Cassandra Bankson has looked at a lot of cleansers. She approved 19 of the 31 she reviewed, gave 8 mixed takes, and skipped 4. That is a solid track record, and she was specific about why she said yes or no each time. Her Guru Score for cleansers sits at 61%.
What does Cassandra Bankson recommend in cleansers?
Cassandra cares a lot about barrier protection. She praised the Pacifica Vegan Ceramide Cleanser for replenishing ceramides and not stripping skin. That matters for anyone with dryness or sensitivity, because a cleanser that damages your barrier undoes everything else in your routine. She also gave her stamp of approval to The Ordinary Glucoside Foaming Cleanser and The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Cleanser. She called the INKEY List pick an absolute hit for oily, combo, and acne-prone skin. She rates the Dr Sam's Flawless Cleanser highly too, describing it as the first thing she repurchased. For active cleansers, she had a specific tip on PanOxyl 4% Benzoyl Peroxide Wash: leave it on for 60 seconds or more rather than rinsing straight away. That way, she said, the active ingredient actually has time to work.
In her words
"This is a fragrance-free ceramide cleanser with nothing acne active about it, but that's the point. We have other things inside of this routine that are going to target the acne, but for the cleansing we just want to make sure that we are cleaning the face we don't want to over strip or over damage that barrier. We want to build that barrier back. Even though this doesn't have an acne active inside of it, this is excellent for dry skin, it's not going to irritate acne and it helps to replenish some of those ceramides, some of that moisture. It's sensitive skin type approved, fragrance free, dermatologist tested. This is one of my favorite Pacifica products hands down, but especially if you're struggling with dry skin, this is going to be a lifesaver."
"The Inkey List launched a benzoyl peroxide cleanser that is better than the Panoxyl one I've always reached for. This is the Inkey List Super Solutions 5% Benzoyl Peroxide Cleanser and you can use this on the face, on the chest, and on the back. When you rinse this off it actually rinses off well and I think that this is even more hydrating than the Panoxyl one. This is fragrance-free, five fluid ounces. Benzoyl peroxide is an ingredient that is medically proven to help with acne because acne bacteria are anaerobic, meaning they live in no oxygen environments. Benzoyl peroxide directly kills acne bacteria by going into the skin, and when you look at the chemical structure of this molecule it has peroxide in the middle that actually breaks and releases oxygen, and the oxygen kills that acne bacteria. For people who struggle with leaving benzoyl peroxide spot treatments on, this is a wash-off formula that works excellently and I love this."
"Such a good cleansing oil when it's cold it actually uses a little more chunky so just keep that in mind if you live in a cold environment. It's normally $20 to $21, it's on sale for $15 to $10. For Prime day you can actually bundle it for additional discounts so it comes out to like $11 to $12 if you use coupons."
"Panoxyl is amazing. They have different percentages but their creams are basically like cream cleansers and they are with benzoyl peroxide. Panoxyl's great, it's inexpensive, it's at the drugstore. A lot of doctors and derms I work with recommend it. I've recommended it to a lot of people who've struggled with acne and it works very well."
"These have literally given me exfoliation and vitamin C at a time that I needed them"
"Tula I hear everyone speaking about and I haven't tried a lot of their products but they have this product called the breakout star that's supposed to have sulfur in it seems really really good and I constantly hear people talking about Tula but sometimes I've looked at it and I'm like um too expensive or just like it's not calling my name today"
How many cleansers has Cassandra Bankson reviewed?
Cassandra Bankson has reviewed 44 cleansers, for a Guru Score of 61%. 27 approved, 10 mixed, and 7 skipped.
What has Cassandra Bankson skipped in cleansers?
Cassandra skipped four cleansers, and price was a common thread. She called the Le Domaine Cleansing Emulsion a decent cleanser but said its main ingredients cost pennies and are not worth €70. She had the same reaction to the SKKN Cleanser, which costs $45 for ingredients she said you could find in a comparable cleanser for a quarter of that price. The Tatcha Cleansing Oil got a similar verdict. She pointed out that its second ingredient is rice bran oil, which you can buy at Target for three dollars, and said the expensive steps in your routine are better spent on products that stay on your skin rather than ones you wash off. She was also clear about Neutrogena Makeup Remover Wipes: she said wipes push dirt and makeup around rather than breaking them down, and called them bad for skin overall.
