Face wash for sensitive skin

Clinique All About Clean Foaming Face Cleanser has the best record for sensitive skin: 44 of 49 reviewers with sensitive skin said it didn't irritate or sting, and it is also the best pick sold on Amazon. Kiehl's Ultra Facial Barrier-Hydrating Cleanser has the highest share at 93%, but from a smaller group (14 of 15). philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser is the sturdier runner-up at 43 of 49, with similar results at Ulta and Sephora.

  • 362 store reviews counted
  • Ulta and Sephora shoppers
  • Nov 2019 to Oct 2026

Updated . How we count

Does it irritate? What buyers said
  1. Clinique All About Clean Foaming Face Cleanser 49 said either way
  2. philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser 49 said either way
  3. Kiehl's Ultra Facial Barrier-Hydrating Cleanser 15 said either way
  4. Fresh Soy Hydrating Gentle Face Cleanser 37 said either way
  5. First Aid Beauty Pure Skin Cream-to-Foam Face Cleanser 52 said either way
  6. Origins Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash 40 said either way
  7. Drunk Elephant Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser 28 said either way

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

Clinique All About Clean Foaming Face Cleanser Best record Clinique All About Clean Foaming Face Cleanser 44 of 49 say it didn't irritate or sting See price & reviews on Amazon
What stands out

Even the strong records draw some complaints about dryness and breakouts, at 11% of Clinique reviews for dryness and 11% of First Aid Beauty reviews for breakouts.

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 Clinique All About Clean Foaming Face Cleanser

Clinique

All About Clean Foaming Face Cleanser

Best for combination and dry skin

44/49 say it didn't irritate or sting

36% of reviews say it didn't irritate and 24% say it removes makeup. It scores 22 of 23 at Ulta and 22 of 26 at Sephora.

What buyers praise

  • Removes makeup 24%
  • Skin doesn't feel tight 18%
  • Gentle 16%
  • Leaves skin fresh 16%
  • Good value 5%

What buyers complain about

  • Drying 11%
  • Too expensive 5%
  • Stripping or tight 4%
Where buyers said it
  • Ulta 22 of 23
  • Sephora 22 of 26
  • Brand site 1 of 1 shown, not counted
By skin type (Sephora reviewers)
  • Combination13 of 16
  • Dry7 of 8
By skin tone (Sephora reviewers)
  • Fair to light16 of 17
  • Light-medium to medium3 of 5
Acne-prone reviewers
  • Said it worked8 of 10
2 philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser

philosophy

Purity Made Simple Cleanser

43/49 say it didn't irritate or sting

Gentle (29%) and good at removing makeup (24%). The complaints are small: 7% mention the scent and 7% say it broke them out.

What buyers praise

  • Skin doesn't feel tight 35%
  • Gentle 29%
  • Removes makeup 24%
  • Leaves skin fresh 11%
  • Lasts a long time 9%

What buyers complain about

  • Strong scent 7%
  • Breaks skin out 7%
Where buyers said it
  • Ulta 20 of 23
  • Sephora 23 of 26
  • Brand site 2 of 2 shown, not counted
By skin type (Sephora reviewers)
  • Combination14 of 16
  • Dry7 of 8
By skin tone (Sephora reviewers)
  • Fair to light13 of 15
  • Light-medium to medium5 of 6
  • Medium-tan to tan3 of 3
Acne-prone reviewers
  • Said it worked8 of 9
3 Kiehl's Ultra Facial Barrier-Hydrating Cleanser

Kiehl's

Ultra Facial Barrier-Hydrating Cleanser

14/15 say it didn't irritate or sting

A small group of reviewers, so the 93% could move. 47% call it gentle. On Kiehl's own site, 16 of 18 say it didn't irritate, which we show but don't count.

What buyers praise

  • Gentle 47%
  • Leaves skin fresh 29%
  • Skin doesn't feel tight 24%
  • Removes makeup 12%

What buyers complain about

No repeated complaints yet.

Where buyers said it
  • Ulta 8 of 9
  • Sephora 6 of 6
  • Brand site 16 of 18 shown, not counted
4

Fresh

Soy Hydrating Gentle Face Cleanser

Best for dry skin

32/37 say it didn't irritate or sting

Reviewers with dry skin gave it 9 of 9. 30% call it gentle, while 10% mention irritation and 10% the price. Sold at Sephora and Ulta.

What buyers praise

  • Gentle 30%
  • Skin doesn't feel tight 30%
  • Leaves skin fresh 18%
  • Removes makeup 13%

What buyers complain about

  • Too expensive 10%
  • Strong scent 8%
Where buyers said it
  • Ulta 8 of 10
  • Sephora 24 of 27
  • Brand site 17 of 18 shown, not counted
By skin type (Sephora reviewers)
  • Dry9 of 9
  • Combination4 of 5

Share of 40 store reviews that mention each point. A full bar is 50%.

