Cassandra Bankson has worked through more than 50 cleansers, and her record tells a clear story. She approved most of them, gave about a quarter a mixed take, and skipped only a handful, landing at an approval rate of 64%. She weighs cleansers hard against what they actually do for skin, not just what sounds good on a label.
What does Cassandra Bankson recommend in cleansers?
The pattern across her approving takes is a focus on barrier support. She keeps coming back to fragrance-free formulas that clean without stripping, and she has a particular soft spot for benzoyl peroxide cleansers for acne-prone skin. She named the SkinFix Azelaic AHA BHA Cleanser a category winner, calling it probably her favourite azelaic acid product and saying it works for rosacea. She praised the Pacifica Vegan Ceramide Extra Gentle Face Wash for rebuilding the skin barrier rather than working against it, and noted it suits dry and sensitive skin well. Cleansing oils also earn her approval when they do the job without fuss. She called Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil a genuinely good option, and even flagged a small practical note: it gets thicker in cold weather.
Cassandra Bankson's cleanser picks, in her words
"This is probably my favorite azelaic acid product, and this is from Skin Fix. This is a cleanser, and yes, this works for rosacea. This works for fungal acne, which doesn't actually exist. It's called pityriasis folliculitis or malassezia yeast that causes this fungal infection. This product was literally created to help with all three. This is a really beautiful pink wash. I've been using this non-stop. I actually, this is my second bottle."
"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."
"I finally found a facial cleanser that is incredible for me, it is the Lancôme cream skin milk oil cleanser. [...] I take it off all my makeup with it. I put it on my face dry and I don't put water on my face first, and then I just do like one or two pumps [...] all over my face."
"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."
"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 55 cleansers, for an approval rate of 64%. 35 approved, 14 mixed, and 6 skipped.
What has Cassandra Bankson skipped in cleansers?
She skipped products she felt were either bad for skin or bad value. Biore Ultra Deep Cleansing Pore Strips got a firm no. She warned they can damage skin and cause broken capillaries, and called them something she would not recommend. Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes Fragrance-Free she described as bad for skin overall. Her reason: wipes push dirt deeper into pores instead of dissolving it, and they lack the cleansing agents needed to actually break down makeup. She skipped the Tatcha Pure One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil on value: its second ingredient is rice bran oil, which she said you can buy at Target for three dollars.
"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."
"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."
"This cleanser is not terrible, but it's literally rice bran oil. [...] The second ingredient is rice bran oil, and you can go to Target and get rice bran oil for three dollars, or if you want to be bougie you can go to Thrive Market and get it for eight. I love that she can afford this and loves it for her skin, but this is basically very cheap inexpensive rice bran oil with a couple of other ingredients and some fragrance in it, and people are paying fifty dollars for it."
What should you take from Cassandra Bankson's picks?
Cassandra Bankson's cleanser picks tend to be straightforward, fragrance-free, and priced to reflect what is actually in the bottle. She is enthusiastic about benzoyl peroxide wash formulas for anyone dealing with acne, and she values cleansers that protect the skin barrier rather than disrupt it. Her category winners are The Ordinary Glucoside Foaming Cleanser, The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid Cleanser, and the SkinFix Azelaic AHA BHA Cleanser. If a cleanser costs far more than its ingredients justify, or if it leaves skin worse off than it found it, she will say so plainly.
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 Hyaluronic Acid CleanserNamed a winnerWatch at 2:12
- SkinFix Azelaic AHA BHA CleanserNamed a winnerWatch at 12:30
- Biore Ultra Deep Cleansing Pore StripsSkipped itWatch at 17:58
- Le Domaine Cleansing EmulsionSkipped itWatch at 26:25
- 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
- Lancôme Cream Skin Milk to Oil CleanserRated itWatch at 1:58
- Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing OilRated itWatch at 8:10
- 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
- Clinique Take the Day Off Melting Makeup RemoverRated itWatch at 7:12
- Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water with Vitamin CRated itWatch at 25:45
- 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
About this expert
See everything Cassandra Bankson has reviewed
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This guide reflects what Cassandra Bankson said across her videos about 55 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.