Gentle Cleansers for Sensitive Skin

Gentle Cleansers for Sensitive Skin: Hits and Misses

I love using a balm cleanser in the evenings, and I’ve posted a roundup of my favourites here. In the morning, however, I prefer something lighter, usually a milky or gel-like formula that rinses off well, leaving little to no residue. This makes for a clean yet gently nourished foundation for skincare and make-up. These cleansers may struggle to remove a full face of makeup and SPF, so they are best suited as either a second cleanse in the evening or for a quick morning cleanse.

I have tested some popular and well-rated cleansers over the last year and here is my review of the best and the ones I would most definitely not purchase again. For reference, my skin is quite sensitive and rosacea prone.

Featured Brands

A quick snapshot of the brands featured in this round-up:

• Geek & Gorgeous – Hungarian skincare brand known for straightforward, science-led formulas at sensible prices.
• COSRX – Cult Korean skincare brand focused on gentle but effective ingredients.
• The Inkey List – Budget-friendly, ingredient-led skincare brand available widely in the UK.
• BYOMA – Barrier-focused brand centred around ceramides and hydration.
• Simple – High street staple designed specifically for sensitive skin.

All the cleansers I tested claim to be suitable for sensitive skin, are all reasonably priced and widely available in the UK both online and in stores.

Geek & Gorgeous Jelly Joker

I love this brand for its effective, no-fuss formulas. I have reviewed other items in this range here. The Jelly Joker cleanser is a non-foaming, low pH cleanser with soothing Panthenol and Allantoin. This cleanser performs well, is gentle and leaves my skin calm and comfortable. I think that it’s a great option for sensitive skin types and the price point is great.

COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser

I have worked my way through 3 tubes of this so far and it’s a great product with a high number of positive reviews from users. It feels like it has more ‘oomph’ than other similar cleansers but at the same time doesn’t strip or aggravate my rosacea prone skin. It contains Betaine Salicylate (BHA) for gentle surface smoothing, Tea-tree oil for calming skin and has a gel to foam texture.

Normally I steer well clear of anything foaming as they tend to strip my skin but I can use this without any issues. Price is a little more expensive than the Jelly Joker at around £9-12 for 150ml. I tend to buy mine from Stylevanna as this generally has the best prices, however shipping times tend to be long in the region of 3-4 weeks. I would say that this is generally targeted to those with slightly more oily or acne-prone. For very sensitive skin types I would recommend Jelly Joker over this. I love this when I am having any hormonal based skin breakouts.

The Inkey List Fulvic Acid Cleanser

I am just starting to get into the Inkey list products and so far I am really impressed. They definitely deliver results at a good price point. This was a wild card impulse purchase when I made an unplanned trip to Boots one day. 

It’s a bit of an unusual one as it contains Nordic Peat which is apparently high in Fulvic acid (who knew?) This is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. It says it can help brighten and smooth out uneven skin tone whilst leaving the skin soft and smooth. It does foam a little which I am always very wary about as anything foaming can leave my skin feeling tight or stripped. 

It has a gel like texture and you can see the peat in it which is a bit off putting at first but it is not hard or gritty/abrasive in any way at all. I felt like this gave a good deep cleanse and my skin really does feel brighter after using it. However I do have sensitive skin and I can’t use this every day. I use this about 3-4 times per week. If I use it more my skin gets mildly irritated. Although scoring slightly less than the two others, I still really love it and will very likely repurchase it in the future. I would say it is the most deep cleansing of all the products I have tried.

Despite not being able to use this cleanser daily, I still love the deep clean feeling it gives. I will give it 8/10 for my sensitive skin but I will probably repurchase again in the future. Price about £9.00 for 150ml however at the time of posting this it was on offer for £5.00 from Amazon. As much as I like this product, I would steer clear if you have dry, reactive or sensitive skin.

BYOMA Milky Moisture Cleanser

I wanted to try this for ages, as I had seen great reviews online, and Byoma as a brand seems to be well targeted towards those with sensitive skin with its ‘barrier boosting’ branding. I liked the sound of the tri-ceramide complex with oat extract and panthenol in this milky cleanser. The ultra-soothing formula sounded gentle and hydrating. The price is good at around £8-9 for 175ml. I really wanted to love this, but I was unfortunately underwhelmed. The packaging is incredibly frustrating to dispense product from, it takes a lot of effort to get it out. Additionally, there seems to be a lot of plastic used in making the packaging, its bulky and quite heavy. Whilst it is probably more hygienic than the squeezy tubes, I prefer these for ease of use. Even if it was in a different packaging, I didn’t love the formula or feel that it cleansed my skin particularly well. I would not buy this again and probably will not try others in the range as Byoma for me does not really do much for my skin.

Simple Kind to Skin Moisturising Face Wash

This cleanser is the most affordable on the list at a bargain £2-3 for 150ml. It gets really good reviews online, too. The formula is soap-free and has no colours, perfumes or harsh chemicals. Whilst it foams gently, it doesn’t strip or leave skin with the dreaded ‘squeaky’ feeling. Both my teenage son and I use this cleanser quite happily although we have very different skin types. I feel it’s not the most exciting or innovative product on the list, but does exactly what it says for a fantastic price. I would reach for this without hesitation, especially over more expensive products like Cetaphil or Cerave.

Final Verdict: Which Gentle Cleanser Is Worth It?

If you have very sensitive or rosacea-prone skin and want a safe daily option:
Geek & Gorgeous Jelly Joker is my top recommendation.

If you want gentle but slightly more active cleansing:
COSRX Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser is excellent value.

If you like a deeper cleanse a few times a week:
The Inkey List Fulvic Acid Cleanser works well in moderation.

If you’re on a very tight budget:
Simple Kind to Skin Moisturising Face Wash is hard to beat.