"These can be fun, there is a safe way to use them, but are they ideal? Absolutely not. This is Biore and bad and something I would not recommend. You're using exfoliating acids, you say that you have exfoliants, why the pore strips? Why the pore strips? Poor strips can actually damage your skin and cause broken capillaries."
"This Cleansing Emulsion is actually a decent cleanser with antioxidants, but it's not worth €70. You can get something like this for $10. The main ingredients are just grapefruit water, regular water, glycerin, and various plant extracts that cost pennies. I don't understand why they're charging this kind of money for ingredients that are this inexpensive."
"The ingredients look like it would be a more hydrating cleanser and it actually looks like a better cleanse than the first cleanse, but oh the pain of drunk elephant. We have an entire video on why drunk elephant is no longer supported. There's still the frustration that they say you have to use their products and only theirs, and then people were being attacked by the founder or social media person on Instagram allegedly. That's just not chill. The elephant isn't drunk; the person who was running the social media is."
"I have literally used these exact same products before, the Neutrogena makeup remover wipes removed the tough makeup for me but are they overall good for your skin? No, they're so bad. The whole thing about makeup wipes is that they're not eco-friendly, they're really just pushing makeup and dirt deeper into your pores or across your face unless you're doing something like a legit double cleanse where you're using some sort of an oil cleanser or micellar cleanser and then removing that with some sort of a treatment cleanser. A lot of that dirt and grime can just be pushed around and shoved in, and then makeup wipes don't really have a lot of things that dissolve if they did they would be too irritating. Think about like applying a cleanser with a detergent on your face, you wouldn't leave that on your face, right? Because of that, makeup wipes don't include those detergents, but some of those detergents or sulfates or those cleansing items are what actually help to break down makeup, dirt, grime and gunk. So if you don't have that in the makeup wipe, number one it just looks clean, it's not actually breaking things down, and then you're just leaving fragrance and like oils and goo on your skin."
What should you take from Cassandra Bankson's picks?
Cassandra's view on cleansers comes down to one thing: do not overcomplicate or overspend at this step. She wants a cleanser that cleans gently, protects the barrier, and does not cost a fortune. If you are choosing based on her record, the two she gave her stamp of approval to are The Ordinary Glucoside Foaming Cleanser and The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Cleanser. Both are affordable, and she said so herself.
Watch Cassandra Bankson say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- The Ordinary Glucoside Foaming CleanserNamed a winnerWatch at 14:29
- The INKEY List 5% Benzoyl Peroxide CleanserNamed a winnerWatch at 0:55
- The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid CleanserNamed a winnerWatch at 2:12
- Biore Ultra Deep Cleansing Pore StripsSkipped itWatch at 17:58
- Le Domaine Cleansing EmulsionSkipped itWatch at 26:25
- Drunk Elephant Beste No. 9 Jelly CleanserSkipped itWatch at 5:01
- Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes Fragrance-FreeSkipped itWatch at 3:34
- Tatcha Pure One Step Camellia Cleansing OilSkipped itWatch at 4:31
- SKKN Gentle Foaming CleanserSkipped itWatch at 1:18
- Joanna Vargas Vitamin C CleanserSkipped itWatch at 2:35
- Pacifica Vegan Ceramide Extra Gentle Face WashRated itWatch at 3:16
- Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing OilRated itWatch at 8:10
- PanOxyl Acne Foaming Wash 4%Rated itWatch at 2:47
- Garnier Micellar Gentle Peeling Water with PHA and Glycolic AcidRated itWatch at 14:32
- Tula Acne AllStar 3-in-1 Acne Cleanser, Mask & Spot TreatmentRated itWatch at 6:10
- Versed Purest Antioxidant CleanserRated itWatch at 43:15
- The Face Shop Rice Water Bright Cleansing OilRated itWatch at 7:25
- PanOxyl 4% Benzoyl Peroxide Cleansing WashRated itWatch at 3:08
- BYOMA Milky Jelly CleanserRated itWatch at 20:40
- SkinFix Barrier+ Foaming Oil CleanserRated itWatch at 1:43
- SkinFix Acne Plus 2% BHA CleanserRated itWatch at 4:32
- AcneFree Oil-Free Acne CleanserRated itWatch at 21:02
- Dr Sam's Flawless Cleansing WaterRated itWatch at 4:43
- Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating CleanserRated itWatch at 17:46
About this expert
See everything Cassandra Bankson has reviewed
Related guides
This guide reflects what Cassandra Bankson said across their videos about 44 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.