Organic facial cleansers are great additions to any skin care routine. The skin is the largest organ in the body and it absorbs a large amount of the chemicals that we apply to it on a daily basis. Therefore, it’s generally not a good idea to put anything on your that you wouldn’t put in your mouth.

What are Organic Face Cleansers?

Organic cleansers leverage the power of nature’s most potent fruits, vegetables, herbs, and clays in order to dramatically cleanse, repair, and nourish the skin—without using gnarly chemicals. Additionally, natural cleansers can be just as effective as their traditional counterparts (some even do an amazing job at removing super heavy makeup), so you don’t have to make any trade-offs for effectiveness. Whether you have dry, sensitive, acne-prone, aging, oily, or normal skin, there is an organic face wash out there that’s sure to work wonders for your skin.

Foaming vs Non-foaming Face Cleansers

Most organic cleansers can generally be bucketed into two categories: foaming vs non-foaming cleansers. Foaming cleansers contain surfactants and natural foaming agents that work themselves into a lather to break apart dirt, oil, and impurities. Non-foaming cleansers do not create a soapy-lather and come in a variety of forms including oils, creams, and micellar water.

Conventional wisdom claims that foaming face cleansers are bad for dry skin types because the suds strip away your skin’s natural oils; however, many modern organic cleansers use soaps made from vegetable oils (like coconut, jojoba, and sunflower) which can actually add moisture to the skin. With all this jargon, choosing the right cleanser for your skin type can be tricky. Check out our short guide on Choosing the Best Organic Face Wash for Your Skin Type at the end of this page for some tips.

While organic face washes may be better for your skin’s overall health, organic products are not created equal. Many cleansers sold today are filled with cheap preservatives and harsh soaps that can actually irritate your skin and exacerbate existing issues. Some cleansers that are branded as “organic” may actually contain cheap fillers and very little organic material. Others make wild claims about their results—all while overcharging for common and inexpensive organic ingredients.

We tirelessly researched hundreds of organic brands, their claims, ingredients and their products to create this list of over 40 (actually) organic face washes.  At the very minimum, the organic cleaners on this list will not include any ingredients from the “dirty dozen” like Sulfates, Parabens, Phthalates, Petrochemicals + Mineral Oils, Synthetic Fragrances + Dyes, PEG compounds, and Ethoxylated Ingredients. Additionally, all organic cleansers on this list are made with high-quality organic + natural ingredients, contain no harsh soaps, and have a track record of satisfied customer reviews from across the web. These are truly some of the best of the best organic face washes we could find—Enjoy!