What is Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser?

A fragrance-free, non-foaming cream cleanser formulated with niacinamide, glycerin, and panthenol, designed to gently remove impurities while protecting the skin barrier for sensitive and eczema-prone skin.

Is Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser worth it?

Mostly yes. 15 of the 17 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 80%.

What is Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser's Guru Score?

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser holds a Guru Score of 80%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 17 independent expert reviewers we have collected.

Who is Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser best for?

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is generally suited to dry skin and sensitive skin.

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser: a Guru Score of 80%

Every take, in full

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

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Dr. Mamina

279k subs

✓Approved

"A gentle, fragrance free drugstore cleanser does exactly the same job as a 60 dollar one, removing oil, debris and sunscreen without stripping the barrier. I love brands like Cetaphil for this, these are all excellent."

All 4 takes from Dr. Mamina

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"I'm also a huge fan of Cetaphil gentle cleanser... as a gentle fragrance-free option that works well."

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"For cleansers, some options I like are Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser. These gentle cleansers will effectively clean your skin without stripping away its natural moisture."

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"I'm a big fan of Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser."

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Dr. Aleksandra Brown

131k subs

✓Approved

"The Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is non-foaming, almost lotion-like, and doesn't give you that squeaky clean feeling that a lot of cleansers go for. On the skin, it feels very soft, almost imperceptible. Some people love it, some find that it takes a little bit getting used to because it doesn't really foam up, and it doesn't feel like it's doing much like the typical cleansers that you're used to, but it's doing it very gently. I reach for this recommendation when someone's skin reacts to everything. If your skin burns easy, gets red quickly, flares from fragrances, this is the one you reach for. It's also really good for skin that's been over exfoliated or irritated from actives, and just needs a reset period. The key ingredients here are glycerin, niacinamide, and panthenol."

All 4 takes from Dr. Aleksandra Brown

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"Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is an ultra-gentle, non-irritating cleanser suitable for sensitive and eczema-prone skin. It maintains the skin's natural moisture barrier. The key ingredients include water, cetyl alcohol, propylene glycol, and sodium lauryl sulfate. I know these sound like big words and they might be irritating, but it is super gentle and will not irritate your skin at all. It is also completely fragrance-free and does a good job at removing all the skin impurities and leaving your skin hydrated and your skin barrier protected."

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"This is a really good one. It also has seal of acceptance from the National Eczema Association. So, it's really good for the most sensitive eczema skin. The key ingredients are cocomidopropylane, a mild surfactant that gently cleanses without irritation. Also contains glycerin and purified water. This one can be used AM and PM. It's a creamy soap-free cleanser designed to clean without disrupting the skin's natural protective barrier. It rinses off easy and it doesn't leave any residue behind, making it ideal for both face and body. It doesn't sting eyes or cause any burning on inflamed skin. It is super ultra gentle, non-irritating cleanser, suitable for sensitive skin and eczema prone skin. The key ingredients are water, cetyl alcohol, propylene glycol, and sodium lauryl sulfate. I love it for my kids because they have either acne or eczema. Making sure they have something that's hydrating but will also cleanse is the key. Having the one cleanser that I know will clean their skin and not irritate them is the key."

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"You want to use a really gentle fragrance-free cleanser. I typically recommend things like Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser."

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Dr. Daniel Sugai

718k subs

✓Approved

"For dry sensitive skin, Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is a great option. The Gentle Skin Cleanser has niacinamide, glycerin, and panthenol."

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"I love Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. It has niacinamide, panthenol, and glycerin -- great ingredients to help support the skin barrier but also hydrate the skin with glycerin. Cetaphil is owned by Galderma, and Galderma has done multiple studies using Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser and they've found that it helps with removing debris and pollutants off of the skin very effectively, either with water or even without water. So you don't have to use water to activate this. If you're out camping and you don't have a clean source of water, you can just pump out some of this product, lather it up onto your face, and then use a clean towel to wipe it off. That's enough to remove particles and debris off of the skin without water. It won't strip your skin barrier, and I love this for my patients with sensitive skin."

