Cleansing is my favorite step in the entire routine. Getting rid of all products I’ve been layering on in the morning and having the perfect canvas for doing my PM skincare ritual is a dream. If you feel the same, you’ll be excited to browse through the best face washes for 30s I’ve prepped for you. They address all skin types and concerns you can think of, plus they fit every budget, so you can find your perfect match in the blink of an eye.
- Best Overall: Image Skincare Vital C Hydrating Facial Cleanser
- Best for Dehydrated Skin: Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm
- Best with Antioxidants: Youth To The People Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser
- Best for Oily Skin: Tatcha The Deep Cleanse
- Best for Hyperpigmentation: Murad Environmental Shield Essential-C Cleanser
- Best Foaming Formula: Filorga Foam Cleanser Face Wash and Makeup Remover
- Best for Acne: The Inkey List 2% Salicylic Acid Cleanser
- Best with Clean Formula: Belif Aqua Bomb Jelly Cleanser
- Best for Budget: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Lightweight Facial Cleansing Gel
- Best for Dry Skin: CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser
- Best Anti-Pollution: Chanel Cleansing Milk
- Best for Sensitive Skin: La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Facial Cleanser
- Best for Broken Barrier: The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser
How to pick the best cleanser for your 30s?
The very basic step of our skincare routines is a good cleanser. Even if it doesn’t sit on the complexion as a serum or moisturizer does, using the wrong cleanser might have pretty bad consequences.
Now, at the bare minimum, the best cleanser for 30s should wash away makeup, dirt, and pollution without stripping the skin of moisture. The texture is important too. You want a foaming cleanser if your skin is oily, a lightweight gel for acne-prone or sensitive skin, while a hydrating balm or oil cleanser does best for dry complexions. And how in your 30s, breakouts (welcome to the club), dark spots, fine lines, excess sebum, or dryness are very likely, picking a cleanser targeting your concern is a must.
Without further ado, below are the best cleansers to use in your 30s for a clean, soft, and radiant complexion.
Best Overall: Image Skincare Vital C Hydrating Facial Cleanser
It’s easy to get why Image Skincare Vital C Hydrating Cleanser takes the cake for the best cleanser for 30s that literally everyone can use. The gentle formula is loaded with vitamins A, C, and E to restore radiance while melting away makeup, and impurities. On top of that, its creamy texture is delicate enough not to strip the skin of essential moisture while leaving it clear and ready for the rest of your skincare routine. And finally, the fragrance-free formula has a refreshing citrus scent that comes from orange peel oil, and everybody is in love with it!
Best for Dehydrated Skin: Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm
With over 5,000 happy reviewers, Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm is the ideal cleanser if you struggle with dehydrated skin in your 30s. As the name suggests, the cleanser has a balm-like texture and is made on a sweet almond oil base, hence is super gentle and moisturizing. Other ingredients worth mentioning are beeswax, shea butter, a blend of nine essential oils, and brown algae to support hydration. This product not only washes away makeup and debris in no time, but it’s delicate and infuses skin with nutrients needed for a healthy complexion.
Best with Antioxidants: Youth To The People Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser
If your skin craves antioxidant-rich formula, Youth To The People Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser is your best bet. It’s spiked with a mix of antioxidant-rich plants, such as kale, spinach, and green tea, to energize stressed skin while dissolving all impurities. We like that it’s free of drying SLSs, and alcohol, so it cleanses without leaving skin parched and keeps an optimal pH balance. You can use it no matter the skin type or concern, really, it’s great for everyone.
Best for Oily Skin: Tatcha The Deep Cleanse
Tatcha The Deep Cleanse is definitely the best face wash for oily skin folks in their 30s. This oil-free exfoliating face wash gives skin a deep cleanse, leaving it soft and ready for the next steps in your routine — the gel lathers into a creamy foam that instantly dissolves makeup and debris. The star ingredient of the formula is Japanese luffa fruit, rich in fibers that encourage dead cells to slough off, helping decongest clogged pores and reduce excess sebum.
