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The best foam cleansers are hard to come by. Often, those bubbly, sudsy-type lathers will result in tightness, stripping your skin of its natural oils that keep it lubricated and supple. However, foam formulas are useful, especially to effectively wash away dirt, pollution, and makeup. So we found a happy medium. We researched the formulas that are gentle, moisturizing, and safe for sensitive skin types, all the while leaving your face fully refreshed and clean (and even helping to nix breakouts, blackheads, and discoloration). There cream-to-oil lathers, milky varieties, and fragrance-free options. We've curated all the foaming goodness your skin will ever need.
These are our favorite gentle foam cleansers and why we're taken with each one.
Best Overall: Caudalie Instant Foaming Cleanser
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Nordstrom
Provides radiance
Purifying
Anti-bacterial
Not for sensitive skin
When I asked the other editors at Byrdie HQ for their favorite gentle foam cleanser, Caudalie's formula was the resounding favorite. The airy foam is soap-free, so it never strips your skin, all the while deeply purging dirt, impurities, makeup, and breakouts courtesy of its blend of grape-seed, sage, and chamomile extracts. The foam promises antioxidant protection, antibacterial properties, and anti-inflammatory benefits to combat sensitivity and redness.
Key Ingredients: Sage Extract, Chamomile Extract, Grape Water | Skin Type: All | Size: 1.69 or 5.07 oz. | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: Yes
Best Budget: Garnier SkinActive Micellar Foaming Gel Facial Cleanser
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Courtesy of Ulta
Wallet-friendly
Cleanses without needing to rinse
Removes makeup without rubbing
Very watery consistency
Garnier's micellar foaming cleanser works to capture and lift away dirt, oil, and makeup without any harsh rubbing or over-drying. It's gentle and fragrance-free, and it works in just one quick and easy step. Oh, and the $9 price tag isn't bad either.
Key Ingredients: Glycerin | Skin Type: All | Size: 6.7 oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No
Best Splurge: SK-II Facial Treatment Cleanser
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Lathers on with a fine texture
Rich in vitamins and amino acids
Increases luminosity
Pricey
If you're looking for a splurge, one that offers serious efficacy and helpful active ingredients, this is the one. SK-II's Facial Treatment Cleanser is gentle, velvety, and ultra-hydrating for your skin, as the wash transforms from a creamy lather to a bubbly foam to condition and soothe. The formula offers a concentrated amount of the brand's signature ingredient, Pitera, as it's rich in vitamins, organic acids, minerals, and amino acids meant to effectively remove dirt and impurities from your pores while providing nourishing effects on the rest of your skin.
Key Ingredients: Rose Oil, Willow Bark Extract | Skin Type: All | Size: 3.6 oz. | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: No
Best for Oily Skin: Zelens Z-Detox Foaming Cleanser
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Targets free radicals
Full of fruit enzymes and botanical extracts
Helps with cell renewal
Pricey
Recommended by our editorial director, Faith, the Zelens soap-free, oil-free foaming cleanser works to unclog your pores and gently exfoliate. Mild alpha hydroxy acids, fermented fruit enzymes, and botanical extracts help with cell renewal and turnover while keeping your skin supple and soft the whole way through.
Key Ingredients: Shiso Oil, Alpha Hydroxy Acids | Skin Type: All | Size: 5.0 oz. | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: No
Best for Dry Skin: Korres Greek Yoghurt Foaming Cream Cleanser
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Foams up good
Cleans makeup off well
Luxurious consistency
May cause redness for some
Korres's ultra-luxurious cleanser is made with Greek yogurt (an ingredient claimed to be used for centuries in Greece for its smoothing and strengthening properties). They created a formula that is rich in proteins, minerals, and vitamins. That way, it's able to gently cleanse while nourishing your skin too, without irritation. The cream wash turns into a cushiony foam once water is introduced, and after you massage it into your skin for a few seconds, your makeup will melt right off, along with dirt, debris, and any environmental stressors from the day.
Key Ingredients: Chlorella, Castor Oil | Skin Type: All | Size: 5.07 oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: No
Best for Combination Skin: Lancôme Crème Radiance Clarifying Cream-to-Foam Cleanser
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Increases cell renewal
Cream-to-foam cleanser
Penetrates deep
May feel greasy
A truly pampering experience, this gentle cream-to-foam cleanser (brimming with white lotus and rose) penetrates every pore without leaving behind that terrible tight, dry feeling once you pat your face dry. It claims to increase cell renewal, leaving your skin feeling hydrated and soothed, and it smells like a dream.