5 First Aid Beauty Pure Skin Cream-to-Foam Face Cleanser

First Aid Beauty

Pure Skin Cream-to-Foam Face Cleanser

43/52 say it didn't irritate or sting

The most reviewers weighed in on this one (52). 25% call it gentle, but 11% say it broke them out and 9% mention irritation.

What buyers praise

  • Skin doesn't feel tight 26%
  • Gentle 25%
  • Removes makeup 14%
  • Leaves skin fresh 9%
  • Lasts a long time 4%

What buyers complain about

  • Breaks skin out 11%
  • Drying 7%
  • Stripping or tight 5%
  • Strong scent 4%
Where buyers said it
  • Ulta 23 of 26
  • Sephora 20 of 26
  • Brand site 1 of 3 shown, not counted
By skin type (Sephora reviewers)
  • Combination5 of 9
  • Dry3 of 5
By skin tone (Sephora reviewers)
  • Fair to light6 of 10
  • Medium-tan to tan2 of 3
6 Origins Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash

Origins

Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash

33/40 say it didn't irritate or sting

Reviewers like how long it lasts (17%) and how fresh skin feels (19%). 13% say it left their skin tight, and 9% mention irritation.

What buyers praise

  • Gentle 20%
  • Leaves skin fresh 19%
  • Lasts a long time 17%
  • Skin doesn't feel tight 17%
  • Clears breakouts 7%

What buyers complain about

  • Stripping or tight 13%
  • Drying 7%
  • Strong scent 4%
  • Breaks skin out 4%
Where buyers said it
  • Ulta 13 of 18
  • Sephora 20 of 22
  • Brand site 0 of 1 shown, not counted
By skin type (Sephora reviewers)
  • Combination11 of 12
  • Dry6 of 7
Acne-prone reviewers
  • Said it worked5 of 6
7 Drunk Elephant Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser

Drunk Elephant

Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser

21/28 say it didn't irritate or sting

The weakest record here: 21 of 28. 17% of reviews mention dryness and 13% irritation, and reviewers with dry skin gave it 6 of 9. Ranked on Sephora reviews.

What buyers praise

  • Skin doesn't feel tight 33%
  • Gentle 20%
  • Leaves skin fresh 17%
  • Removes makeup 13%
  • Clears breakouts 10%

What buyers complain about

  • Drying 17%
  • Stripping or tight 7%
  • Too expensive 7%
Where buyers said it
  • Sephora 21 of 28
By skin type (Sephora reviewers)
  • Combination9 of 12
  • Dry6 of 9
  • Normal5 of 6
By skin tone (Sephora reviewers)
  • Fair to light12 of 16
  • Light-medium to medium5 of 7

Where these numbers come from

The 7 products ranked here carry 103,419 reviews at Ulta and Sephora. We searched them for irritation and read the newest matching reviews, up to 30 per product and store, posted between Nov 2019 and Oct 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. Clinique All About Clean Foaming Face Cleanser Ulta and Sephora (55 reviews counted)
  2. philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser Ulta (55 reviews counted)
  3. Kiehl's Ultra Facial Barrier-Hydrating Cleanser Ulta and Sephora (17 reviews counted)
  4. Fresh Soy Hydrating Gentle Face Cleanser Ulta and Sephora (40 reviews counted)
  5. First Aid Beauty Pure Skin Cream-to-Foam Face Cleanser Ulta and Sephora (57 reviews counted)
  6. Origins Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash Ulta and Sephora (54 reviews counted)
  7. Drunk Elephant Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser Sephora (30 reviews counted)

People asking about it on Reddit

  1. Cleanser for very sensitive skin (tried everything) r/Sephora, Jun 2024, 176 comments
  2. Facial cleanser for sensitive skin? r/Sephora, May 2026, 36 comments
  3. Cleanser for dry, reactive skin r/Sephora, Nov 2023, 20 comments

Questions buyers ask

Which face wash works for sensitive skin?

Clinique All About Clean Foaming Face Cleanser has the best record, at 44 of 49. philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser follows at 43 of 49, and Kiehl's Ultra Facial Barrier-Hydrating Cleanser at 14 of 15 from a smaller group.

Is the First Aid Beauty cleanser good for sensitive skin?

Mostly, by these reviews: 43 of 52 said it didn't irritate them. It draws more complaints than the leaders, though, with 11% of reviews saying it broke them out.

Does Fresh Soy Face Cleanser irritate sensitive skin?

Rarely: 32 of 37 said it didn't. 10% of its reviews do mention irritation, and 8% mention a strong scent.

What if a face wash stings or turns my skin red?

Reviewers report stinging or redness with every cleanser here, from 5 of 49 for Clinique All About Clean Foaming Face Cleanser to 7 of 28 for Drunk Elephant Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser. If a reaction is severe, painful or sudden, 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 acne Top pick: Murad Clarifying Gel Cleanser 392 buyer reports Face moisturizer Moisturizer for sensitive skin Top pick: The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA 410 buyer reports Sunscreen Sunscreen for sensitive skin Top pick: Lancôme UV Expert Supra Screen SPF 50+ 135 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.