Best for Hyperpigmentation: Murad Environmental Shield Essential-C Cleanser
When dark spots stay in the way of flawless skin, you add all kinds of brightening agents to your routine. Welp, starting with this cleanser will make everything easier. As it’s filled with two forms of vitamin C and retinyl palmitate, the face wash aims to diminish the look of dark patches while allantoin and panthenol soften. Even if the formula is gentle to the skin, Murad Essential-C Cleanser is hardworking, washing away dust and debris without drying the skin or stripping away essential oils.
Best Foaming Formula: Filorga Foam Cleanser Face Wash and Makeup Remover
As an oily, breakout-prone skin type, I’m using this cleanser, which removes sebum and dirt while aiming to hydrate with sodium hyaluronate. The liquid formula becomes a rich leathery foam once shacked, and it’s truly great at removing makeup and cleansing skin (besides being a joy to use). Two pumps are enough for one wash, and I’m telling you: Filorga cleanser lasts forever! Oh, and I love the clean scent it leaves.
Best for Acne: The Inkey List 2% Salicylic Acid Cleanser
Made with 2% salicylic acid, this face wash works hard to dislodge dead cells, unclog pores and help reduce blackheads and blemishes. There’s more: it contains zinc to help balance sebum and 0.5% allantoin to soothe inflammations. So, if you’re struggling with congested, blemish-prone skin, this face wash won’t disappoint, promise!
Best with Clean Formula: Belif Aqua Bomb Jelly Cleanser
For a delicate, clean formula, Belif Aqua Bomb Jelly Cleanser is the one. Not only it’s free of SLSs, and alcohol, so it doesn’t bother the skin, but it fusions a blend of gentle ingredients, such as glycerin, lady’s mantle, and oat kernel, to replenish hydration and minimize pores look. From cleansing to moisturizing and soothing, it does it all, so no wonder is among the best cleansers for 30s.
Best for Budget: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Lightweight Facial Cleansing Gel
Neutrogena Hydrating Facial Cleansing Gel is the answer if you’re on a budget and want a good cleanser. The gel formula transforms into silky leather that removes any trace of makeup, oil, and grime, leaving skin clean and fresh. Plus, it’s boosted with glycerin and hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid, two of the most powerful humectants that aid in replenishing hydration. Say hello to soft skin without breaking the bank.
Best for Dry Skin: CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser
If your skin is dry and tight, a cleanser that dissolves makeup and other debris without disrupting the barrier or stripping moisture is what you need, and CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser gives you just that. The fragrance-free formula has a gel-creamy texture that infuses skin with hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and cholesterol, all essential for relieving dryness while leaving the complexion clear, bright and smooth to the touch.
Best Anti-Pollution: Chanel Cleansing Milk
Feeling like splurging on a miraculous face wash? Compared to most cleansers, Chanel Cleansing Milk works differently: slather on dry skin, massage gently, and remove with a cotton pad. Yep, you don’t even need water. Besides removing pollution and breaking down makeup (waterproof too!), the cleanser leaves skin soft and satiny due to the addition of shea butter, Camellia Kissi seed oil, and marine algae. And the luxurious feeling will make you look further to cleansing your skin!
Best for Sensitive Skin: La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Facial Cleanser
If your complexion is easily reactive, reach for La Roche-Posay Toleraine Hydrating Cleanser. The formula has a milky cream texture that encourages skin to retain moisture while properly removing makeup and dirt, with no residue behind. Enriched with a mingle of ceramide, glycerin, and niacinamide, this face wash aids in restoring the barrier, replenishing hydration, and balancing skin pH. Wait, there’s more about this one: is fragrance-, oil-, soap- and sulfate-free, and non-comedogenic.
Best for Broken Barrier: The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser
Since it’s made on a squalene base (oil that mimics skin sebum), The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser is the best face wash for 30s if you’re struggling with a broken protective barrier. The moisturizing cleanser has a balm-to-oil texture which, once rubbed into the skin, becomes a hydrating oil that won’t ever leave skin feeling tight while gently liftings dirt and makeup. The good news is that all skin types can use it, including dehydrated and sensitized ones.
