk (and that summertime coconut smell that most of us love!) and calendula oil. However, I’m not sold on it for year-round mostly because of the coconut scent. Everything else about it is just fine — the ingredients are clean (it even includes salicylic acid for us acne-prone types) and the pump packaging is ideal. I just can’t do this particular scent on my face every day of the year.
Read the full review for full ingredients and additional information.
*Fig + Yarrow Cleansing Nectar
$30 for 4 ounces
A change in its marketing would put Fig + Yarrow’s Cleansing Nectar into the positive for me. Presented as a washless cleanser and toner for gentle exfoliation, the Cleansing Nectar is under-performs in the cleansing department but excels in the toning department. Call me old-fashioned, but when I think cleanser, I think gel/foam/cream + water. I get the multipurpose idea behind this product, but just didn’t feel very clean using it as a cleanser.
After cleansing with a different product and using the Cleansing Nectar as a toner, my skin and I felt happy. Perhaps look for this on an ultimate guide to toners instead.
*Marula Pure Marula Cleansing Lotion
$38 for 4.23 ounces
From a formulation standpoint, this cleansing lotion was just fine. It was the delivery that put Marula Pure Marula Cleansing Lotion on my “no thanks” list.
I had to use several pumps of this cleansing lotion to get a quarter-sized amount on my palm. Perhaps I’m overdoing it, but we’re talking about 6-7 pumps; the spout of the pump is a bit puny, so I have to be aware of how much product I actually use. I’ve already explained to you that I’m conservative when it comes to the price of my cleansers, so I’m not sure this one is worth the $38 price tag. It’s a fine product and isn’t excessively expensive by any means, but I think there are some better buys out there that are loaded with even more exciting ingredients.
Read the full review for full ingredients and additional information.
*Nonie of Beverly Hills AHA! Skin Cleanser
$25.99 for 7 ounces
With a mix of citrus oils, grapefruit seed extract and apple cider vinegar, Nonie of Beveryly Hills’ cleanser was a bit too tingly for my skin. Though it’s in a base of coconut and almond oil and has a lovely, lotion-like texture, I found the citrus oils a bit too irritating on my facial skin. I’d use this with a konjac sponge to get a good morning cleanse, but decided to instead focus more of the cleanse on my T-zone and under the chin, which seems to be able to handle the natural alpha hydroxy acids a little better than my cheeks.
INGREDIENTS: Distilled Water, Hamamelis Water, Coconut Oil, Coconut Emulsifier, Almond Oil, Citrus Mix of Lemon, Grapefruit, Orange, Bergamot & Neroli Oils; Vitamin E, Grapefruit Seed Extract & Organic Apple Cider Vinegar.
Check back in a few weeks to see my updated guide that includes foaming and gel cleansers!