Face wash for acne

Murad Clarifying Gel Cleanser has the best record for acne: 46 of 49 reviewers said it cleared or noticeably reduced their breakouts, and it is also the best pick sold on Amazon. Clinique Acne Solutions Cleansing Foam follows at 36 of 42, then Origins Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash at 28 of 33. Clinique All About Clean Foaming Face Cleanser has the weakest record here at 16 of 26.

  • 392 store reviews counted
  • Ulta and Sephora shoppers
  • Aug 2018 to Sep 2026

Updated . How we count

Does it help acne? What buyers said
  1. Murad Clarifying Gel Cleanser 49 said either way
  2. Clinique Acne Solutions Cleansing Foam 42 said either way
  3. Origins Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash 33 said either way
  4. Kate Somerville EradiKate Daily Foaming Cleanser 25 said either way
  5. philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser 32 said either way
  6. Fresh Soy Hydrating Gentle Face Cleanser 20 said either way
  7. Clinique All About Clean Foaming Face Cleanser 26 said either way

Share of reviewers who stated an outcome for acne. Ranked by the lower bound of a 90% confidence interval, so a product needs both a good share and enough reports to rank high.

Murad Clarifying Gel Cleanser Best record Murad Clarifying Gel Cleanser 46 of 49 say it cleared or calmed their breakouts See price & reviews on Amazon
What stands out

Store matters for two cleansers, in opposite directions. philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser scores 12 of 13 at Ulta against 11 of 19 at Sephora, while Clinique All About Clean Foaming Face Cleanser scores 4 of 10 at Ulta against 12 of 16 at Sephora.

The ranking, product by product

Praise and complaints are the points reviewers repeat most, shown as a share of each product's counted store reviews.

1 Murad Clarifying Gel Cleanser

Murad

Clarifying Gel Cleanser

Best for combination skin

46/49 say it cleared or calmed their breakouts

78% of reviews describe breakouts clearing or calming down, and it holds up at both stores, with 21 of 24 at Ulta and 25 of 25 at Sephora. The complaints are small: 10% mention dryness and 7% irritation.

What buyers praise

  • Leaves skin fresh 7%
  • Lasts a long time 5%
  • Skin doesn't feel tight 5%
  • Good value 3%

What buyers complain about

  • Drying 10%
  • Irritates or stings 7%
  • Too expensive 5%
  • Breaks skin out 3%
Where buyers said it
  • Ulta 21 of 24
  • Sephora 25 of 25
By skin type (Sephora reviewers)
  • Combination12 of 12
  • Dry5 of 5
  • Oily3 of 3
  • Normal3 of 3
By skin tone (Sephora reviewers)
  • Fair to light14 of 14
  • Light-medium to medium5 of 5
  • Medium-tan to tan3 of 3
2 Clinique Acne Solutions Cleansing Foam

Clinique

Acne Solutions Cleansing Foam

36/42 say it cleared or calmed their breakouts

74% of reviews describe breakouts clearing or calming down, and 15% call it gentle. Reviewers who list acne as a concern gave it 7 of 9.

What buyers praise

  • Skin doesn't feel tight 17%
  • Gentle 15%
  • No irritation 7%

What buyers complain about

  • Breaks skin out 4%
  • Drying 4%
  • Too expensive 4%
Where buyers said it
  • Ulta 14 of 16
  • Sephora 22 of 26
  • Brand site 5 of 5 shown, not counted
By skin type (Sephora reviewers)
  • Combination10 of 12
  • Normal4 of 4
  • Oily2 of 4
  • Dry4 of 4
By skin tone (Sephora reviewers)
  • Fair to light14 of 16
  • Light-medium to medium2 of 3
  • Medium-tan to tan2 of 3
Acne-prone reviewers
  • Said it worked7 of 9
3 Origins Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash

Origins

Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash

28/33 say it cleared or calmed their breakouts

Breakouts clearing or calming down comes up in 54% of reviews, and 15% say the bottle lasts a long time. 10% say it left their skin tight or stripped.

