16 of the best foaming cleansers that will leave skin feeling plump and hydrated

Best for oily, blemish-prone skin:

Lumene Balancing Clay-To-Foam Cleanser, £15

This Lumene cleanser relies on mild surfactants and clay to gently mop up oil and grime without drying; there are plenty of light hydrators in the scented formula as well. Just massage into damp skin for a few minutes to create a very subtle foam and let the clay do its work, then rinse off clean.

Best face cleanser for the whole family:

Cerave Hydrating Cream-To-Foam Cleanser, £10.86

Of all Cerave’s mild cleansers, this is the most universally deployable on your own skin as well as any teens, tweens, boyfriends, husbands, partners etc. Offering the best of all worlds, it looks creamy but is more of a gel cream that, massaged onto wet skin, transforms into a light foam for an SLS-free but moisturising deep clean. Fragrance-free, it has three ceramides, hyaluronic acid and amino acids to replenish hydration, whilst niacinamide soothes irritation. And it’s good at removing makeup.

Best makeup slaying cleansing foam:

Cetaphil Pro Redness Prone Skin Facial Wash, £16

This soft, creamy foam effectively removes even long-lasting eye makeup without any dryness. It has irritation and redness-calming allantoin, caffeine and liquorice extracts, but also a nice but strong fragrance which amazingly doesn’t aggravate my reactive skin and you wouldn’t expect to be featured in a product aimed at the rosacea-prone.

Best for dry, irritated skin:

Aestura 365 Bubble Cleanser, £15.99

Aestura is a Korean derm brand, so there are no scents here, and the focus is on healing compromised barriers. This super-gentle, ceramide and anti-inflammatory-packed, dense mousse is a personal favourite for being tough on makeup and dirt but restorative and comforting for my quick-to-flare skin.

Best for bumpy skin:

Dennis Gross Alpha Beta AHA/BHA Daily Cleansing Gel, £60

A mega bottle of gel cleanser that transforms into a foam on contact with water, for a clean and refreshed face with no tightness. You get so much for your cash here. It works harder than your average cleanser thanks to the inclusion of alpha and beta hydroxy acids (including glycolic, mandelic and azelaic acids), which will slough away dead, dulling cells for extra radiance, smoothness, and deep absorption of skincare products. Best avoided as a daily cleanser if your skin is dry or irritable – and do not use this on your eyes.

The fan-favourite:

Caudalie Vinoclean Instant Foaming Cleanser, £18

Nourishing, refreshing and soothing, this has been an under-the radar cleanser favourite for years, with its many fans loving the gentle Caudalie scent, silky texture and squeaky-clean yet hydrated results. A little affordable everyday luxury that makes you enjoy cleansing.

Best for acne sufferers:

Bioderma Sebium Purifying Foaming Gel, £13.99

This long-standing, gently foaming classic actually does feature undesirable sodium laureth sulphate, but it’s tempered by a higher concentration of a much milder surfactant and off-set with zinc and copper extracts to control oil production, plus high levels of hydrating agents. If you’re suffering from persistent oiliness and breakouts, this may be your most satisfying cleanser for sebum control without dryness. 

Best for combination skin:

Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Moisture 5.5 Soft Cleansing Gel, was £15.90 now £9.95

The latest Korean import is a reliably silly-named, sustainable brand with requisite lovely textures and innovative products – like this purifying, scent-free gel that transforms into a cleansing foam. Packed with fast hydrators, soothers and coconut-derived cleansers, it lifts dirt before turning into a dense foam and rinsing off, leaving skin supple and glowing. Both the acne-prone and sensitive report this settles and balances their skin, so it’s perfect for combination skin.

Best for everyday use:

No7 Cleansing Foam, £12.95

A close relative to the excellent but now defunct Boots-formulated Your Good Skin Refreshing Face Wash (but with fragrance), this soft pump-out foam is a top buy for quick and effective all-makeup removal and skin cleansing (I use it in the shower) for all.   

Best luxe foaming cleanser:

Augustinus Bader The Foaming Cleanser, £58

Like all the Bader products, this promises the earth, and the cream (which you turn into a rich lather with a little water) is indeed packed with all manner of skin-loving and anti-ageing ingredients. You’d have to use it for quite a while before rinsing every day for skin to truly benefit from the plumping amino acids, smoothing and pore-reducing plant extracts and brightening niacinamide, but it’s indulgent enough to use to make that a possibility.

The Caroline Hirons-approved foaming cleanser:

Curel Foaming Facial Wash, £9.67

Every product by Curel supports the skin’s production of ceramides, and this airy yet creamy foam is no exception. So mild it’s a rare foaming cleanser that Hirons rates, it gently and effectively purifies, but is less good at getting off eye makeup than some other foams. Unscented, there is a slight chemical smell that unfortunately comes with some super-mild surfactants, but this in no way denotes harshness.

Best science-backed cleansing foam:

GentleCare Face Wash, £20

This brand prides itself on clinically testing the most straightforward products, so you can rest assured that this unscented, airy foam, its short formula powered by a mild surfactant, soothing chamomile, calendula and green tea extracts, and deep-hydrating glycerin, aloe and hyaluronic acid, will give you the calm, juicy, deeply purified skin it promises.

Best for congested skin:

Anua Heartleaf Quercetinol Pore Deep Cleansing Foam, £11.70

This exfoliating, pore-purging, thick-cream-to-foam has spot-slaying salicylic acid and lots of heartleaf powder, which acts like a very mild physical exfoliant while actively soothing skin, thanks to the anti-inflammatory quercetinol it contains. As hard-working as it is, the scent-free, plant-powered Korean concoction never leaves skin dry – that’ll be the eight types of hyaluronic acid.

Best for dull skin:

Clarins Gentle Renewing Cleansing Mousse, £22

Clarins’s pump-out mousse is on the super-light, watery side which makes it less effective for lifting off makeup but still good a cleansing off daily grime and leaving skin refreshed. Three are gentle fruit acids from tamarind pulp to lightly exfoliate the skin surface (best not use this on eyes) and a plethora of plant extracts to further brighten, soothe and protect skin.

Best cleanse for a healthy microbiome:

Sensilis Gentle Cleansing Mousse, £15.24

This mousse cleanser is slightly acidic (thanks to lactic acid) so as to look after your (mildly acidic) protective skin microbiome. It also preserves your lipid barrier thanks to super-mild surfactants, and has targeted antioxidants for soothing and clearing away environmental pollutants and heavy metals. It’s designed for sensitive and redness-prone skin, although it is scented.

Best cleanser for ageing skin:

Paula’s Choice Resist Anti-Aging Foaming Cleanser, £23.80

Created to purify any mature skin type including oily, this balances effective cleansing with enough nourishing and restorative ingredients to support anti-ageing skin maintenance. A cream that foams up when you add water (much like the Cerave hydrating foaming cleanser), it boasts a high level of ceramides and other proven barrier builders to leave skin comfortable. It does need an additional makeup remover or a second cleanse using a flannel.