Best face washes for dry skin (2026)

Key takeaways

• Dry skin does best with a gentle, fragrance-free, non-soap cleanser used with lukewarm water. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) says to use enough to remove dirt and oil, but not so much that you see a thick lather.

• Our top pick is CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser: Glycerin second on the list, three Ceramides, Sodium Hyaluronate, and acceptance from the National Eczema Association (NEA).

• For dry, sensitive skin, La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Facial Cleanser pairs Ceramide NP and Niacinamide in a fragrance-free cream. For skin that’s dry to very dry, CeraVe’s Hydrating Foaming Oil Cleanser adds Squalane.

• For makeup and sunscreen, U Beauty’s The MANTLE Cleansing Balm turns from a balm into a cleansing milk, so one wash covers both cleanses. It lists a fragrance ingredient, which the other eight don’t.

• Format matters as much as the label. Creams, milks, balms, and oil cleansers usually feel softer on visibly dry skin than a strong foam, and moisturizer belongs on damp skin straight after.

A face wash for dry skin has one job: take off the day without taking the skin’s own oils with it. The nine below were picked for that. Each one is soap-free, eight of the nine list no fragrance, and between them they cover cream, milk, balm, gel-texture, and oil formats, from about $15 to $78.

What makes a face wash gentle enough for dry skin

Start with the AAD’s dry skin tips: a gentle cleanser, a fragrance-free label, and “enough cleanser to remove dirt and oil but avoid using so much that you see a thick lather.” Mayo Clinic is more specific about the bottle itself, suggesting a cleanser “that doesn’t foam and doesn’t have alcohol in it.”

Here’s what to check on the label:

• The cleansing agents. A 2022 review in Molecules notes that harsh soaps can leave skin dry, rough, tight, and itchy, and that mild synthetic cleansers are the preferred choice. On an ingredient list, the gentler options often read as glucosides (Coco-Glucoside, Decyl Glucoside), betaines (Coco-Betaine), or amino acid surfactants (Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate).

• Hydrating ingredients. Look for Glycerin, Ceramides, Squalane, and Hyaluronic Acid. They won’t stay on the face for long in a rinse-off product, but they can help skin feel less tight after rinsing.

• No fragrance. Fragrance is one more thing for dry, easily irritated skin to react to. Eight picks here are labeled fragrance-free or have no fragrance entry on their ingredient lists, and the one that does list a fragrance ingredient says so in its entry.

• A format you’ll enjoy. Cream, milk, and balm cleansers foam the least. A gel or foaming oil can still work for dry skin if its surfactants are mild.

Dry and dehydrated aren’t the same thing, and the fix is slightly different for each. If you’re not sure which you have, this explainer on dry and dehydrated skin sets out the signs.

At a glance

1. CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser: best overall face wash for dry skin

2. La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Facial Cleanser: best for dry, sensitive skin

3. U Beauty The MANTLE Cleansing Balm: best balm cleanser for dry skin

4. CeraVe Hydrating Foaming Oil Cleanser: best for very dry skin

5. First Aid Beauty Ultra Gentle Pure Skin Face Cleanser: best for removing makeup and sunscreen

6. Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser: best minimal formula

7. BYOMA Milky Moisture Cleanser: best milk cleanser with Ceramides

8. Hada Labo Tokyo Gentle Hydrating Cleanser: best with two forms of Hyaluronic Acid

9. KraveBeauty Matcha Hemp Hydrating Cleanser: best for dry skin that likes a fresh rinse

How we compared these face washes

None of these cleansers was tried on skin for this piece. Instead, we went through every brand page and full ingredient list during October 2026, looking at five things:

• Cleanser format: cream, milk, lotion, balm, gel, or foaming oil.

• Surfactants: what does the cleaning, and whether anything harsh, such as Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, is on the list.

• Hydrating ingredients: Glycerin, Ceramides, Squalane, and Hyaluronic Acid, and roughly where they sit on the list.

• Fragrance: from the label and the full ingredient list.