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"Your core four framework should include one cleanser, just one gentle cleanser. Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is great for those with dry, sensitive skin. Use that morning and night. Your nighttime cleanse is your most important, to wash off makeup, sunscreen, debris, all of the pollutants on your skin at the end of the day. In the morning, if you feel like you need to wash your face after having your face smooshed up against a pillow, if you're feeling oily or your pores are clogged, go ahead and wash your face in the morning."

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"If you have dry skin, go for the Gentle Skin Cleanser by Cetaphil. This foams up really nicely. So when you shave, it's kind of like a two in one there. It's like a shaving foam shaving gel. Plus it cleanses your face in the morning, especially in the summer time when I wake up and my face is feeling a little bit more oily. And you want to get a good cleanse in the morning. Go ahead and use this."

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"I would get the Gentle Skin Cleanser by Cetaphil. Great for all skin types, especially if you have dry, sensitive skin. This is also a great cleanser for camping because you actually don't need water for it to work. You can just lather it up onto your face and then get a clean towel and wipe it off."

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"This is a nice one where it becomes a gel to foam texture when you cleanse. It has glycerin, vitamin B5 or panthenol, and niacinamide. Big thumbs up for Cetaphil. If you're feeling kind of dry in the morning because you are starting an acne regimen, you can consider Cetaphil's Gentle Skin Cleanser if you're getting dry from your acne treatments."

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"Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is one of my essential cleansers at home, and also for my patients with dry, sensitive skin."

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"Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is still out there and still amazing, still works really well for my patients who are acne prone or they're acne prone oily but they're also dry because of the acne medications I'm giving them. They do very well with that Gentle Skin Cleanser with the panthenol, niacinamide, and glycerin. That one is probably one of my favorite Cetaphil products."

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"One of my favorite cleansers out there that's so gentle you actually have it as an effective facial cleanser without even using water. So it's a really nice one to have and Costco carries the Gentle Skin Cleanser by Cetaphil."

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"My favorite cleanser for dry skin would be the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. This one uses micelle technology to really trap in the oil, the dirt, the makeup and wash it away with the hydrophilic heads on the outside of the micelle, and the water will just wash away all of that debris. The Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is the one you want. It has no fragrance, it has the glycerin, the niacinamide, and the panthenol, all the great ingredients."

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"If you are in doubt, use a gentle facial cleanser as a body wash. You can use Cetaphil's Gentle Skin Cleanser. All great options for the body and the folds. If you don't want to irritate your skin."

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"I have been recommending the most to my patients. It's great for those with sensitive skin and works really well for those who are getting dry skin with acne medications I prescribed or if you're using an over-the-counter retinol and you're getting dry skin. This is perfect for those with dry sensitive skin. I would say the Gentle Skin Cleanser is great for winter time when it's cold. This one uses micelle technology to remove the debris. We always want to be gentle with our cleansing, we want to remove the bad, like debris, trap sebum."

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"Whether it's Cetaphil [CeraVe] I like the luros pl coplas bomb B5"

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"If you have dry sensitive skin check out the Gentle Skin Cleanser. This is one of the most popular cleansers in my practice because it works well for my patients on prescription topical medicines if they have acne. These cleansers are just 12 to 13 dollars each. They have niacinamide, glycerin, and panthenol."

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"CeraVe also great can't go wrong with a gentle cleanser as well"

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"For dry sensitive skin, Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is a great option. The Gentle Skin Cleanser has niacinamide, glycerin, and panthenol."

Kelly Driscoll

90k subs

✓Mixed

"Let's talk about the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. I have emptied multiple bottles of this, but I will say it's just not my favorite. I just can't get 100% with this one. I like it. I don't love it and I find myself not using it for my face all that often. This is an interesting texture because it is like a creamy gel, but it's more on the gel side than it is like on that richer creamy moisturizing side. And this is definitely meant for very dry skin, very sensitive skin to not strip the skin barrier. I think that it's actually very good at that. When you wash your face with this, your face will not feel dry and tight. It will not feel dehydrated. It will not feel stripped and irritated. It will actually feel kind of soft and moisturized. I just find that there's something about this that kind of goes in and just almost leaves like a film on my face. Not an actual stickiness sitting on top film, but just because it does leave a layer of moisture on my skin in a way that I just don't love. I don't know what it is. I just don't really like it. Especially because I do go in for so many other skincare products after washing my face. I think it's just not the way I personally prefer to start my skincare routine."

