The 12 Best Exfoliating Face Washes for Clean, Smooth Skin—and We’ve Tried over 85

Best Overall

Elemis Facial Wash

$54 at Amazon View on Ulta $55 at Macy's

Key Ingredients: Babassu, patented tri-enzyme technology, white truffle | Skin Type(s): All | Benefits: Cleansing, smoothing, resurfacing | Size: 6.7 fl oz | Cruelty-Free: No

Elemis’ Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Wash is everything you want in an exfoliating cleanser. It’s great for all skin types and thoroughly cleanses while gently exfoliating. It lathers nicely and you only need about half a pump to cover the whole face When testing this product, it left our skin feeling smooth and hydrated—never stripped of natural oils. 

We love how gentle this face wash felt on our skin without sacrificing effectiveness. One tester noticed that her pores looked smaller after using this face wash. It also did a great job of removing makeup without the need to double-cleanse. Not to mention, it smells great. Honestly, there’s nothing we don’t like about this product.

Best Budget

Tonymoly I'm Rice Exfoliating Enzyme Cleanser

$13 at Amazon View on Ulta View on Tonymoly.us

Key Ingredients: Rice powder, rice extract, papaya enzyme | Skin Type(s): All | Benefits: Cleansing, exfoliating, soothing, hydrating, brightening | Size: 1.7 fl oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Not only is the price point excellent on this one from Tonymoly, but a little goes a long way, so a single purchase lasts a long time. We also just loved how well it performed. It has a slightly gritty consistency that lathers nicely, and always leaves the skin feeling clean, refreshed, smooth, and hydrated (but never greasy or oily). It also removed makeup so efficiently that we never had to double-cleanse. 

It’s super easy to rinse off, too—we just used some water and our hands, no washcloth intervention required. This face wash truly delivered on all of its promises, and there’s nothing we’d change about it.

Best Physical Exfoliator

Beekman 1801 Milk Scrub Oat and Goat Milk Exfoliating Facial Cleanser

$29 at Amazon $29 at Ulta $29 at Nordstrom

Key Ingredients: Oat milk, jojoba beads, lactic acid | Skin Type(s): Sensitive, uneven, flakey | Benefits: Exfoliating, cleansing, pore minimizing | Size: 3 fl oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Beekman 1801’s Milk Scrub Oat and Goat Milk Exfoliating Facial Cleanser is made with jojoba beads, which gently scrub and polish the skin, leaving you looking and feeling refreshed. We love how this face wash felt during use, and were seriously impressed by how well the little beads removed dirt and oil from our skin and pores. The glow it delivered was a lovely bonus. 

This face wash doesn’t lather much but spreads on the face well and rinses off quickly. We appreciated how efficiently it removed face makeup, although one tester needed to use makeup remover wipes to dissolve the remaining mascara. Aside from that, it’s a high-quality product we’d use it again and again.

Best for Oily Skin

Caudalie Deep Exfoliating Cleanser

$38 at Amazon $38 at Sephora View on Caudalie.com

Key Ingredients: Sand microbeads, grape water, menthol | Skin Type(s): Normal, combination, oily | Benefits: Unclogs pores, soothes skin, evens out skin texture, hydrates | Size: 2.5 fl oz | Cruelty-Free: No

Our tester with oily, sensitive skin, found this face wash helped remove excess oil from his skin without making it feel stripped. He said his complexion immediately began looking and feeling fresher as soon as he added it to his skincare routine. 

This face wash has a cooling effect (thanks to the menthol in the formula), which feels amazing on the skin. And, of course, we appreciate the gentle but effective exfoliators in the form of sand microbeads. It’s worth noting that this isn’t meant for daily use (it can be a bit harsh, especially on reactive skin); we recommend switching off with a gentler cleanser for non-exfoliating days.

Best for Dry Skin

Clarins Exfoliating Cleanser with Orange Extract

$39 at Amazon $39 at Ulta View on Clarinsusa.com

Key Ingredients: Organic Alpine herbs, organic golden gentian, organic lemon balm extract | Skin Type(s): Combination, dry, oily, normal | Benefits: Cleanses, exfoliates skin and pores, smooths skin | Size: 1.5, 3.9 fl oz | Cruelty-Free: No

This gentle exfoliating cleanser from Clarins is strong enough to scrub away dry skin but gentle enough for daily use (aka, the best of both worlds). Our tester with dry skin used this face wash twice daily and found that her skin felt clean without feeling stripped or too tight (just tight enough, in a 'clean and fresh' way). It also had a glowing effect. 

Packaged in a standard tube, this face wash is easy to dispense, plus it lathers into a nice foam, spreads across the face easily, and rinses off well. We also love that it removes makeup without needing to double cleanse and how well it cleans out pores without feeling too harsh. We genuinely have no complaints.

Best Chemical Exfoliator

Murad Exfoliating Cleanser

View on Ulta $46 at Amazon $18 at Sephora

Key Ingredients: Salicylic, lactic, and glycolic acids, jojoba beads, sodium PCA | Skin Type(s): Oily, dry, combination, balanced | Benefits: Exfoliates, cleanses, hydrates | Size: 2, 6.75 fl oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Chemical exfoliators are typically gentler than physical ones (like scrubs), but still get the job done. It’s formulated with salicylic, lactic, and glycolic acids which work together to exfoliate the skin, encourage cell turnover, and remove dull, dry skin. The formula also includes sodium PCA for added moisture. We loved how well this face wash scrubbed into our skin, how lightweight it is, and that it didn’t feel harsh on the face at all. 

It removes makeup well and we felt like our skin was thoroughly cleaned after each use. Additionally, because it’s so gentle, it can be used more frequently than other, more powerful products (however, results don’t seem quite as dramatic when you’re exfoliating regularly versus once a week). We just don’t love the packaging—it’s easy to accidentally dispense too much product at once, resulting in waste.