• Price and size, as the brand shows them.

Face washes for dry skin compared

1. CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser: best overall face wash for dry skin

CeraVe makes this cream cleanser for normal to dry skin, and its ingredient list is a good model of what a dry-skin wash should look like. Glycerin sits second, right after water, and Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Sodium Hyaluronate, and Cholesterol all appear further down. There’s no added fragrance, per CeraVe’s label.

It’s also inexpensive and easy to find, which matters for something you’ll use twice a day for years.

Key features:

• Three Ceramides with Cholesterol: the same lipid trio CeraVe builds into its moisturizers.

• Eczema association approval: CeraVe’s page notes acceptance by the National Eczema Association.

• Simple directions: wet skin with lukewarm water, massage it in with your fingertips, rinse, and follow with a moisturizer.

Best for: a cheap, reliable morning-and-night wash for normal to dry faces.

Tradeoff: it gives very little lather, so it won’t leave that squeaky feeling some people associate with clean skin. That’s the point for dry skin, but it can take a week to get used to.

Price: $15.99 on CeraVe’s site.

2. La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Facial Cleanser: best for dry, sensitive skin

La Roche-Posay pitches this cream wash at normal to dry, sensitive skin. Glycerin is second on the list, Ceramide NP and Niacinamide sit seventh and eighth, and the brand’s prebiotic thermal spring water is in the base. It’s labeled fragrance-free, paraben-free, oil-free, and non-comedogenic.

Key features:

• Ceramide NP and Niacinamide: La Roche-Posay names both as headline ingredients.

• Published consumer figures: the brand reports that 94% of users said it felt gentle on their skin and 93% said it rinsed easily.

• Several sizes: 50 ml, 200 ml, and 400 ml, plus a 400 ml refill.

Best for: dry or combination skin that turns tight or pink after a stronger wash.

Tradeoff: La Roche-Posay doesn’t recommend it for oily skin and points those users to a foaming cleanser instead, so it’s not the pick if your T-zone is oily while your cheeks are dry.

Price: $19.99 for 400 ml.

3. U Beauty The MANTLE Cleansing Balm: best balm cleanser for dry skin

If your day includes long-wear makeup or a water-resistant sunscreen, The MANTLE Cleansing Balm handles both cleanses in one wash. You massage it onto dry skin as an oil-balm, then add water and it turns into a cleansing milk, which is why U Beauty calls it a double cleanse in one step. Glycerin is fourth on its ingredient list, Sodium Hyaluronate and Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid come later, and the cleaning is done by a sugar-based emulsifier (Sucrose Polystearate) and an amino acid-based one (Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate), with no sulfate on the list. It’s all powered by proprietary SIREN Capsule Technology™, and the payoff is a face that feels clean but still soft once you’ve rinsed.

Key features:

• Balm to milk: massage it onto dry skin for 30 to 60 seconds, add water, keep massaging as it turns milky, then rinse. A cloth is optional for leftover makeup.

• Published consumer figures: in a 30-volunteer consumer perception study (a week of daily use, with a cloth), 90% agreed waterproof makeup was effectively removed and 93% agreed their skin felt smooth and softened, U Beauty reports.

• Hyaluronic Acid in the base: two forms sit on the list alongside Glycerin.

Best for: dry skin that wants makeup and sunscreen off in a single step, with a balm texture rather than a foam.

Tradeoff: its ingredient list includes a fragrance ingredient, Methyldihydrojasmonate (eighth on the list), plus bilberry, sugar cane, lemon, orange, and sugar maple extracts, the blend U Beauty calls Fruit Alpha Hydroxy Acids, with Citric Acid near the end. At $78 for the full size, it’s also the priciest wash here.

Price: $78 for 150 ml; the 50 ml size is $38.

4. CeraVe Hydrating Foaming Oil Cleanser: best for very dry skin

This is the one to try if cream cleansers still leave your face feeling tight. It starts as an oil and turns into a light foam once you massage it onto wet skin. CeraVe makes it for dry to very dry skin, including sensitive skin, and its list puts Squalane ninth, with Ceramide NP, AP, and EOP right after it and Sodium Hyaluronate further down.

