Neutrogena Face Wash: Which One I Would Pick

Neutrogena Face Wash: Which One I Would Pick

A Neutrogena face wash is a good place to start when you want something simple, and the brand has a real origin story behind it. Here are the Neutrogena bottles I would look at, plus gentle gel and foam cleansers and acne cleansers from other brands.

Neutrogena began in 1930 in Los Angeles, when Emanuel Stolaroff founded a cosmetics company called Natone. The turn came in 1954. On a trip to Europe he heard about a soft, transparent amber soap that rinsed clean and left no residue, and he brought it home. It took the name Neutrogena, and by 1962 it was so central that the whole company was renamed after it. I like knowing that, because it explains the brand's whole personality. It started with one idea: wash the skin without the tight, stripped feeling.

That idea still runs through the lineup, and a Neutrogena face wash is the easiest place to begin if you do not want to overthink cleansing. The one I would start with is the Hydro Boost Hydrating Facial Cleansing Gel, a gel that is named for hydration, so it makes sense for dry or tight skin. The Hydro Boost Fragrance Free Foaming Face Wash is the same family as a foam, without scent. The Ultra Gentle Daily Foaming Facial Cleanser and the Ultra Gentle Hydrating Creamy Facial Cleanser are the two I would hand to someone with a sensitive mood. For oilier skin, the Oil-Free Deep Clean Daily Facial Cleanser and the Fresh Foaming All-In-One Cleanser are the names that promise a stronger clean. The Oil-Free Pink Grapefruit Acne Facial Cleanser and the Oil-Free Salicylic Acid Acne Fighting Face Wash are the two built for breakouts.

A quick test: wash, pat dry, and wait a minute. If your skin feels tight, go to a creamy or hydrating one. If it feels clean and comfortable, you found yours.

Big numbers collage for Neutrogena Face Wash: six products from Neutrogena, Dieux and The INKEY List, each set beside a large numeral
Neutrogena Face Wash

Neutrogena face washes

Gel and foam cleansers that stay kind

Gel and foam cleansers are the middle ground, and these are the ones I would look at. Dieux Baptism is a fragrance-free foaming gel with 10 percent glycerin, and the brand says it removes makeup and sunscreen without disrupting your barrier. Tatcha The Matcha Foam lathers into a fine foam and uses matcha extract, prebiotic inulin and green clay. LANEIGE Water Bank Gentle Gel Cleanser has blue hyaluronic acid and is fragrance free. First Aid Beauty Ultra Gentle Pure Skin is a cream-to-foam with colloidal oatmeal and glycerin. SOFIE PAVITT FACE Clean Clean is a gel-to-foam that is fragrance free and oil free. Sulwhasoo Gentle Cleansing Foam is labeled without sulfates, and AESTURA ATOBARRIER365 is a dermatologist-tested foaming cleanser for sensitive skin. The Ordinary Glucoside Gentle Foaming Cleanser is the plainest of the group, with two glucoside cleansing agents and not much else.

How to use them: one pump or a coin-sized amount, worked in wet hands first so it foams before it touches your face. Rinse with lukewarm water.

What I would skip: a foaming cleanser as the only step on a night with heavy waterproof makeup. Take it off with a balm or oil first, then use the gel as the second wash.

Gentle gel and foam cleansers

Cleansers for breakouts and oily skin

Acne cleansers are where I get cautious, so I will only repeat what each brand says. The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Acne + Blackhead Cleanser has 2 percent salicylic acid and zinc, and is a lightly foaming gel. Murad Clarifying Gel Cleanser uses two forms of salicylic acid, one free and one encapsulated. Yepoda The Bubble Double is a Korean foam with salicylic acid and pomegranate extract. Skinfix Acne+ pairs 2 percent salicylic acid with niacinamide and azelaic acid. Kiehl's Acne Treating & Cleansing Face Wash has salicylic acid, charcoal and centella, and the brand says it can also be used as a mask. Dermalogica Acne Clearing Skin Wash has 0.5 percent encapsulated salicylic acid with a cooling menthol and tea tree feel. Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Acne Cleanser has 0.5 percent salicylic acid and is fragrance free. OLEHENRIKSEN Daily D-Clog is a milky gel with salicylic acid and Danish purple willow ferment.

Pairing tip: use an acne cleanser once a day at first, usually at night, and keep the morning wash gentle.

What I would skip: stacking one of these with a strong exfoliating toner or a retinol on the same night. If your skin stings, go back to a plain cleanser and ask a dermatologist.

Acne and oil control cleansers

Choosing the one you will actually use

Pick the cleanser by how your skin feels an hour after you wash, not by how squeaky it feels in the moment. Dry or sensitive skin does well with a creamy or hydrating wash like Neutrogena Ultra Gentle or LANEIGE Water Bank. Oily skin usually likes a gel or foam, and breakout prone skin can add a salicylic acid wash a few nights a week. Fragrance free is a good filter if your skin gets grumpy easily. Whatever you choose, give it a few weeks before you judge it, and change one thing at a time so you know what worked. A cleanser is a two minute step. The best one is the one you do not skip.