What buyers praise

  • Skin doesn't feel tight 19%
  • Lasts a long time 15%
  • Leaves skin fresh 13%
  • Gentle 13%
  • Removes makeup 6%

What buyers complain about

  • Stripping or tight 10%
  • Breaks skin out 6%
  • Too expensive 6%
  • Drying 4%
Where buyers said it
  • Ulta 17 of 19
  • Sephora 11 of 14
By skin type (Sephora reviewers)
  • Combination7 of 9
  • Oily2 of 3
By skin tone (Sephora reviewers)
  • Fair to light6 of 8
  • Medium-tan to tan2 of 3
Acne-prone reviewers
  • Said it worked4 of 5
4 Kate Somerville EradiKate Daily Foaming Cleanser

Kate Somerville

EradiKate Daily Foaming Cleanser

19/25 say it cleared or calmed their breakouts

66% of reviews describe breakouts clearing or calming down, but 17% mention a strong scent and 17% say it broke them out. Ranked on Ulta reviews.

What buyers praise

  • Gentle 7%
  • Leaves skin fresh 7%
  • Skin doesn't feel tight 7%

What buyers complain about

  • Strong scent 17%
  • Breaks skin out 17%
  • Drying 10%
  • Too expensive 7%
Where buyers said it
  • Ulta 19 of 25
5 philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser

philosophy

Purity Made Simple Cleanser

Best for removing makeup too

23/32 say it cleared or calmed their breakouts

Results depend on the store: 12 of 13 at Ulta but 11 of 19 at Sephora. 23% say it removes makeup, and 9% say it broke them out.

What buyers praise

  • Removes makeup 23%
  • Skin doesn't feel tight 23%
  • Leaves skin fresh 21%
  • Gentle 19%
  • Lasts a long time 13%

What buyers complain about

  • Breaks skin out 9%
  • Strong scent 4%
Where buyers said it
  • Ulta 12 of 13
  • Sephora 11 of 19
By skin type (Sephora reviewers)
  • Combination4 of 10
  • Oily3 of 4
  • Normal3 of 3
By skin tone (Sephora reviewers)
  • Fair to light8 of 14
  • Light-medium to medium3 of 4
Acne-prone reviewers
  • Said it worked7 of 13
6

Fresh

Soy Hydrating Gentle Face Cleanser

14/20 say it cleared or calmed their breakouts

Skin doesn't feel tight afterward for 31% of reviewers, and 21% call it gentle. The catch is that 18% say it broke them out. Sold at Sephora and Ulta.

What buyers praise

  • Skin doesn't feel tight 31%
  • Gentle 21%
  • Removes makeup 15%
  • No irritation 10%
  • Good value 8%

What buyers complain about

  • Breaks skin out 18%
  • Too expensive 8%
  • Strong scent 5%
Where buyers said it
  • Ulta 2 of 3
  • Sephora 12 of 17
  • Brand site 7 of 7 shown, not counted
By skin type (Sephora reviewers)
  • Combination4 of 6
  • Dry3 of 4

Share of 39 store reviews that mention each point. A full bar is 50%.

7 Clinique All About Clean Foaming Face Cleanser

Clinique

All About Clean Foaming Face Cleanser

16/26 say it cleared or calmed their breakouts

The weakest record here: 16 of 26. 20% of reviews say it broke them out and 13% mention irritation. It does better at Sephora (12 of 16) than at Ulta (4 of 10).

