- When you have sensitive skin, you have to pay close attention to what you're putting on your face.
- Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is the best face wash for sensitive skin because it lacks harsh, irritating ingredients, but is powerful enough to give you a deep clean.
I love washing my face. No, seriously. Most days, I look forward to it from the time I apply my makeup until the time I get home at night. I enjoy it as much as I enjoy my other daily pleasures: reading books, applying eyeshadow, having nihilistic existential crises.
But I have sensitive skin (and eyes, and feelings…) so I need to be picky, lest I end up looking like a sun-dappled tomato after each cleanse. In the morning, I stick to micellar water on a cotton pad just to wipe any dirt and residue from the previous night's skincare.
At night, I use an oil or balm to remove makeup before reaching for a sensitive skin-friendly regular cleanser to get the rest of the grime off. The two-pronged cleansing approach ensures my face is as clean as possible before I move on to the rest of my skincare, which is key to keeping my complexion happy and healthy.
In general, when eyeing potential face washes to add to my collection, I look out for soothing ingredients like rosewater or cucumber extract and gentle formulas with minimal foaming or scrubbing effects, which can be too harsh for my rosacea-prone cheeks.
The picks in our guide are the best cleansers I've ever tried for sensitive skin, formulas that won't sting, irritate, or cause breakouts. Some remove makeup, others simply whisk away dirt, oil, and impurities, all of them are a delight to use.
Here are the best face washes you can buy if you have sensitive skin:
Updated on 3/9/2020 by Remi Rosmarin: Updated links and prices, and replaced our pick for the best oil face wash for sensitive skin with DHC Deep Cleansing Oil because of its cult-favorite status and ability to remove waterproof makeup.
Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.