April Basi has looked at more than 10 cleansers, and she approves of nearly all of them. Her approval rate sits at 86%, with only a handful of mixed or skipped takes in the whole record. That kind of consistency tells you something: she is not looking for reasons to say no.
What does April Basi recommend in cleansers?
What she keeps coming back to is gentleness. She gravitates toward cleansers with short, simple ingredient lists and surfactants that clean without stripping the skin barrier. Fragrance-free formulas come up again and again in her approving takes, because fragrance is one of the most common triggers for irritation. She also has a soft spot for skin-calming ingredients like colloidal oatmeal and cica, which she describes as 'super calming' and great for reducing redness. That means people with sensitive or reactive skin will find a lot to work with in her picks. When an active ingredient earns a spot, she wants it to pull its weight: the 1.5% salicylic acid in the Murad Salicylic Acid Cleanser, for example, she has repurchased so many times she has 'lost count', and she says it 'does such a great job at really deeply cleansing your skin'.
In her words
"For the first step of cleansing off makeup, I recommend the INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm. I love it because one of the main ingredients is oat kernel, which is really great for moisturizing and hydrating the skin, [...] and there's also colloidal oatmeal, which helps reduce any irritation that could happen from makeup. [...] I really like this product, it's under ten dollars, and it's just an all around amazing product that works for any skin type."
"I follow the cleansing balm up with an amazing cleanser, the Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser. It has a short ingredient list, just like I like it. This product is [...] hydrating as well as reducing oil, it has niacinamide in it for that, plus a fragrance that won't strip your skin, and it's also got glycerin to keep the skin hydrated. So I really really love this product."
"Green tea brings antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits, and cica is one of my favorite ingredients for our skin because it's super calming, supports the skin barrier, and helps with the redness and irritation that can trigger post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. This is one I actually like, it's clean, it's thoughtful, and it's safe for us. [...] It's pretty much for everyone, a solid first cleanse."
"For sensitive skin, this Vanicream cleanser is such a great one because there's no fragrance. It's formulated for sensitive skin types with such a great, wonderful ingredient list. It's also formulated with very gentle surfactants like cocoa glucoside, which are nonionic surfactants [...] usually found in baby products. [...] This is such a great option."
"For acne prone skin, I love this one. It's super gentle on the skin, it has green tea and spinach vitamins, and it literally smells amazing, especially in the morning. I love using this in the morning, [...] it's very soothing. It doesn't have harsh surfactants in it, it has very, very gentle surfactants."
"If you have oily skin, this cleanser has 1.5% salicylic acid from Murad. I love it, love it, love it, this is like my hundredth bottle, I've lost count. It's a bit pricey for a cleanser, but it's one of those products you wouldn't even mind buying because it does such a great job at really deeply cleansing your skin."
How many cleansers has April Basi reviewed?
April Basi has reviewed 14 cleansers, for an approval rate of 86%. 12 approved, 1 mixed, and 1 skipped.
What has April Basi skipped in cleansers?
The skip that stands out in her record is the Dr. Barbara Sturm Enzyme Cleanser, and she is direct about why. At $72, she says it lacks actual cleansing surfactants, which in her view makes it 'more of a soothing mask' than a cleanser. She recommends swapping it for the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser at $8, calling it her category winner and saying the expensive version is 'simply paying more for the luxury name and packaging'. For anyone tempted by a high-end cleanser, that is worth sitting with.
"I would definitely replace the seventy two dollar Dr. Barbara Sturm cleanser with the eight dollar Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. Both are non-foaming, fragrance-free, gentle cleansers, great for sensitive skin, but with this one you're simply paying more for the luxury name and packaging. Honestly, I'd even argue that this one isn't an actual cleanser, because there are no actual cleansing surfactants in it. Looking at the formulation, it's more of a soothing mask. Again, PR working overtime."
What should you take from April Basi's picks?
April Basi's cleanser record is one of the most approving in her whole catalog, so when she does pass on something, it is worth paying attention. Her picks skew gentle, fragrance-free, and barrier-friendly, with room for actives when the formula earns them. The Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is her named winner, but products like the Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser, the INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm, and the Youth to the People Kale and Green Tea Spinach Vitamin Superfood Cleanser all carry her approval too. If you are building a simple, skin-kind routine, her record is a reliable place to start.
Watch April Basi say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- Cetaphil Gentle Skin CleanserNamed a winnerWatch at 1:24
- Dr. Barbara Sturm Enzyme CleanserSkipped itWatch at 7:32
- The INKEY List Oat Cleansing BalmRated itWatch at 2:17
- Cetaphil Fragrance Free Daily Facial CleanserRated itWatch at 2:54
- Reale Actives Get Bare Cleansing BalmRated itWatch at 1:36
- Vanicream Gentle Facial CleanserRated itWatch at 6:20
- Youth to the People Kale and Green Tea Spinach Vitamin Superfood CleanserRated itWatch at 6:49
- Murad Salicylic Acid CleanserRated itWatch at 2:50
- CeraVe Hydrating Cream-to-Foam CleanserRated itWatch at 3:19
- CeraVe Foaming Facial CleanserRated itWatch at 5:32
- La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle CleanserRated itWatch at 5:51
- Tatcha Rice Wash Skin Softening CleanserRated itWatch at 1:54
- CeraVe Hydrating Facial CleanserRated itWatch at 2:08
About this expert
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This guide reflects what April Basi said across her videos about 14 products in cleansers, aggregated by The Guru Index. Sponsored takes are excluded. The approval rate is the share of these products she approved. It is general information, not medical advice.