What buyers praise

  • Gentle 20%
  • Skin doesn't feel tight 15%
  • Removes makeup 11%
  • Leaves skin fresh 11%
  • Good value 7%

What buyers complain about

  • Breaks skin out 20%
  • Irritates or stings 13%
  • Drying 7%
  • Too expensive 4%
  • Stripping or tight 4%
Where buyers said it
  • Ulta 4 of 10
  • Sephora 12 of 16
By skin type (Sephora reviewers)
  • Combination10 of 12
  • Oily2 of 3
By skin tone (Sephora reviewers)
  • Fair to light4 of 6
  • Light-medium to medium4 of 4
  • Medium-tan to tan3 of 3
Acne-prone reviewers
  • Said it worked8 of 9

Where these numbers come from

The 7 products ranked here carry 96,996 reviews at Ulta and Sephora. We searched them for acne and read the newest matching reviews, up to 30 per product and store, posted between Aug 2018 and Sep 2026.

A review counts only when the reviewer used the product themselves. We drop reviews written in exchange for a free product or a sweepstakes entry (0 on this page), and products that are no longer sold.

Ulta also shows reviews first posted on brands' own websites. They run much more positive than store reviews of the same products (across 19 products with both, 76% of brand-site reviewers said the product solved the problem, against 55% of Ulta shoppers), so we show them on product cards but never count them.

Because we searched for the problem, people who had it are overrepresented. Compare products with each other rather than reading a share as your own odds.

Skin type, skin tone and age splits use what reviewers chose on Sephora's review form (and age on Ulta's when given). We only show a split when enough reviewers fall on each side.

Amazon buttons appear only on products that most reviewers here say fix the problem (at least 60%, with enough reviews to trust it). Everything else gets no buy link.

An AI model labels each review against a fixed list of points, and we spot-check the labels before publishing. We publish counts, never the reviews themselves.

Read the full method

Product pages we read

  1. Murad Clarifying Gel Cleanser Ulta and Sephora (59 reviews counted)
  2. Clinique Acne Solutions Cleansing Foam Ulta and Sephora (46 reviews counted)
  3. Origins Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash Ulta and Sephora (52 reviews counted)
  4. Kate Somerville EradiKate Daily Foaming Cleanser Ulta (29 reviews counted)
  5. philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser Ulta (53 reviews counted)
  6. Fresh Soy Hydrating Gentle Face Cleanser Ulta and Sephora (39 reviews counted)
  7. Clinique All About Clean Foaming Face Cleanser Ulta and Sephora (46 reviews counted)

People asking about it on Reddit

  1. Best cleanser for acne? r/Sephora, Oct 2023, 27 comments
  2. acne prone: your favorite cleanser? r/Sephora, Jan 2023, 38 comments
  3. best cleanser for acne prone skin r/Sephora, Jan 2025, 20 comments

Questions buyers ask

Which face wash works for acne?

Murad Clarifying Gel Cleanser has the best record, at 46 of 49. Clinique Acne Solutions Cleansing Foam comes next at 36 of 42, and Origins Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash at 28 of 33.

Does Clinique All About Clean work for acne?

Less often than the others here. It has the weakest record on this page at 16 of 26, and 20% of its reviews say it broke them out. Sephora reviewers were kinder than Ulta reviewers.

Does philosophy Purity Made Simple work for acne?

It depends on who you ask. 23 of 32 said it helped, with 12 of 13 at Ulta and 11 of 19 at Sephora. 9% of its reviews say it broke them out.

Is a face wash enough for acne?

Reviewers report their breakouts calming down with several of these, but results vary a lot, from 46 of 49 down to 16 of 26. If your acne is severe, painful or came on suddenly, a doctor or dermatologist is the right call.

Related problems

Face wash Face wash that doesn't strip skin Top pick: Fresh Soy Hydrating Gentle Face Cleanser 294 buyer reports Face wash Face wash for sensitive skin Top pick: Clinique All About Clean Foaming Face Cleanser 362 buyer reports Acne spot treatment Acne treatment for cystic acne Top pick: Clinique Acne Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel 205 buyer reports Pimple patch Pimple patches that flatten pimples overnight Top pick: Hero Cosmetics Mighty Patch Micropoint 138 buyer reports

HiveTried earns a commission when you buy through the "See price & reviews on Amazon" buttons. It never changes the ranking: the order comes from buyer reports only, and a product gets an Amazon button only when buyers here say it works.