Compared to our other organs, the skin is more exposed to dirt, allergens, and pollutants. Whether you have oily or dry skin, cleansing is vital to keep it healthy and glowing. Thus, getting a good cleanser is what you need.
This article will give you all the necessary details to focus on before getting that right product. We have also listed some best face cleansers from the brands like Plum, Wow, Mama Earth, and others. This article has been medically evaluated by a specialist, Dr. Hitaishi Kaushik, from the Department of dermatology, so keep reading to know in detail.
Quick List - Top Cleanser for Oily Skin
POND'S
An Anti-Pollution Face Cleanser With Activated Charcoal
Dr. Hitaishi Kaushik pursued her Ph.D. in the field of dermatology and is currently working as a research associate in the dermatology lab at PGIMER.
mybest editing team consists of experienced members who have backgrounds in writing, editing, translation, and more. We are dedicated to researching what makes a product or service the best to users in India in order to create top-quality articles. From skincare, to kitchen appliances, and to DIY supplies, our mission is to find the best ones for you.
The expert oversees the Buying Guide only, and does not determine the products and services featured.
Table of Contents
Before choosing a face cleanser, you should go through this buying guide to know more about the ingredients as to which ones to choose and which ones to avoid.
Foam-based are lightweight and are suitable for acne-prone and oily skin because they help in deep cleaning, removing impurities, and excess oil called sebum from the skin. However, people with sensitive skin can avoid them because they contain sodium lauryl sulfate, which can irritate the skin.
Gel-based have a thick liquid consistency and help reduce sebum and fight acne-causing bacterias. Still, gel-based are suitable for sensitive skin because of their hydrating and soothing effect.
The skin on the face contains excessive oil glands, collagen, blood vessels, is more sensitive, and is constantly exposed to environmental conditions such as pollution, bacteria, fungus, or allergens, compared to the skin in other areas of our body.
Hence, face cleansers or face wash are essential to clean the dirt and dead cells, cleanse the pores, and minimise microbial infections. People with oily skin should avoid heavy or oil-based cleansers. Foam or gel-based cleansers are best for their skin. They are light, water-soluble, and are gentle to the skin.
Oily skin is more likely to catch germs and dust, causing pimples and allergic skin. But, you do not have to worry, as many face cleansers are available in the market, which are formulated especially for allergic, sensitive, and acne-prone skin. Look for ‘clinically tested and hypoallergenic’ face cleansers as they don’t cause any allergic reactions.
Moreover, you can look for natural ingredients as they increase the reliability of the product. They are also beneficial for sensitive and allergic skin types because they are toxic-free and don’t harm the skin. Check our specifications table to stay away from these harmful ingredients.
Many natural ingredients are useful for oily skin like tea tree oil, aloe vera gel, mineral clay, and many more. Tea tree oil is known for its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, which calms redness and irritation. Aloe vera gel is useful for oily skin as the skin easily absorbs it. It protects the skin from sunburns and treats acne with its cooling effects.
People with extremely sensitive or dry skin should preferably avoid regular face wash. Instead, they can clean their face with normal/lukewarm water and should keep their skin well moisturized.
And incase a cleanser is required, they must use pH balanced cleanser free from chemicals and fragrance. They can look for natural organic ingredients or can try homemade cleansers (must do a patch test first to check if it suits you or not).
Exfoliators are good for skin as they make it even and smooth. They are extremely helpful for people with oily skin types because they prevent the pores from getting clogged and remove the face’s dead skin. Look for exfoliating ingredients like salicylic and glycolic acid with activated charcoal.
Salicylic acid is an oil-soluble that removes excess oil, also called sebum, from the skin, giving a drying effect. On the other hand, glycolic acid is a water-soluble acid that removes the dead skin cells from the outer part by exfoliating, also known as Stratum Corneum. It mainly works well with the oily skin as it prevents clogging the pores.
Activated charcoal is not an exfoliator but is used with the exfoliating ingredients. It pulls out the dirt and micropollutants from the skin and balances the surface by removing excess oil. It helps treat acne, as well.
Around 50 million skin cells die every day. Their effective removal is essential for the skin's natural regeneration, making it more radiant and glowing. This can be achieved by exfoliating the skin.