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"I already washed my face in the shower with the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. I keep this one in my shower. I love the pump because it's just nice so you don't have a slippery bottle. It's a really gentle, straightforward type of cleanser and I use this a lot in the morning but I also use it when I have to shower in the middle of the afternoon and do multiple skincare routines that day. I really like this cleanser because it's effective but it's very skin respectful."

Dimma Umeh

531k subs

✓Approved

"I always just go grab this. It's always in the supermarket, you can always get it from retailers. It's fragrance-free, it's non-foaming, and designed for sensitive skin. Sometimes sensitive skin cleansers are too rich for oily skin girls, but this one strikes the right balance. It doesn't clog pores, it doesn't cause breakouts. When I say I used this between 2018 and 2019, the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser was my cleanser. If you've been hesitant to try this because it doesn't say 'for oily skin' on the packaging, don't worry, it works."

Dr Dray

2.67M subs

✓Approved

"Cetaphil has a ton of amazing skin care products that are aimed at people who have various skin conditions for playing a supporting role in their skin needs. If you've never used this particular cleanser though, you might be a little frustrated with it. It's very creamy. It's almost like rubbing lotion on your face. Doesn't sud or lather, but it is a very mild and effective option. And I actually personally like using it as the second step in a double cleanse."

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"Cleanse with a mild cream cleanser like Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser."

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"The reason I like this is that it is really fast absorbing. It doesn't leave a sticky residue. It's really nice for desk work when you're typing and stuff, you don't want greasy residue. Or if you have to wash your hands frequently at work and you're like, I can't handle something oily on my hands all the time, it's a great option. This is a great basic cleanser. If you've got oily skin, it's kind of helping to gently degrease without drying your skin out."

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"The Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is a mild creamy cleanser. If you have dry sensitive skin, this is a great option. If you unfortunately sustained a sunburn on your face or got too much sun and the skin's really sensitive trying to heal, I would suggest a mild creamy cleanser like this."

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"Cetaphil has a gentle cleanser that is creamy and very very mild, doing kind of the bare minimum in terms of helping to remove stuff but not dinging around at your barrier much."

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"Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is a great mild creamy very very gentle facial cleanser that is widely recommended amongst dermatologists for people with dry skin or eczema on the face. It's super mild, it leaves your skin clean but it doesn't strip away at the moisture barrier and it doesn't give that squeaky clean feel which is basically dry skin. They reformulated it a couple of years ago. The newer formulation has niacinamide, which is actually really good for dry skin. Niacinamide is a B vitamin, it can actually help improve your skin's production of lipids such as ceramide, and it's anti-inflammatory and it also is an antioxidant so it may help cut down on oxidative stress that would otherwise damage lipids in your skin. The newer reformulation also has panthenol, another B vitamin that's really good for moisturizing, and it has glycerin, a humectant, so these are things that can actually be left behind on the skin to help. It's affordably priced at $14 for 20 oz."

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"It's a creamy cleanser. I used that a lot in my pre-double cleansing days back when I wore makeup. I remember not really being able to remove eye makeup with that alone."

The Style and Beauty Doctor

220k subs

✓Mixed

"You can also use it without water, so basically you would apply a liberal amount of cleanser to the face and gently massage into the skin, remove the excess with a soft cloth leaving a thin transparent film on the skin, so if your skin is like really going through it you can also do that as well. The ingredients are not the same but I have to say if not going by the fact that maybe you might be allergic to an ingredient in one over the other, I would go for the dupe. It feels exactly the same to me."

Darnell Cox | 50+ Healthy Aging Expert

54k subs

✓Approved

"Don't waste your money on face wash, it literally washes off of your face. Just make sure your face is clean, you got everything off. Don't spend a lot of money. I like Cetaphil."

