Tried & Tested: 12 Brilliant Cleansers For All Skin Types
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2 days ago
Your three-step skincare regime starts here
The most important step in your daily skincare regime? Cleanse, cleanse, cleanse. To make life easier, we’ve tried and tested the best luxury treatment cleansers on the market, to help you get the most from your daily purifying regime.
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What Is A Cleanser?
A product formulated to remove dirt, oil, makeup, sweat, dead skin cells and other impurities from the skin, cleansers are a crucial part of any skincare routine. They can help maintain your overall skin health by unclogging pores, preventing blemishes and creating a clean canvas for other skincare products – making them more effective.
Are There Different Types Of Cleansers?
Yes, cleansers come in foaming gels, creams, balms, and oils, making them adaptable to an individual’s preferences as well as their skin type and skin goals.
How To Add One To Your Skincare Routine
Cleansing should be the first step of your skincare routine, so that you have a clean canvas for other skincare products. It’s advised you use a cleanser twice a day, at the start of your skincare routine, before moving on to toners, eye creams, serums, moisturisers and SPFs.
The Best Luxury Cleansers For 2025
How We Pick Our Products: At C&TH, we take our skincare seriously. When collating these lists, the team test and trial a number of products – taking into the account not just the results of regular use, but also the feel, smell and look of the product, as well as its luxury appeal and whether the brand behind it are taking steps to give back to both people and planet. The process might take a little longer, but it just ensures that we’re giving the spotlight only to the brands and products that are really worth the investment.
Eve Lom
Cleansing Oil, £55
Best For: Skin barrier health
Eve Lom celebrates 40 years of its skincare legacy with the latest addition to its hero line: the Cleansing Oil. This multi-functional cleanser works to hydrate and nourish skin, while a Biomimetic Barrier System (made up of squalane, bio-lipids and coriander seed oil) deeply purifies and supports the barrier and microbiome. And best of all? The cleanser’s silky, lightweight texture leaves no room for greasy residue – meaning you’re left with glowing, soft, comfortable skin.
BYROE New York
Kiwi Detox Gel Cleanser, £26
Best For: A skin detox
BYROE’s Kiwi Detox Gel Cleanser comes packed with antioxidant-rich ingredients and a triple acid complex (comprised of AHA, BHA and PHA) to decongest pores, combat breakouts and smooth out uneven texture.
The brand is also known for upcycling ingredients, using zero-waste extraction methods to reduce food waste by using up imperfect fruits and vegetables that would otherwise not get used.
S’ABLE Labs
Qasil Cleanser, £25.20
Best For: Hyperpigmentation
Blending qasil, oat amino acid and kaolin, this cleanser from S’ABLE Labs offers a rich antioxidant formula that brightens and enhances skin texture. Qasil is especially known for slowing down the growth of excessive melanin, a key cause of hyperpigmentation, meaning you can expect an even (and glowing) skin tone in no time.
Eve Lom
Cleanser Balm, £65
Best For: A balanced complexion
A true cult classic, nothing beats Eve Lom’s balm cleanser as the ultimate daily skin treat. Containing eucalyptus, clove, hops and chamomile oil, massage it into dry skin at the end of each day and lay over with a hot muslin cloth to open pores, before gently cleansing and exfoliating skin.
Dr Sebagh
Foaming cleanser, £28.80
Best for: Deep cleaning
Even the most stubborn of make-up will be washed away with Dr Sebagh’s foaming cleanser, a two-in-one purifying and toning product. It removes dirt and traces of pollution to leave skin feeling smooth and supply, with oleanolic acid reducing sebum and oat amino acids helping get rid of dead cells.
SkinCeuticals
Gentle Cleanser, £45
Best For: Sensitive skin
SkinCeuticals’ cleanser utilises a gentle formula – a balanced blend of orange oil and emollients – to help soothe and calm skin, as well as hydrate and smooth rough surface textures. The result? Clean, glowing skin, without any lingering irritation.
Sarah Chapman
Ultimate Cleanse, £60
Best For: Smart skincare
Packed with collagen-stimulating peptides, skin-normalising vitamin A and potent skin-defence antioxidants, Sarah Chapman’s Ultimate Cleanse is hailed as one of the most effective products for simultaneously removing makeup and cleansing, conditioning and brightening skin.
Samaya Ayurvedic Skincare
Hydrating Cleanser Pitta, £69
Best For: Softer skin
Smitten. There’s no other word for it. This unique formulation bursts with Ayurvedic botanicals such as jasmine, turmeric and saffron and (anti-inflammatory) Gotu Kola oil, silkily lifting impurities and makeup and leaving skin soft and glowing as a newborn’s cheek. Durga (one of the most powerful Hindu goddesses) would have used it, had she had the chance.
Elemis
Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm, £46
Best For: A collagen boost
This cleansing balm is a cult favourite for a reason. The mineral oil-free formula works for all skin types (even the most sensitive), with a blend of elderberry, starflower oil and algae working together to soften and hydrate skin. A blend of nine essential oils, meanwhile, will leave you feeling relaxed and ready to start the day (or round off the evening).
La Mer
The Cleansing Micellar Water, £90
Best For: On-the-go skincare
If it’s a quick cleanse you’re after, look no further than La Mer. Light and fresh enough to use once or twice every day, this micellar water cleanser is our favourite quick fix, making it a product we don’t travel without.
Omorovicza
Thermal Cleansing Balm, £65
Best For: Makeup removal
Sometimes even the best cleansers have to bow down to a stubborn layer of makeup – but not this one. Omorovicza cleansing balm contains Hungarian moor mud and sweet almond oil, which allows the balm to remove the last vestiges of makeup without stripping the skin (instead, leaving it feeling soft and hydrated).
Liz Earle
Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser, £21
Best For: All skin types
Liz Earle has mastered the art of hot cloth cleansing over the years, with an award-winning formula that has earned the brand its legend status at the beauty counter. While Liz Earle regularly releases limited edition renditions, it’s the original hot cloth cleanser that remains a favourite; it’s gentle yet thorough, cruelty free and works for all skin types.