Key features:

• Squalane plus Ceramides: an emollient and three lipids in a rinse-off format.

• Mild surfactants: Coco-Betaine and Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate do the cleaning.

• No fragrance entry: nothing on the ingredient list is there for scent.

Best for: dry to very dry skin that wants the comfort of an oil without a separate oil cleanser.

Tradeoff: it foams, which Mayo Clinic’s advice leans away from for dry skin. The oil content softens that, but if your skin feels tight afterward, a cream or milk cleanser here is the safer swap.

Price: $15.99 on CeraVe’s site.

5. First Aid Beauty Ultra Gentle Pure Skin Face Cleanser: best for removing makeup and sunscreen

First Aid Beauty calls this a fragrance-free cleanser with a creamy texture that removes makeup, SPF, and dirt without leaving skin feeling tight or dry. It’s pH balanced, and the brand says it’s accepted by the National Eczema Association. Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate does most of the cleaning, with Glycerin, Allantoin, and extracts of feverfew, green tea, licorice root, and aloe.

Key features:

• Makeup and sunscreen in one pass: useful if you’d rather not double cleanse every night.

• Allantoin: First Aid Beauty lists it as a soothing ingredient.

• Twice a day: massage onto damp skin and rinse, morning and evening.

Best for: dry skin that wears makeup or sunscreen daily and wants one step at night.

Tradeoff: it carries several plant extracts. They aren’t fragrance, but if your skin reacts to botanicals, Vanicream’s list below is shorter.

Price: $27 for 6 oz. A 2 oz and an 8 oz size are also listed.

6. Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser: best minimal formula

If your skin is dry and easily upset, a short list is worth more than any extra. Vanicream’s gel cleanser has 12 entries: water, Glycerin, two gentle surfactants (Coco-Glucoside and Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate), and a few texture and preservative ingredients. There’s no soap, no sulfate, no plant extract, and no fragrance.

Key features:

• The shortest list here: 12 ingredients.

• Eczema-friendly credentials: the National Eczema Association’s Seal appears on the brand page.

• Light makeup only: for waterproof formulas, Vanicream suggests cleansing twice.

Best for: dry skin that reacts to almost everything, or anyone trying to work out which product is causing trouble.

Tradeoff: it has no Ceramides or Hyaluronic Acid, so it’s a plain wash rather than one with extras. Mica and Titanium Dioxide are on the list too, for appearance.

Price: set by retailers, for an 8 oz pump bottle or a 2.5 oz tube.

7. BYOMA Milky Moisture Cleanser: best milk cleanser with Ceramides

BYOMA builds this milk cleanser around what it calls a Tri-Ceramide Complex: Ceramide NP, Cholesterol, and fatty acids, the three lipid groups found in the skin’s outer layer. Oat Meal Extract, Panthenol, and Glycerin are also on the list, and the cleansing agents are mild ones, including Decyl Glucoside and Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate. BYOMA labels it alcohol-free and fragrance-free.

Key features:

• Massage onto dry skin first: then add water to turn it milky and rinse well.

• Oat and Panthenol: two ingredients many people with dry, reactive skin find comfortable.

• NEA Seal: it appears on the bottle in BYOMA’s product photos.

Best for: dry faces that like a soft, milky wash with Ceramides in it.

Tradeoff: BYOMA’s directions position it as a second cleanse, so if you wear heavy makeup, plan on a balm or oil first.

Price: $14.99 for 175 ml.

8. Hada Labo Tokyo Gentle Hydrating Cleanser: best with two forms of Hyaluronic Acid

Hada Labo Tokyo leans on amino acid surfactants here: Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate is first on the list, with Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, and Decyl Glucoside alongside it. Glycerin sits second, and two forms of Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate and Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, appear later on. The brand says it contains no fragrance, parabens, dyes, or mineral oil.