Usually, 2 types of exfoliators are used - mechanical exfoliators, which have a gritty texture, which mechanically removes dead skin (scrubs/ brushes, etc.), and chemical exfoliators (Retinol, AHA, glycolic acid, salicylic acid) that break dead cells interaction and gently remove dead skin.
Glycolic and salicylic acid are beneficial for oily or acne-prone skin as they decrease sebum production, are anti-inflammatory, and reduce whiteheads' formation.
There are many harmful ingredients like paraben, artificial fragrances, alcohol, oxybenzone, octinoxate, and other preservatives. These ingredients can harm the skin by causing allergic reactions, reddening, and some can even cause thyroid; hence, should be avoided, especially by sensitive and acne-prone skin types.
Paraben is the most common preservative found in cosmetic products. It is used to preserve the product from bacteria and fungus, but it has some cons too. It can cause an allergic reaction or irritation if you have sensitive skin. So, it is better to go for a paraben-free cleanser made from natural ingredients.
So, check before buying the product; alcohol-based cleansers can give you a non-oily or matte finish, but can damage your skin and enlarge the pores.
Recent studies reveal that parabens can cause inflammation, rashes, and itchiness of the skin and increase sensitivity to UV rays causing premature damage to the skin. They can also penetrate the skin deep inside and sometimes cause endocrine or other medical issues. Hence, parabens should be avoided.
Even though alcoholic face washes would make your skin look better initially, but excessive use of these products can gradually exaggerate oily skin problems because alcohol removes excess sebum from the skin, which can cause sebaceous glands to produce excessive oil and it can lead to acne breakouts or worsen the existing acne.
Non-comedogenic means that it won’t block the pores while allowing your skin to breathe, keeping it away from breakouts, pimples, and acne. Blocked pores can prevent you from giving a fresh look, resulting in blemishes because your skin may not be able to process the extra oil or sebum.
If you have oily or acne-prone skin, you must keep an eye on non-comedogenic cleansers to get a healthy and clog-free skin.
Non-comedogenic cleansers will not clog your pores. This will prevent whiteheads, or acne especially in people with oily skin. Such people should look for non-comedogenic cleansers, avoid cleansers with coconut/mineral/petroleum oil, and be paraben-free.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | aziclear Anti-Acne Facial Cleanser | ![]() | Gentle Face Cleanser With Azelaic Acid | |
2 | Plum Green Tea Cleansing Face Wash | ![]() | A Foam Based Cleanser With the Goodness of Green Tea Extracts | |
3 | WOW Science Brightening Vitamin C | ![]() | Anti-Aging Face Cleanser With Hyaluronic Acid | |
4 | POND'S Pure White Mineral Clay Anti Pollution | ![]() | An Anti-Pollution Face Cleanser With Activated Charcoal | |
5 | mamaearth Charcoal Natural | ![]() | Hypo-Allergenic Tested and Paraben Free for Allergic Skin | |
6 | Biotique Bio Pineapple Oil Control Foaming Face Cleanser | ![]() | An Ayurvedic Foaming Face Cleaner | |
7 | Lotus Herbals Whiteglow 3-In-1 Deep Cleansing | ![]() | A Mixture of Milk Enzymes and Aloe Vera Gel | |
8 | Neutrogena Deep Clean Foaming Cleanser | ![]() | A Non-Comedogenic Product With Deep Cleansing Power | |
9 | Kaya Clinic Acne Free Purifying Cleanser | ![]() | Fight Your Acne Problem With This Product | |
10 | NIVEA Milk Delights Fine Gramflour | ![]() | Get the Benefits of Besan From This Cream |
Those who are already suffering from skin problems like pimples or redness would want to look for this product with Azelaic acid. Azelaic acid is a natural acid that helps treat skin problems like rosacea, a condition that often affects the nose, chin, cheeks, forehead, and chin.
It is one of the best exfoliators as it has special micro-exfoliating Lipo Hydroxy and Lactic acid that can treat acne by removing the impurities and dead skin cells. Additionally, it has antioxidants like Vitamin C, which helps prevent aging, hyperpigmentation, and brown spots, giving radiant skin.
Plum is becoming quite popular in India because of its vegan and cruelty-free products. Apart from it, they use natural ingredients that are safe to apply on skin. Now they have come with the face cleanser, which includes a natural ingredient like green tea extracts.
