AliceintheRabbitHole has reviewed 51 cleansers. Her dry skin shapes nearly every take she gives. She approved 29, had 16 mixed takes, and skipped 6, for a Guru Score of 57%. Of those 51, she named 9 as category winners.
What does AliceintheRabbitHole recommend in cleansers?
The cleansers she likes best tend to be fragrance-free, gentle, and thorough. She has said the Prequel Pre-Cleanse Cleansing Oil was the first fragrance-free oil cleanser she had ever truly loved. She praised it for emulsifying cleanly and removing every bit of sunscreen and makeup without leaving heaviness or residue. For dry skin, that means a thorough rinse with nothing filmy left behind. Cream and milk formulas earn strong marks from her too. She has also been clear that price is never a penalty. She was just as happy with the Bubble Fresh Start Gel Cleanser as with products that cost far more.
In her words
"I love this oil cleanser, and the reason I'm so excited about it is that I've never loved a fragrance free oil cleanser before. It is not heavy, it doesn't leave behind a film, it emulsifies beautifully, and it takes off every bit of sunscreen and makeup. I can double cleanse with this, or with my dry skin type I can use it on its own. In the past month I tried a few other oil cleansers and they were either too scented, too heavy, or too expensive, and one that was fragrance free was so much more expensive than this. This is just the most perfect oil cleanser I've ever tried."
"The Panoxyl Acne Creamy Wash is included in the 10X event and it's on sale, and this is the best product for acne in my opinion, period."
"This gel cleanser is very affordable, it gets the job done, and it's not stripping. The only thing I don't like about the packaging is that because it's so big, it's hard to guess how much is left, I was shocked the day I finished it. I am absolutely every bit as happy with this cleanser as I am with some much more expensive cleansers, and I love it."
"The green tea cleanser is amazing as a gel and gentle cleanser."
"The yam root cleanser is an incredible cream cleanser."
"This cleanser is a cream to foam formula with a light foaming effect, fragrance free. It's very light, very gentle, and perfect for my skin type. This brand has such reasonable prices, it's now 12 fluid ounces for $18. I really love the textured container too, it's easy to grab even if your hands are wet, it's brilliant. And there's no niacinamide in it, so I'm setting this aside as one of my safe products for when I stop using niacinamide."
How many cleansers has AliceintheRabbitHole reviewed?
AliceintheRabbitHole has reviewed 51 cleansers, for a Guru Score of 57%. 29 approved, 16 mixed, and 6 skipped.
What has AliceintheRabbitHole skipped in cleansers?
Six of her 51 reviews ended as skips, and the reasons she gave were concrete. The COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser was too stripping for her dry skin. She also noted that low-pH formulas are now so common, the feature no longer sets a cleanser apart. She skipped the Dermalogica PreCleanse too, because strong oil cleansers are available at much lower prices. The Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser was a skip as well, because the fragrance was not to her taste.
"I didn't buy the Ordinary's Glucoside Foaming Cleanser because I just don't think it sounds right for my skin type."
"The Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser is just not a good match for dry skin, it's way too stripping for my dry skin. It is a low pH cleanser, but most cleansers are low pH these days anyway. This could be nice for some skin types, but I wouldn't recommend it for really normal to dry skin."
"The Dermalogica Precleanse is a cleansing oil. It's not a new product, and I feel like it's just way too expensive for me to repurchase at this point. There are so many good K beauty cleansing oils and even drugstore cleansing oils, amazing options out there, that I feel you just don't need to pay this price, in my personal opinion."
"The Indie Lee Brightening Cleanser, personally I didn't love the smell of that one."
What should you take from AliceintheRabbitHole's picks?
AliceintheRabbitHole's cleanser record is built on real experience with dry skin and a clear sense of what a product should cost. She has narrowed 51 cleansers down to 9 genuine standouts. Her takes lean strongly toward fragrance-free and non-stripping formulas. She has also been just as specific about what she skipped and why, which makes her negative takes just as useful as her positive ones.
Watch AliceintheRabbitHole say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser with 4% Benzoyl PeroxideNamed a winnerWatch at 1:47
- PanOxyl 4% Benzoyl Peroxide WashNamed a winnerWatch at 1:57
- DHC Deep Cleansing OilNamed a winnerWatch at 37:25
- Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing OilNamed a winnerWatch at 20:54
- Prequel Pre-Cleanse Cleansing OilNamed a winnerWatch at 25:31
- Isntree Yam Root Vegan Milk CleanserNamed a winnerWatch at 13:22
- Tatcha Rice Wash Skin Softening CleanserNamed a winnerWatch at 8:33
- PanOxyl Acne Creamy WashNamed a winnerWatch at 11:12
- First Aid Beauty Facial CleanserNamed a winnerWatch at 3:24
- The Ordinary Glucoside Foaming CleanserSkipped itWatch at 6:24
- COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel CleanserSkipped itWatch at 28:51
- Dermalogica PreCleanseSkipped itWatch at 3:38
- Indie Lee Brightening CleanserSkipped itWatch at 6:08
- Glow Recipe Avocado Ceramide Moisture Barrier CleanserSkipped itWatch at 17:11
- Bubble Fresh Start Gel CleanserRated itWatch at 5:33
- Isntree Green Tea Fresh CleanserRated itWatch at 13:16
- Remedy CleanserRated itWatch at 7:26
- Prequel Redness Reform Sulfur CleanserRated itWatch at 24:08
- House of Hur Purifying Cleansing BalmRated itWatch at 2:23
- Tower 28 Daily Balancing Gel CleanserRated itWatch at 1:47
- Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Moisture 5.5 Soft Cleansing GelRated itWatch at 9:34
- Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Moisture Deep Cleansing OilRated itWatch at 3:57
- Bubble First Class Oil CleanserRated itWatch at 9:00
- Peach & Lily Ginger Melt Oil CleanserRated itWatch at 1:35
About this expert
See everything AliceintheRabbitHole has reviewed
Related guides
This guide reflects what AliceintheRabbitHole said across their videos about 51 products in cleansers, aggregated by The Guru Index. Sponsored takes are excluded. The Guru Score is our read on how warmly they talk about them. It is general information, not medical advice.