Key Ingredients: Pineapple Fruit Extract | Skin Type: Normal to Combination | Size: 4.2 oz. | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: No
Best for Acne-Prone Skin: Skinfood Egg White Pore Foam
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Purifying
Easy to rinse off
Improves skin's elasticity
Smells bad to some
Made with amino acid-rich egg whites, Skinfood's pore-purifying foam promises not to strip away your skin's natural oils but will insgead help curb breakouts and blackheads in oily skin types.
Key Ingredients: Licorice Root Extract, Egg Whites | Skin Type: Oily to Sensitive | Size: 5.0 oz. | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: Yes
Best for Discoloration: Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser
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Courtesy of Verishop
Brightening
Protective
Exfoliating
Drying to some
For those dealing with discoloration, Indie Lee's brightening cleanser is one that you'll find exceptionally helpful. It promises to remove dirt and excess oil, hydrate, exfoliate, and offer up a blend of strawberry seed oil, hydrolyzed wheat proteins, and tomato extracts meant to protect your skin from discoloration. In fact, leave it on for five to 10 minutes, and it'll work as an exfoliating mask as well.
Key Ingredients: Strawberry Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Wheat Proteins, Tomato Extract | Skin Type: All | Size: 4.2 or 10.1 oz. | Cruelty-Free: Yes | Byrdie Clean: Yes
Best with Vitamin C: Belif Creamy Cleansing Foam Moist
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Full of vitamin C
Detoxifies
Gentle
Leaves a waxy residue to some
This creamy cleanser is packed with vitamin C, a powerhouse ingredient with antioxidant properties proven to boost skin tone, among other things. Possibly more notable, though, is what this gentle formula doesn't have. It's made without parabens, sulfates, phthalates, mineral oil, sodium lauryl sulfate, synthetic fragrances, or dyes.
Key Ingredients: Soapberry, Sweet Flag | Skin Type: Normal to Dry | Size: 5.4 oz. | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: No
Best with Hyaluronic Acid: Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Cleanser
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Courtesy of Ulta
Increases skin's hydration levels
Fragrance-free
Residue-free
Smell may be too strong to some
Applying this cleanser is basically like enveloping your whole face in one big fluffy cloud. Only it's a cloud filled with hyaluronic acid and sodium PCA meant to help improve the hydration levels in your skin while silk proteins and marshmallow root extract are meant to leave your face silkier, softer, and smoother than it's ever felt.
Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium PCA, Coconut Oil | Skin Type: Normal to Dry | Size: 4.0 oz. | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: Yes
Best for Glowing skin: Origins Three Part Harmony Foaming Cream-to-Oil Cleanser
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Promotes a vibrant glow
Leaves skin feeling clean
Replenishing
Non-lather unappealing to some
This one creates an ever-opulent cleansing experience, moving from a creamy milk consistency to an oil, then foaming up to leave your skin feeling clean and comfortable. Ingredients like tazetta lily bulb and myrtle are meant to help replenish your skin and reveal a dewy, glowing complexion once massaged away.
Key Ingredients: Tazetta Lily Bulb, Myrtle | Skin Type: Normal, Oily, Dry | Size: 5.0 oz. | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: Yes
Best for Stressed Skin: Pacifica Coconut Milk Cream to Foam Face Wash
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Contains a skin superfood
Made from recyclable packaging
Foamy lather
Vegan
Doesn't remove makeup well
Created for "especially stressed" skin, according to the brand, Pacifica's creamy, coconut-infused cleanser is bubbly and delightful, scented like summer, and helps to gently lift dirt, oil, and makeup from your skin each morning and night.
Key Ingredients: Coconut Powder, Coconut Water | Skin Type: All | Size: 5.0 oz. | Cruelty-Free: No | Byrdie Clean: Yes
What to Look For in a Gentle Foam Cleanser
Soap-Free
It might sound a little counter-intuitive to suggest cleansers that specifically don't have soap, since that's the main thing we know of as cleanser. But soap can irritate sensitive skin, and is far from the gentlest way to remove makeup and oils from your face. If you suffer from sensitive skin, it may be beneficial to opt for soap-free foam cleansers.
Soothing Ingredients
For those who need a gentle cleanser, soothing ingredients only increase the chances that the product will keep your skin happy. Ingredients such as aloe vera and ceramides can provide moisture and reduce irritation. Board certified dermatologist Marnie Nussbaum, MD tells Byrdie that "aloe vera is a great added bonus to use in conjunction with your other calming products."
Amino Acids
The benefits of amino acids in skincare are manifold: they soothe skin, help moisturize, and act as antioxidants, just to name a few. Additionally, they're gentle enough for daily usage. Justine Kluk, MD, notes that they "promote cellular repair, hydrate the skin, and provide antioxidant protection," and Joanna Vargas, celebrity facialist and founder of Joanna Vargas Salons and Skin Care, says they "increase hydration, plump the skin, reduce inflammation and build collagen."