Key features:

• Amino acid cleansing agents: the brand describes them as natural amino acids for gentle cleansing.

• Two types of Hyaluronic Acid: named on the front of the product.

• A small amount goes far: a pea-sized amount, worked into a lather with lukewarm water, morning and evening.

Best for: dry or combination skin that likes some lather without a stripped feeling.

Tradeoff: it does lather, so use the smallest amount that gets the job done. It also showed as sold out on the brand’s site in early October 2026.

Price: $17.50.

9. KraveBeauty Matcha Hemp Hydrating Cleanser: best for dry skin that likes a fresh rinse

KraveBeauty’s cleanser swaps plain water for green tea leaf water at the top of its list, then adds Glycerin, Coco-Betaine, Coco-Glucoside, Hemp Seed Oil, Panthenol, Sodium PCA, and oat kernel extract. The brand labels it essential oil and fragrance free and gives a pH of 5.5 to 6.5.

Key features:

• Hemp Seed Oil and Panthenol: an oil and a humectant in a lighter wash.

• A stated pH: 5.5 to 6.5, according to KraveBeauty.

• Face and neck: apply to a wet face and neck, then rinse.

Best for: dry or combination skin that wants hydration but doesn’t like the feel of a cream cleanser.

Tradeoff: KraveBeauty notes that its naturally derived ingredients can make the color and texture vary from batch to batch, so don’t be surprised if a new bottle looks a little different.

Price: $16 for 120 ml.

How to wash dry skin without drying it out

• Skip the washcloth. Lukewarm water and fingertips are the AAD’s face-washing recommendation, and it warns that cloths and mesh sponges can irritate.

• Two washes a day is plenty. The AAD’s limit is morning, night, and after a sweaty workout. Mayo Clinic says sensitive skin can get by with cleanser at night and plain water in the morning.

• Keep the amount small. If you see a thick lather, you’ve used more than you need.

• Pat dry, then moisturize while skin is damp. A rich cream or ointment holds water in better than a thin lotion. For picks, see our moisturizers for dry skin.

• Double cleanse only on heavy days. For waterproof makeup or water-resistant sunscreen, a balm first and a gentle wash second works well. Our roundup of cleansing balms covers the first step.

• Go easy on exfoliating. If dry skin also looks flaky, a gentle chemical exfoliant once or twice a week usually suits it better than a scrub. How often to exfoliate walks through the pacing.

If your skin stays dry, cracked, or itchy for weeks despite a gentle routine, a board-certified dermatologist can check for eczema or another cause.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best face wash for dry skin?

A gentle, fragrance-free, non-soap cleanser in a cream, milk, or oil format. CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser is our top pick, and La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Facial Cleanser suits dry skin that’s also sensitive.

Should dry skin use a foaming cleanser?

Usually not as a first choice. Mayo Clinic suggests a cleanser that doesn’t foam, and the AAD advises against using enough to create a thick lather. If you prefer some foam, a foaming oil or an amino acid cleanser with Glycerin is a gentler middle ground.

What is the best cleanser for very dry skin?

Something with lipids in it. CeraVe Hydrating Foaming Oil Cleanser is made for dry to very dry skin and lists Squalane and three Ceramides, and BYOMA Milky Moisture Cleanser pairs Ceramide NP with Cholesterol.

Can I wash my face with just water if I have dry skin?

Sometimes. Mayo Clinic says people with sensitive skin can wash with a cleanser in the evening and simply rinse with water at other times. If you wear sunscreen or makeup, you’ll still want a cleanser at night.

What ingredients should dry skin avoid in a cleanser?

Harsh soaps, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, drying alcohols, and fragrance are the usual culprits. A short list with mild surfactants and Glycerin is a safer bet.

Related reading

• The 7 best face washes for acne

• The 7 best face oils for dry and dull skin

• The 7 best creams for crepey skin after weight loss

• Dermatologist-recommended skincare products

• Best Hyaluronic Acid cleansers for dry, dehydrated-feeling skin