Best Creamy Facial Cleansers to Clean & Hydrate Your Skin
A guide to our favorite creamy facial cleansers, cleansing milks and cream cleansers made with natural, non-toxic ingredients.
If you look at the ingredients for creamy facial cleansers you find at the drug or department store, you’ll see a long list of chemical names that are hard to pronounce.
The list will probably include preservatives, artificial fragrances and petroleum-based ingredients that are often associated with hormone disruption and allergic reactions.
Given my love of creamy cleansers, I’ve tried many different ones over the years and I’ve rounded up a list of my favorite cream cleansers that use only natural and non-toxic ingredients, so you can be sure they are safe for your skin!
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Why Use A Creamy Facial Cleanser?
Creamy cleansers (also commonly called cleansing milks) tend to be non-sudsing which may seem unusual for some of you. Even though they don’t foam, creamy cleansers work to cleanse pores of dirt and impurities. They do it in a very gentle way – using plant-based oils and butters – which may actually be better for helping skin to retain moisture.
If you’ve never used a creamy facial cleanser, I highly recommend you try one! In my opinion, they are so much better for your skin than harsher cleansers that may strip the skin of its natural oils. I am a super-fan of these multi-tasking cleansers that moisturize like crazy, while still managing to deep clean and even remove makeup.
Most formulas also have active ingredients to hydrate and rejuvenate skin – helping it to look its best. Creamy cleansers are often geared toward people with normal to dry/mature skin but they can be fantastic for those with sensitive skin and sometimes even oily skin – since ingredients can help balance out skin.
My Favorite Creamy Cleansers
OSEA Ocean Cleanser
My current favorite creamy cleanser is the Ocean Cleanser from OSEA. It has a creamy gel texture and is loaded with mineral-rich seaweed and a nourishing oil blend. It’s great for any type of skin.
Mad Hippie Cream Cleanser
This cleanser is newer to my repertoire but it’s a great one! Made with a base of sesame and jojoba oils, plus shea butter, along with active ingredients like orchid extract for its protective and reparative effects, and algae extract for its water binding properties. The glass pump bottle is a nice bonus.
COUNTER Silky Skin Cleanser
This cream cleanser uses hyaluronic acid for deep moisturizing and milled oat flour for a mild scrub. The plastic tube makes it a great one to keep in the shower – plus it’s easy to throw in a bag for travel too. Great for all skin types and gentle enough for daily use.
Weleda Oil-to-Milk Cleanser
This newer product from Weleda is a unique formula that starts as a gentle cleansing oil and transforms into a soft, milky cleanser as it rinses clean. While I have not personally tried this yet, it’s on my list of cleansers to try!
Evan Healy Rose Cleansing Milk
Definitely the most luxurious creamy cleanser I’ve use, this one is formulated with coconut oil, shea butter and lots of nourishing flower extracts. The skin-balancing formula draws out impurities while restoring hydration. Meant for all skin types and the rose scent is to die for!
Acure Seriously Soothing Cleansing Cream
This gentle, hydrating cleanser is made with peony extract and sunflower amino acids and is calming to dry, sensitive skin. We love the affordable price too!
Do you have a favorite creamy facial cleanser? Let me know in the comments!
P.S. If you are looking for cruelty free cleansers, we’ve got a list of those too!
I’ve been wanting to try the Mad Hippie Cream Cleanser and I’m glad to see you think it’s great! I’m going to have to give it a shot for sure now!
Cool – I think you’ll love it Britney! I want to check out more products from Mad Hippie – seems like a great company!
Are these better for daily or occasional use? They do sound so luxurious. I like the idea of doubling as makeup remover.
Good question Betsy. They are certainly all mild enough for daily use. I think it depends on your skin type as to whether or not you may want to alternate with a foaming cleanser. Personally, I use creamy cleansers every day!
I’ve never heard of Mad Hippie. I’ll have to give them a try! I’m already a Juice Beauty and Beautycounter fan. Great suggestions!
The Healy Rose Cleansing Milk sounds divine! Thanks for explaining about Creamy Cleansers & Cleansing Milks. I had no idea.
I’ve heard great things about Juice Beauty and have been wanting to try! I’ve never heard of Mad Hippie but it sounds like just my thing! Thanks for all the suggestions!
I know – you gotta love the name Mad Hippie! 🙂
I use the Juice Beauty cleansing milk, I really like it. Most of my skin care is from them.
LOVE the Juice Beauty cleansing milk!
I’m partial to my Badger Face Oil for cleansing, but I have tried the Weleda Gentle Cleansing Milk and think it’s also amazing! I really, really liked that creamy cleanser before making the switch to oil.
I’ve been experimenting with cleansing oils too Kim. I haven’t tried Badger yet but I’ve been using One Love Organics and really like it!
Mad Hippie is a perfect company. I don’t try their Cream Cleanser, but i use their face cream for a long time and it’s very very good. So I am guessing that their cleanser is good too. I think i will try it in near future)
I love the Sweet Lupine Makeup Remover & Cleansing Cream from Naturopathic!
Thanks for the reminder about Naturopathica Julia! I tried one of their cleaning creams years ago and I remember it smelled SO good!