# Face wash for dry skin

Source: HiveTried, https://hivetried.com/beauty/face-wash/for-dry-skin/
Category: Beauty > Face wash. Updated 2026-10-09. Based on 245 counted first-hand reports from Ulta and Sephora shopper reviews, Aug 2011 to Sep 2026.

**Question:** Which face wash is good for dry skin?

**Short answer:** philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser has the best record for dry skin and is the best pick sold on Amazon: 23 of 23 shoppers said it cleaned without leaving their skin tight, dry or flaky. Kiehl's Ultra Facial Barrier-Hydrating Cleanser (14 of 14) and CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser (11 of 11) also have no failures, though on smaller groups, while First Aid Beauty Pure Skin Cream-to-Foam Face Cleanser has the weakest record here at 27 of 36. Each record counts just shoppers who said they have dry skin.

## Ranking (buyers who said whether it worked)

| Rank | Product | Not tight or dry | Share | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser | 23 of 23 | 100% | yes |
| 2 | Kiehl's Ultra Facial Barrier-Hydrating Cleanser | 14 of 14 | 100% | yes |
| 3 | CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser | 11 of 11 | 100% | yes |
| 4 | Fresh Soy Hydrating Gentle Face Cleanser | 25 of 27 | 93% | no |
| 5 | Clinique All About Clean Foaming Face Cleanser | 20 of 23 | 87% | yes |
| 6 | Clinique Acne Solutions Cleansing Foam | 12 of 14 | 86% | yes |
| 7 | First Aid Beauty Pure Skin Cream-to-Foam Face Cleanser | 27 of 36 | 75% | yes |

Ranked by the lower bound of a 90% Wilson confidence interval, so a product needs a high share and enough reports to rank high. An Amazon link is shown only when at least 60% say it works.

## Product notes

### 1. philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser

23 of 23 shoppers with dry skin said it cleaned without leaving their skin tight, dry or flaky, with no failures. Across all 33 of its reviews, 24% praise how it removes makeup, 18% say it leaves skin feeling fresh and 15% say it lasts a long time.

- Praised for: Removes makeup (24%), Leaves skin fresh (18%), Lasts a long time (15%)
- Reports counted: 33

### 2. Kiehl's Ultra Facial Barrier-Hydrating Cleanser

A smaller group stated a result for this one, and 14 of 14 shoppers with dry skin said it cleaned without leaving their skin tight, dry or flaky, again with no failures. Across all 17 of its reviews, 12% call it good value.

- Praised for: Good value (12%)
- Reports counted: 17

### 3. CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser

Across all 26 of its reviews, 15% call it good value and 8% say it lasts a long time, while 8% mention breaking out. Among shoppers with dry skin, 11 of 11 said this foaming cleanser cleaned without leaving their skin tight, dry or flaky, a perfect record on a small group.

- Praised for: Good value (15%), Lasts a long time (8%)
- Complaints: Breaks skin out (8%)
- Reports counted: 26

### 4. Fresh Soy Hydrating Gentle Face Cleanser

19% of its 37 reviews praise how well it removes makeup, though 11% say it costs too much and 5% say it left makeup behind. Among shoppers with dry skin, 25 of 27 said it cleaned without leaving their skin tight, dry or flaky, while 2 said it left their skin tight, dry, flaky or irritated.

- Praised for: Removes makeup (19%), Lasts a long time (5%), Leaves skin fresh (5%)
- Complaints: Too expensive (11%), Leaves makeup behind (5%)
- Reports counted: 37

### 5. Clinique All About Clean Foaming Face Cleanser

A mostly positive record: 20 of 23 shoppers with dry skin said it cleaned without leaving their skin tight, dry or flaky, while 3 said it left their skin tight, dry, flaky or irritated. Across all 53 of its reviews, 9% praise makeup removal and 6% call it good value.

- Praised for: Removes makeup (9%), Good value (6%), Leaves skin fresh (4%)
- Reports counted: 53

### 6. Clinique Acne Solutions Cleansing Foam

Shoppers with dry skin rated this foaming wash on how their skin felt afterward, and 12 of 14 said it cleaned without leaving their skin tight, dry or flaky.

- Complaints: Breaks skin out (6%)
- Reports counted: 36

### 7. First Aid Beauty Pure Skin Cream-to-Foam Face Cleanser

It has the weakest record here at 27 of 36, as 9 shoppers with dry skin said it left their skin tight, dry, flaky or irritated. Across all 43 of its reviews, 19% praise makeup removal, 7% mention breaking out and 7% mention a strong scent.

- Praised for: Removes makeup (19%), Lasts a long time (5%)
- Complaints: Breaks skin out (7%), Strong scent (7%)
- Reports counted: 43

## Questions

**Which face wash works for dry skin?**

philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser has the best record (23 of 23), followed by Kiehl's Ultra Facial Barrier-Hydrating Cleanser (14 of 14) and CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser (11 of 11). None of the three had a failure, so their order follows how many shoppers stated a result.

**Does First Aid Beauty Pure Skin Cream-to-Foam Face Cleanser leave dry skin tight?**

For some shoppers, yes. More shoppers with dry skin weighed in on it than on any other wash here, and 9 of those 36 said it left their skin tight, dry, flaky or irritated, which gives it the weakest record on the page.

**Do these face washes remove makeup?**

Makeup removal comes up in praise of philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser (24% of its reviews), Fresh Soy Hydrating Gentle Face Cleanser (19%), First Aid Beauty Pure Skin Cream-to-Foam Face Cleanser (19%) and Clinique All About Clean Foaming Face Cleanser (9%). Fresh also draws complaints for leaving makeup behind, at 5%. These shares count every review of each wash.

**Which of these face washes can I buy on Amazon?**

philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser, Kiehl's Ultra Facial Barrier-Hydrating Cleanser, CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser, Clinique All About Clean Foaming Face Cleanser, Clinique Acne Solutions Cleansing Foam and First Aid Beauty Pure Skin Cream-to-Foam Face Cleanser have official Amazon listings, sold by the brand or by Amazon itself. philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser is the best pick sold on Amazon at 23 of 23, and it is also the leader. For Fresh Soy Hydrating Gentle Face Cleanser, we could not confirm an Amazon listing.

## Method

HiveTried counts first-hand reports only, drops reviews written for free products, shows brand-site reviews without counting them, and never accepts payment for placement. Full method: https://hivetried.com/how-we-count/