12 Gentle Foam Cleansers That Won't Leave Your Skin Feeling Stripped

Bets Overall: Caudalie Instant Foaming Cleanser

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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. Together, the ingredients promise antioxidant protection, antibacterial properties, and anti-inflammatory benefits to combat sensitivity and redness.

Best Budget: Garnier SkinActive Micellar Foaming Gel Facial Cleanser

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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.

Best Splurge: SK-II Facial Treatment Cleanser

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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 anti-aging and nourishing effects on the rest of your skin.

Best for Oily Skin: Zelens Z-Detox Foaming Cleanser

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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.

Best for Dry Skin: Korres Greek Yoghurt Foaming Cream Cleanser

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Korres's ultra-luxurious cleanser is made with Greek yogurt (an ingredient used for centuries in Greece for its smoothing and strengthening properties), which 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.

Best for Combination Skin: Lancôme Crème Radiance Clarifying Cream-to-Foam Cleanser

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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 promises to increase cell renewal, leaving your skin feeling hydrated and soothed, and it smells like a dream.

Best for Acne-Prone Skin: Skinfood Egg White Pore Foam

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Made with pore-purifying, amino acid-rich egg whites, Skinfood's foam is mild and won't strip away your skin's natural oils but will help curb breakouts and blackheads in oily skin types.

Best for Discoloration: Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser

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For those dealing with hyperpigmentation, Indie Lee's brightening cleanser is one that you'll find exceptionally helpful. It removes dirt and excess oil, hydrates, exfoliates, and offers 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.

Best with Vitamin C: Belif Creamy Cleansing Foam Moist

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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.

Best with Hyaluronic Acid: Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Cleanser

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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 leave your face silkier, softer, and smoother than it's ever felt.

Best for Glowing skin: Origins Three Part Harmony Foaming Cream-to-Oil Cleanser

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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 promise to help replenish your skin and reveal a dewy, glowing complexion once massaged away.