Green tea works great for the skin as it is rich in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial, which treats acne and reduces excess sebum from the face. It includes cellulose beads, a natural exfoliant that helps remove dead skin cells without damaging the skin.
This face cleanser by wow delivers the benefit of lemon and orange essential oils and hyaluronic acid. Lemon and orange essential oils contain vitamin C that is anti-aging and evens skin tone with its antioxidant properties. Whereas, hyaluronic acid retains large amounts of water, giving soft and wrinkle-free skin.
It will protect the skin from pollutants and ultraviolet rays as it contains antioxidants like liquorice and mulberry. The company provides an extra brush for a gentle massage to boost the blood flow, and it also removes the dead skin cells.
Want to protect your skin from pollution? Ponds have come with a face cleanser that will keep the skin smooth and bright while preventing it from the city’s pollution.
It has a great combination of activated charcoal and mineral clay. It contains calcium, silica, magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc, and selenium, which helps treat skin breakout and reduces acne. Many users of this product have praised the soft texture.
If you have allergic and acne-prone skin, you can consider this product because it is a clinically proven hypoallergenic face cleanser. Even if you have sensitive skin, it will cause no harm, so you do not have to worry about any allergic reactions.
It also contains activated charcoal, clay, and coffee. Activated charcoal and clay help in many ways; it maintains natural skin tone by deep cleaning, doesn’t irritate, gives a refreshing look, and reduces dead skin cells.
This product is free from paraben and is perfectly suitable for oily skin type because it has all Ayurvedic ingredients like haldi, neem, ananas, ritha, and lavang oil. It is a soap-free formula that helps remove impurities and improve skin complexion.
Ananas or Pineapple removes dead skin cells and has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can prevent acne and aging. If you have a skin darkening problem because of extra oil. In that case, it can work great for you as it contains neem that reduces melanin production while giving an even skin tone.
Lotus herbal face cleanser is a great combination of milk enzymes and aloe vera gel. It gives three benefits: deep cleansing, skin brightening, and preventing melanin production. Milk enzymes have various properties that help in removing impurities and dead skin cells. It also reduces wrinkles, dark spots, and dark patches.
Aloe vera gel is an excellent moisturizer for oily skin; it is quickly absorbed by the skin while giving a cooling effect. Apart from these, it also contains other natural ingredients like grapes and mulberry extracts and saxifrage, which help to lighten the skin tone.
If you want to get rid of the shine on your forehead, nose, and cheeks, then go with this non-comedogenic product. It helps eliminate oily skin problems as it doesn’t clog the pores, allowing the skin to breathe. You can also effectively remove your makeup by using this cleanser.
With its deep cleansing formula, it gives you long-lasting oil-controlled skin and removes 99% micropollutants that are as small as PM 2.5. After using the product, many users have experienced a reduction in pimples, and some have even loved the refreshing fragrance of this cleanser
This product from Kaya contains salicylic acid that removes excess oil, dirt, and impurities. Also, it is known for fighting acne while preventing future breakouts.
If you have sensitive or acne-prone skin, then this product is the right choice because it is suitable for all skin types and at an affordable price. Lastly, it has a unique conditioner to ensure that your skin does not feel stretchy or dry after wash.
It is a Milk Protein-based face cleanser with besan, also known as gram flour, for oily skin. Milk Protein helps in skin hydration while maintaining skin moisture. Besan is used as a home remedy in Indian households to brighten the skin and cure skin infections. It has many other benefits as well; it treats acne and halts the production of excess sebum.
According to the reviewers, it’s a great product because of the smooth texture and mild fragrance, but some have complained that it is a sticky product.
There are many other amazing products which you should look to pamper your skin. They also include a detailed buying guide and a product recommendations list. So, check out the best ones!
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Face cleansing is an essential part of our routine, and it needs more attention than other body parts. So choose your face cleanser wisely according to your skin type. We hope this buying guide helps you in selecting the most desirable product.
Author: Nikhil Deora
No. 1: aziclear|Anti-Acne Facial Cleanser
No. 2: Plum|Green Tea Cleansing Face Wash
No. 3: WOW|Science Brightening Vitamin C
No. 4: POND'S|Pure White Mineral Clay Anti Pollution
No. 5: mamaearth|Charcoal Natural
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
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