The most essential step of your skincare routine, a good facial cleanser ensures that all traces of makeup, oil and dirt buildup is removed without stripping skin of moisture. As part of our Teenage Beauty Awards 2017, here’s a list of 16 effective yet gentle cleansers for you to choose from. 

Garnier Pure Active Matcha De-Tox Foam, $5.90

Need a thorough cleansing for even brighter and clearer skin? Garnier’s Pure Active Matcha De-Tox Foam will do just that. Containing matcha extract, which is a powerful antioxidant, this cleanser dissolves oil, brightens dullness and cleanses pores from deep within. Great for oily and breakout-prone skin, it’s also formulated with salicylic acid, which reduces excess oil by up to 96% and helps to prevent acne. 

SENKA Perfect Whip, $7.90

The SENKA Perfect Whip is a facial cleanser that leaves your skin feeling moist and smooth due its highly-moisturising, naturally-derived silk essence and double hyaluronic acid compound. The silk essence is newly-formulated with hydrolysed silk, and works to protect the skin from various external irritants and it continues to restore this barrier so that it will guard the skin well in the long term. Perfect for those with dry skin, this cleanser ensures squeaky clean skin without stripping away the moisture on your face. 

Hada Labo AHA+BHA Exfoliating Face Wash, $13.90A mild daily exfoliating face wash that will give you baby soft skin without being too harsh on your complexion, this Hada Labo gem has a Triple Anti-Pollution Formula (comprising Moringa seed extract, Phytic acid and Biosaccharide gum-4) which removes external pollutants, reduces damage and protects skin. Simply lather up and cleanse away! 

Skinfood Honey Flour Cleansing Foam, $16.90The Skinfood Honey Flour skincare line has four different types of cleansing foams – Moist, Sensitive, Fresh and Brightening. The Moist version helps to keep moisture in the skin intact, Sensitive has anti-inflammatory properties and it is so gentle children can use it too, Fresh is packed with wheat flour that absorbs sebum and impurities, and lastly Brightening is a scrub and foam cleanser packed in one product that helps you exfoliate your skin by scrubbing off the dead skin cells. 

shu uemura Ultime8 Sublime Beauty Cleansing Oil, $65

If you’ve always followed the double cleanse method, and find it a hassle on nights when you are just too tired to bother, then this Shu Uemura cleansing oil does just the job well. The formula really removes all sort of makeup; long-wearing, waterproof, you name it. The aftermath? Your skin is soft, supple, and it feels like it’s being moisturised and cared for till the next morning. 

ORBIS Powder Wash +, $25Specially-formulated with two different enzymes – protease and lipase – the ORBIS Powder Wash tackles the old keratin and sebum components of keratin plugs, effectively targeting and breaking them down in order to rid them off our pores. It comes in powder form but turns to a really dense foam when in contact with water. Do not be fooled, because this formula helps exfoliate your skin gently and removes blackheads over time too. 

ETUDE HOUSE Soon Jung pH 6.5 Whipped Cleanser, $17.90

The pH 6.5 Whipped Cleanser contains 98% plant-derived ingredients, the highest in the entire Soon Jung line, that ensures enhanced skin protection. This gentle skincare line is specially designed for those with sensitive skin and experience daily skin problems due to stress or dust. The pH level of 6.5 helps balance out your skin and works to prevent less breakouts with red, painful pimples.  

The Body Shop Vitamin E Gentle Facial Wash, $20.90

A mild cleanser enriched with Vitamin E to help condition and protect the skin, this product will leave your skin feeling like it has been thoroughly cleansed, whilst retaining its natural oils. It removes light makeup along with excess oil and unwanted impurities. Suitable for sensitive to dry skin types, it’s a joy to know that The Body Shop doesn’t test their products on animals. 

Biore Marshmallow Whip Facial Wash, $13.90

The one thing that makes Biore’s facial wash stands out is its new unique pump technology that forms finer and denser micro bubbles which makes the foam more stable. This allows the foam to preserve its fluffiness for a longer period of time so it can penetrate deep into the pores to remove all dirt, oil and impurities without drying out the skin. It saves the hassle of you lathering your own foam, which may not be fine enough for a thorough cleanse.

Skin Inc Pure Prodew Cleansing Foam, $72 

Quite extraordinary, this smart triple-action cleanser brightens, hydrates and cleanses in one quick, easy step. Containing eight kinds of amino acids and soybean extract, the ingredients reduce dullness by deep cleansing skin, enhancing skin cells’ metabolism and plumping skin with moisture. It is suitable for oily and acne-prone skin as well.

LANEIGE Mini Pore Double Clearing Cleansing Foam, $24

Using LANEIGE’s Pore Refining Technology, this cleansing foam is formulated with Mint Water that moisturises and provides relief, and pore-refining ingredients like Cypress Extract and Pine Needles. These ingredients work together to provide a soothing effect while controlling sebum production to make your skin feel clean and fresh. 

ASTALIFT Lunamer AC Fibre Foam, $31

The ASTALIFT Lunamer AC Fibre Foam is a gentle foam facial wash that contains extremely fine fibres that penetrate deep into pores to remove sebum, dirt and acne- causing bacteria. It produces a rich lather for a gentle, through cleanse and a clean, smooth finish. Tip: use the given foaming net for better results!

Curél Foaming Wash, $19.80

Similar to the Biore Marshmallow Whip, Curél’s Foaming Wash comes in a pump bottle and it saves you trouble from trying to lather your own. Known for its advanced ceramide care technology that helps retain and restore the protective layer of your skin, the formula removes just the right amount of sebum, leaving your skin to feel comfortably dewy. It is best suited for dry skin users. 

Peter Lamas Detoxifying Citrus C Facial Cleanser, $43

Need a boost? The Detoxifying Citrus C Facial Cleanser invigorates your skin with a potent fusion of natural ingredients; Wheat Protein smoothes and strengthens skin and Vitamin C and Beta Carotene work to detoxify, protect and energize, giving you softer, younger-looking skin. FYI, it’s vegan too! 

THEFACESHOP Dr. Belmeur Daily Repair Cleansing Foam, $17 

Part of THEFACESHOP’s first cosmeceutical (cosmetics + pharmaceutical) line, the products in this series aim to help consumers combat dry, sensitive, eczema, oily and acne-proned skin. Hence, you can expect a cleansing foam that is lightweight and gentle, minimising any skin irritation. Moreover, it is especially moisturising and soothing too, perfect for troubled-skin days. 

Estelle & Third BioCleanse 3-in-1 Cleansing Foam, $38

The BioCleanse skincare line of Swedish brand Estelle & Third, this cleansing foam washes away makeup and impurities with the gentlest touch. Black Elderflower extract that is infused inside helps detox and decognest the skin revealing a refreshed and radiant glow. Overall, this cleanser helps to balance out your skin for a silky, smooth complexion. 

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