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"Don't waste your money on face wash, it literally washes off of your face. Just make sure your face is clean, you got everything off. Don't spend a lot of money. I like Cetaphil."

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"I like simple things like Cetaphil, you know, unscented something that doesn't strip the skin but leaves that skin barrier there and just washes off clean. That's not the main part where you're going to get the treatment where you're actually going to make a difference in the function of the skin. We want to get it clean first, that's easy."

Doctorly

3.57M subs

✓Approved

"For cleansing, definitely don't overthink it. You just want a gentle cleanser in this step. Your results with hyperpigmentation and dark spots is going to occur with the heavy-hitting actives, the treatment steps of your skincare routine. So for this gentle cleanser, Cetaphil, Neutrogena, we'll put some here. Otherwise, don't overthink this step."

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"Cetaphil has one [gentle hydrating cleanser]. Cleansers are always going to be the most irritating part of your skincare routine because they are removing dirt and debris from your skin at the same time they can be disrupting to your skin barriers, so you want to look for gentle cleansers."

Dr. Jenny Liu

318k subs

✓Approved

"The Cetaphil gentle cleanser comes in different versions, but if you have super sensitive skin the creamy one is great. It's got prebiotics, vitamin B5 and other ingredients, so it's very gentle and hydrating at the same time and your skin doesn't feel stripped after using it."

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"I love the fact that because it foams you can actually use this as a face wash and what I actually have been doing at home is also using it as a hand wash. I find that it should be much more gentle especially during the winter time when I'm washing my hands like 10 times throughout the day it won't make your hand get really dry and cracked."

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Beyond50Skin

31k subs

✓Approved

"I used to use Cetaphil years ago on the recommendation of my dermatologist but it always felt like it stripped my skin. They have done some reformulations and I love their gentle cleanser. It's great for a second cleanse in the evening or a gentle morning cleanse."

Gothamista

684k subs

✓Approved

"A drugstore cleanser that I love so much is this one from Cetaphil their Gentle Skin Cleanser. I've been loving and using this ever since they upgraded like two years ago their most favored beloved dependable formula and just made it better. This is exactly the kind of second cleanser that I love which is super gentle, calming, soothing, hydrating. The difference between this and the old formula is that they removed the fragrance but they also added niacinamide, glycerin, vitamin B5, so it's very hydrating as well. But this retained the Mell cleansing technology as well as the texture that so many have grown so fond of and attached to. It's got that comfort and creamy gel texture that feels super hydrating and it doesn't strip and also rinses off without residue. This is also oil free, so really this is great for all skin types, especially if your skin is very sensitive. This won't sting the eyes."

Dr. Aanchal MD

3.47M subs

✓Approved

"I like to use either the Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser, Episoft cleanser, Ceruleans cleanser for sensitive skin, squalene cleanser by the ordinary, all these are very gentle on the skin and effectively cleanse your skin without drying it out, which is what we want."

Dr. Sam Ellis

863k subs

✓Approved

"The Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser isn't like a rich lathery super luxurious cleansing experience but it gets the job done and is not likely to cause problems. You probably hear dermatologists recommend it all the time."

Dr Alexis Stephens

580k subs

✓Approved

"I just need something that can get the job done. I don't have a lot of dirt, debris, or anything built up on my face because I just woke up."

Dr. Somji Skin

358k subs

✓Approved

"If your skin is dry, you want to put a cream-based cleanser on, and the gold standard is Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. Cetaphil is in the name: cetyl alcohol, which is wonderful for the skin barrier, highly moisturizing, and it's also got some nice ceramides. This is a cream-based cleanser I tend to use when I go to sunny countries, maybe my skin's a little dry and hot and bothered, and maybe my skin barrier is impaired if I haven't been very good with my SPF. It's fragrance-free, it doesn't clog pores, and it can be more moisturizing for the skin. In this product we've got glycerin, panthenol, and niacinamide. Niacinamide is fantastic for the skin barrier, just to help boost it, and it's part of nearly every single skincare ingredient nowadays. The one caveat is you may not be able to clean all your makeup off with something like this, so you really need to think about double cleansing."