Read Full Review: Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant Review

Best for Fast Results

Peace Out Cleanser with Salicylic Acid

$25 at Sephora $25 at Ulta View on Peaceoutskincare.com

Key Ingredients: Salicylic acid, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid | Skin Type(s): Oily, Combo, Normal | Benefits: Exfoliating, cleansing, smoothing uneven texture, minimizing pores | Size: 4 fl oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Peace Out’s Creamy Gentle Exfoliating Pore Perfecting Cleanser with Salicylic Acid is perfect for someone who loves instant gratification. We noticed a positive change in our skin right after using this face wash for the first time—it felt cleaner, our pores had less buildup, and the skin felt more hydrated. 

We also really loved the texture of this one; it’s super creamy and gentle enough to use multiple times daily. The formula includes salicylic acid for exfoliating, hyaluronic acid for hydration and cell regeneration, and niacinamide for brightening. Our only complaint—if you can even call this a complaint—is that the delicious, spa-like scent was too subtle. 

Best for Night Cleansing

Philosophy The Microdelivery Exfoliating Facial Wash

View on Ulta $30 at Nordstrom

Key Ingredients: Gentle exfoliants, vitamin C | Skin Type(s): All | Benefits: Cleansing, exfoliating, smoothing | Size: 8, 16 fl oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

After a full day of makeup, heavier face products, and sweat, Philosophy’s Microdelivery Exfoliating Facial Wash is a cleansing relief. It has a gentle formula, so you can use the cleanser every day (multiple times a day, if you’d like), but it’s still tough enough to thoroughly scrub away dirt, makeup, and any other pollutants that have settled on your skin throughout the day. It even removed our daily sunscreen, which is notorious for sticking around after cleansing. 

This face wash comes packaged in a pump bottle, so it’s easy to dispense just the right amount of product using only one hand. It has a gel-like consistency that doesn’t lather much, but spreads really well and rinses off without much effort. During our testing, we couldn’t find a single thing we didn’t like about this face wash—it left our skin smoother than any other exfoliating gel we’ve tried.

Best for Everyday

pixi Glow Tonic Cleansing Gel

$18 at Target View on Pixibeauty.com View on Youfromme.com

Key Ingredients: Glycolic acid, horse chestnut extract, aloe vera, ginseng | Skin Type(s): All | Benefits: Cleansing, smoothing, brightening, exfoliating, soothing, hydrating | Size: 4.57 fl oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

It can be challenging to find an exfoliating face wash that’s gentle enough for everyday use, but this one from pixi takes the cake. It’s formulated with glycolic acid, so the face wash doesn’t have a gritty texture that can be too harsh for some skin types. Instead, it has a gel-like consistency that spreads well while cleansing. 

We were so impressed by how well this cleanser removed makeup, dirt, and oil without leaving the skin feeling uncomfortably tight or dry. It does have a scent but it’s very subtle and didn’t linger. Overall, this is an excellent product for daily use, but if you’re looking for an exfoliating wash that really gets into your pores this one probably isn’t for you.

Best Pore Minimizing

Skinfix Acne+ 2% BHA Cleanser

$35 at Amazon $10 at Sephora $35 at Skinfix.com

Key Ingredients: Niacinamide, salicylic, azelaic, and glycolic acids | Skin Type(s): Oily, combination, balanced | Benefits: Exfoliates, cleanses | Size: 5 fl oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Clogged pores are a common side effect of occasionally oily skin, and chemical exfoliators, like this one from Skinfix, are experts at clearing them out. Its ingredients include azelaic acid, which can wash away dead, dry skin, fight acne, lighten dark spots on the skin, and even treat rosacea. After testing this product, we noticed several of these benefits including smaller-looking pores, lighter dark spots, and improved hydration. 

This cleanser is super lightweight and not at all irritating to the skin. We were really impressed with its performance overall, but wish it lathered a bit more (especially since there are no exfoliating beads to give us that super-deep-clean feeling).

Best Radiance

SkinMedica AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser

$44 at Amazon $48 at Dermstore $48 at Skinstore.com

Key Ingredients: Lactic acid, glycolic acid, citric acid, malic acid, jojoba oil, salicylic acid | Skin Type(s): All | Benefits: Exfoliating, smoothing, cleansing | Size: 6 fl oz | Cruelty-Free: No

For a face wash that leaves skin looking bright, healthy, and radiant, we recommend SkinMedica AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser. After a single use, our tester’s face had a new glow, her pores looked smaller, and her skin looked smoother and plumper. The gel-like face wash has exfoliating beads in it that don’t feel harsh at all, but still rid the skin of dry, dull skin.

After continued use of this cleanser, she found her skin texture overall improved. She was also impressed by how gentle the formula is given all the exfoliating ingredients (it’s safe to use twice a day). There’s nothing we’d want to change about this one, except the price is a little steep for how much product you get.

Best Splurge

Tatcha The Rice Polish

$68 at Amazon $68 at Sephora $56 at Walmart

Key Ingredients: Japanese rice bran (komenuka), silk, papaya enzymes | Skin Type(s): Combination, dry | Benefits: Cleansing, exfoliating, smoothing, nourishing | Size: 0.5, 2.1 fl oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Tatcha’s The Rice Polish feels truly luxurious on our skin, with a velvety texture that's gentle and leaves skin looking and feeling great. So if you have some wiggle room in your budget, we highly recommend checking it out. 

It’s easy to work into the skin and rinse off after, and we were amazed by how smooth our skin felt after using it and how much it improved texture. It’s also super gentle—not abrasive at all. The one thing we didn’t love is the texture—since it starts as a powder (that you add water to), it’s easy to spill too much into your hand by mistake.