The Absolute Best Face Wash for Men

Good to Know: Don’t know anything about face cleansers and shopping on a budget? Just get this one. You won’t impress anyone eyeing your bathroom counter, but they will be impressed by your impeccable skin.

Best Exfoliating Face Cleanser for Men: Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore-Minimizing & Polishing Powder Cleanser

What appears to be a simple starch powder is in fact much more: When lathered into your palms, Kiehl’s cleanser produces three different pore-clearing actions. It purifies with clay, buffs with micro grains, and clears out dead skin cells with alpha hydroxy acids. I love it for its many use cases, like on rough skin for needed smoothness, acne-prone skin (whenever or wherever it isn’t actively breaking out), or on normal, oily, and combination skin to reduce shine. It is also one of the few clay cleansers that also uses the right vessel—a simple liquid-esque cap limits the amount of water that gets in, and prevents you from having a mound of powder in your hands. Maybe I’m just an idiot and can’t figure out the other powder cleansers, but at least Kiehl’s is idiot proof.

Good to Know: Don’t use powder cleansers in the shower; if that water seeps into the bottle, then you’ve got a big unusable glob of hard clay. Always start with damp hands, then sprinkle on the powder and build your initial lather.

Best Oil-Based Face Wash for Men: Hanskin Pore Cleansing Oil

Let us introduce you to the double cleanse: That is, using an oil-based cleanser to help dissolve hard-to-clean grime on your face, followed by a water-based cleanser to fully cleanse the face. An oil-based cleanser is especially good for those who wear makeup (which guys can do!) or mineral sunscreens, which don’t wash away easily with water-based cleansers. We like this cleanser from Hanskin, which is slick, gliding over the face to dissolve whatever muck you’ve accumulated on your mug all day. After you’ve fully saturated your face, adding in some water helps to lather the cleanser, which you then rinse off and follow with your face wash of choice. It’s non-irritating and it works well to give you the deepest clean you’ve ever felt in your life.

Good to Know: Make sure to use this on a dry face before adding water to induce a lather.

Best Drugstore Face Cleanser for Men: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Gel Cleanser

At least half a dozen times, I have found myself out of town and needing a non-drying cleanser on a dime (why splurge when I have a million options at home as a grooming editor?). And thank goodness for the global dominance of Neutrogena, because I can always find this foaming gel cleanser, which rivals many of the costlier options on this list and works with just about every skin type. So many of us shy away from the brands we used as teenagers, when really, these ubiquitous brands have the best research and development to appease the masses. No matter your skin type (sensitive and acne-prone included), this one works perfect without drying you out. The next time you’re in need of a low-cost highly hydrated face wash (whether traveling or not), just go back to your roots.

Good to Know: Neutrogena’s entire Hydro Boost line is perfect for a low-cost regimen, including their SPF 50 moisturizer with sunscreen, hyaluronic acid serum, and dry skin gel moisturizer.

Best Luxury Facial Cleanser for Men: Le Domaine The Emulsion Cleanser

The speed at which I barreled through Le Domaine’s skin-cradling cleanser… Every aspect of this French luxe label’s skin care products is worth its steep price tag, thanks to the vineyard-sourced science behind it all. And this foaming oil-water emulsion will satisfy just about everyone who opts in; on any given day I fancy myself dry, oily, combination, acne-prone, or sensitive. And on any given day, this stuff left my skin feeling like A-list material.

Good to Know: Why yes, this is the skin care label of Brad Pitt.

Dermatologist’s Favorite Face Wash for Guys: Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser

I’ll throw this one to both dermo experts featured in this article—both of whom independently chose Cetaphil’s non-foaming sensitive-skin cleanser as their top recommendation. Here is how Malik sums it up: “My patients and I love this cleanser as it is extremely gentle on the skin, yet very effective at removing impurities, SPF, and makeup. It is pH-balanced, fragrance-free, and non-comedogenic. It is also very versatile and suitable for nearly all skin types: dry, oily, combination, and sensitive included.”

Good to Know: There’s a companion Cetaphil cleanser for oily skin and combination skin, too, with the same nourishing results.

Best Face Wipes for Men: Ursa Major 4-in-1 Essential Face Wipes

For as long as I’ve been on this grooming beat, Ursa Major’s face wipes have been part of my routine. These individually wrapped wipes (in their biodegradable packaging) are easily toted in your pocket or gym bag, and are terrific for a refresh when you can’t get showered soon enough. That ‘4-in-1’ on its product name explains why they’re so great too: They provide skin toning, moisturizing, and gentle exfoliation benefits as the natural ingredients tend to your pores. (And they soothe so nicely with aloe vera, too.) Plus, since you don’t rinse after use, those benefits stay with you hours later.

Good to Know: You can get these same long-lasting skin benefits from Ursa Major’s 4-in-1 face toner at home, though it’s even better if used after their spearmint face wash or milky cleanser.

How to Choose the Best Face Wash, According to Dermatologists

The easiest way to find the best face cleanser for men is to shop by your skin type, and to look for products that specifically target your skin’s needs. They will do this with their formula or their key ingredients. Here are the key skin types and conditions you will see addressed most commonly, along with advice for finding the best men’s face wash for your skin needs. The expertise comes from NYC-based board-certified dermatologists Dr. Kunal Malik and Dr. Asmi Sanghvi.