Kelly Driscoll has reviewed more than 30 cleansers, and her approval rate sits at 65%. Most products made the cut, but a solid handful did not. Her view on what a cleanser should and should not do comes through clearly in every take.
What does Kelly Driscoll recommend in cleansers?
Kelly keeps coming back to one thing: a cleanser should clean without stripping. She praised the CeraVe Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser for being nourishing and calming while still rinsing away cleanly, with no film left behind. She named La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+ Gentle Foaming Moisturizing Wash her category winner. She has used it for about six years because it handles her skin in every season, whether dry in deep winter or prone to congestion in summer. She also has a strong preference for low to moderate pH cleansers, even for oily skin. Her reasoning: high pH formulas damage the skin barrier no matter your skin type. Practical details matter to her too. She called out the SkinFix Barrier+ Foaming Oil Cleanser's pump for dispensing exactly the right amount, noting that too much product is a real and common problem with cleansers.
Kelly Driscoll's cleanser picks, in her words
"I love that this is both a milky nourishing creamy kind of calming sensation but then it foams up and it actually cleans your skin effectively and rinses away without a film."
"I've used so many bottles of this, I've been using it for about six years straight, and it's just so so good. It's a cross between a foaming gel cleanser and a moisturizing milk cleanser, so it's moisturizing and gentle enough for my skin in deep winter when it's really suffering, [...] but it's also not too heavy [...] in the summer months when I've got oil breaking through, especially in my T-zone, and I'm prone to congestion. It meets my needs in every season."
"It's not filmy, it's not thick, and it's not going to feel like your skin's not clean. But if your skin is very dry and ailing, you'll notice that this just kind of lightly helps to balance those dry areas out just a little bit. It's not the most moisturizing, but [...] if you're looking for that kiss of moisture, something that adds a little bit into your skin, doesn't take anything away but doesn't leave a heavy layer either, this would be a great one to check out."
"This is the panang yel adoc cream Blue Label I really like this moisturizer it's very gentle um it is very uh barrier restorative as well"
"My skin just feels refreshed and not stripped but not filmy. And so that's why I loved it. [...] I don't know what kind of magic is going on with this cleanser. [...] The pump on this dispenses the exact right amount of cleanser. And you would not believe how incredibly important that actually is. I have tested so many cleansers where you do one pump and it's just so much product. It's like double the amount that you need just for your face."
"Don't think that because it's slightly lower foam that it's not cleansing your skin. It cleanses the skin very effectively. This is actually one of my favorite recommendations for oily skin because I'm not going to be recommending high pH cleansers to anybody. Even if your skin is oily, it's just not good for your skin barrier. So this is a really nice light one with a fun type of texture."
How many cleansers has Kelly Driscoll reviewed?
Kelly Driscoll has reviewed 37 cleansers, for an approval rate of 65%. 24 approved, 6 mixed, and 7 skipped.
What has Kelly Driscoll skipped in cleansers?
She passed on a few products for reasons that say a lot about her standards. She skipped the Anua Heartleaf Plus Vitamin E Pore Control Cleansing Oil mainly for its medicinal, unpleasant smell, and felt it missed the mark on more than one front. She passed on the Then I Met You Living Cleansing Balm because of its essential oil content, a waxy residue that clung to the skin, and poor makeup removal. She also skipped the Youth to the People Kale and Green Tea Spinach Vitamin Superfood Cleanser. The price felt hard to justify for a rinse-off product, and it left her sensitive skin feeling tight and squeaky clean. The Pixi Clarity Collection Cleanser did not make the cut either, after it failed to reduce breakouts and she found both the smell and the performance disappointing.
"The worst Anua product at Ulta has got to be the Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil. It kind of just misses the mark for me personally on a couple different levels. Number one, it smells weird. It has this very medicinal smell. [...] I think there's some artificial stuff happening in here as well. This is a fragrance product, but for whatever reason, it just doesn't strike me as pleasant. It just strikes me as kind of medicine-y in a non-appealing way."
"The least recommended from Then I Met You has got to be the Living Cleansing Balm for me personally. [...] This definitely has some essential oil content in it. I'm not the biggest fan of that. [...] For me personally, I just don't think it's a very good cleansing balm. I think it has kind of like a waxy sort of residue that kind of sticks to your skin. It's kind of hard to wash off and I just don't think it's amazing at removing makeup."
"Not affordable right, $40 for a cleanser is quite a bit of money, and I personally, my philosophy is I really don't like to spend a ton on my cleansers, especially a product that you put onto your face but then you wash down the drain immediately. I'd rather invest my dollars into something that sits on my skin. [...] I personally just find that it doesn't work for my sensitive skin either. There's just a little bit of tightness, just a little bit of a squeaky clean feeling with this one."
"I landed on the Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Ampoule Foam. This is their cleanser. There's nothing really bad about it necessarily, but it's actually just a little bit stripping for my skin. It just leaves my skin a little dry, a little tight. With continuous use, it would probably create some irritation and dehydration on my skin that would cause some inflammation, redness, itchiness. [...] I just wasn't really impressed with this cleanser."
What should you take from Kelly Driscoll's picks?
Kelly's standout pick is La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+ Gentle Foaming Moisturizing Wash, a product she has returned to season after season. Her broader record on cleansers points to a clear philosophy: gentle and effective beats fancy and expensive, and anything that strips or leaves residue is a problem no matter how appealing the ingredient list looks.
Watch Kelly Driscoll say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- La Roche-Posay Lipikar AP+ Gentle Foaming Moisturizing WashNamed a winnerWatch at 4:09
- Anua Heartleaf Plus Vitamin E Pore Control Cleansing OilSkipped itWatch at 2:53
- Then I Met You Living Cleansing BalmSkipped itWatch at 10:31
- Youth to the People Kale and Green Tea Spinach Vitamin Superfood CleanserSkipped itWatch at 2:06
- Skin1004 Madagascar Centella Ampoule FoamSkipped itWatch at 16:21
- Pixi Clarity Collection CleanserSkipped itWatch at 5:21
- Dr. Jart+ Pore Refresh Grinding Cleansing BalmSkipped itWatch at 2:24
- Cetaphil Gentle Skin CleanserSkipped itWatch at 9:33
- CeraVe Hydrating Cream-to-Foam CleanserRated itWatch at 1:44
- La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle CleanserRated itWatch at 12:04
- PanOxyl 4% Benzoyl Peroxide Cleansing WashRated itWatch at 17:16
- SkinFix Barrier+ Foaming Oil CleanserRated itWatch at 12:15
- Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing CleanserRated itWatch at 11:40
- Prequel Pre-Cleanse Cleansing OilRated itWatch at 15:55
- Kose Softymo Speedy Cleansing OilRated itWatch at 12:13
- Hada Labo Cleansing OilRated itWatch at 2:03
- First Aid Beauty Pure Skin Face CleanserRated itWatch at 11:38
- Dr. Idriss Soft Wash Complete Daily CleanserRated itWatch at 2:23
- Bloom Effects Royal Tulip Cleansing JellyRated itWatch at 1:24
- Heimish All Clean Green FoamRated itWatch at 15:03
- VT PDRN Grinding Cleansing BalmRated itWatch at 4:42
- Klairs Rich Moist Foaming CleanserRated itWatch at 13:56
- Etude House Speedy Cleansing OilRated itWatch at 0:37
- Cocokind Milky Soft Face and Body CleanserRated itWatch at 0:14
About this expert
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This guide reflects what Kelly Driscoll said across her videos about 37 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.