The 6 Best Clean and Natural Face Cleansers, Read by Their Ingredient Lists
What “clean” and “natural” actually mean on a cleanser label (legally, very little), and six face cleansers compared on their surfactants, plant-derived emulsifiers, essential oils, and fragrance.
Key Takeaways
“Clean” and “natural” are marketing words. The FDA has not defined “natural” for cosmetics, and a 2022 study in the journal Dermatitis notes there is no standard or regulatory oversight for “clean” products.
Plant-derived doesn’t automatically mean gentle. In that same study, 93.8% of 1,470 products sold as “clean” contained at least one potential allergen, most often fragrance or botanical ingredients.
The more useful question is what cleans your skin: a sugar- or coconut-derived surfactant, an oil, or an emulsifier, and whether essential oils or fragrance come along with it.
Our top pick is U Beauty’s The MANTLE Cleansing Balm, which cleanses with a sugar-based and an amino-acid-based emulsifier instead of a foaming surfactant.
For a fragrance-free option under $20, KraveBeauty Matcha Hemp Hydrating Cleanser lists Coco-Betaine and Coco-Glucoside and states it is essential oil and fragrance free.
If you’re shopping for the best clean face cleanser or the best natural face cleanser, the label won’t settle it for you, because neither word has a legal definition. What you can compare is the ingredient list. Below, we explain what to read for, then rank six cleansers by their ingredient philosophy, reporting each brand’s own claims rather than certifying any of them ourselves.
What “Clean” and “Natural” Mean on a Label
The FDA’s fact sheet for small cosmetics businesses states that the agency “has not defined the term ‘natural’ and has not established a regulatory definition for this term in cosmetic labeling.” It adds that choosing “organic” or “natural” ingredients “is no guarantee that they are safe.” “Organic” is a separate case: the USDA’s National Organic Program defines it, and the FDA’s page on organic cosmetics puts the principle plainly: “An ingredient’s source does not determine its safety.”
“Clean” has even less behind it. A 2022 study in Dermatitis looked at 1,470 products marketed as “clean” on the Target and Walgreens websites, starting from the point that there is “no standard, scientific basis, or regulatory oversight” for the term. Fragrances and botanicals were the most common potential allergens, found in 82.9% of the products. Alkyl glucosides, a family of plant-derived surfactants, showed up in 20.7%.
None of that makes these products bad. It means the words on the front are a brand’s philosophy, and the ingredient list on the back is the evidence.
How to Read a Cleanser by Its Ingredient Philosophy
What cleans | Examples on a label | What to know |
|---|---|---|
Plant-derived surfactants | Coco-Glucoside, Decyl Glucoside, Coco-Betaine | Foam lightly; glucosides can still irritate some people |
Sugar-based emulsifiers | Sucrose Stearate, Sucrose Laurate, Sucrose Polystearate | Help oil and water mix so a balm or oil rinses off |
Amino-acid-based cleansers | Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate | Usually found in milder formulas |
Oils | Squalane, sunflower, jojoba | Dissolve makeup and sunscreen; need an emulsifier to rinse |
Scent | Essential oils, Limonene, Linalool, “Fragrance” | Botanical scent is still scent; skip if you react easily |
1. U Beauty The MANTLE Cleansing Balm: Best Sugar- and Amino-Acid-Based Cleanser
U Beauty sells The MANTLE Cleansing Balm as a Double Cleanse in One Step. Instead of a foaming surfactant, it relies on what the brand calls gentle emulsifiers and lipoamino acids. On the ingredient list, that’s Sucrose Polystearate, a sugar-based emulsifier, and Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, which is built on the amino acid glutamic acid. Massaged onto dry skin, the oil-balm turns into a cleansing milk when you add water.
The rest of the formula mixes plant extracts with lab-made ingredients: five fruit extracts the brand calls Fruit Alpha Hydroxy Acids (bilberry, sugar cane, lemon, orange, and sugar maple), Corn Germ Oil, Beta-Carotene, two forms of Hyaluronic Acid and Bisabolol, alongside C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate and Phenoxyethanol. U Beauty doesn’t label it “clean” on the page, and we’re not either; we’re reporting what’s in it.
Key features:
Cleansing system: a sugar-based and an amino-acid-based emulsifier, with no sulfate surfactant on the list.
Two steps in one: removes makeup and sunscreen and works as the face wash too, per U Beauty.
U Beauty’s numbers: in a consumer perception study of 30 volunteers after 7 days of daily use with a cloth, 93% agreed their skin felt hydrated.
Tradeoff: Methyldihydrojasmonate, a fragrance ingredient, is on the list along with the fruit acids, so it doesn’t suit anyone avoiding fragrance or exfoliating ingredients.
Best for: makeup and sunscreen wearers who want a non-foaming, emulsifier-based cleanse in one step.
Price: $78 for 150 ml, or $38 for 50 ml.
2. KraveBeauty Matcha Hemp Hydrating Cleanser: Best Fragrance-Free Plant-Based Gel
Krave’s gel cleanser opens with Green Tea Leaf Water, and its surfactants are Coco-Betaine and Coco-Glucoside, both derived from coconut. Hemp Seed Oil, Panthenol, and Sodium PCA add moisture. KraveBeauty says it’s essential oil and fragrance free and puts the pH at 5.5 to 6.5.
Key features:
Coconut-derived surfactants: Coco-Betaine and Coco-Glucoside.
Essential oil and fragrance free: per KraveBeauty.
Naturally derived ingredients: the brand notes color and texture can vary from batch to batch for that reason.
Tradeoff: Coco-Glucoside belongs to the alkyl glucoside family the Dermatitis study flagged as a potential allergen, so patch test if you’ve reacted to gentle cleansers before.
Best for: sensitive or dry skin that wants a plant-led gel without added scent.
Price: $16 for 120 ml.
3. cocokind Oil to Milk Cleansing Balm: Best Transparent Ingredient List
cocokind shows not just the ingredient list but the share of each group. Carriers make up 80% (organic sunflower and grapeseed oils plus water), Glycerin 15%, three sugar-based emulsifiers (Sucrose Stearate, Sucrose Palmitate, and Sucrose Laurate) 2%, and essential oils 0.1%. Fermented oat and oat kernel oil round it out.
Key features:
Sugar-based emulsifiers: they let the oil turn milky and rinse off.
Organic oils: the brand labels the sunflower and grapeseed oils organic.
Oil to milk: massaged into dry skin, then rinsed with water.
Tradeoff: it contains two essential oils, sweet geranium and Roman chamomile, at 0.1%, which can still matter for scent-sensitive skin.
Best for: anyone who wants an affordable balm and likes seeing the formula broken down.
Price: $18 for 2.9 fl oz.
4. Youth To The People Superfood Cleanser: Best Antioxidant-Led Gel Cleanser
Youth To The People builds its gel cleanser around a superfood blend of kale, spinach, green tea, and alfalfa, with Vitamins C and E. The brand says it’s sulfate-free, paraben-free, silicone-free, vegan, and non-comedogenic, and that it removes makeup and sunscreen when massaged into dry skin first.
Key features:
Plant extracts as the headline: kale, spinach, green tea, and alfalfa.
Free-from claims: no sulfates, parabens, or silicones, per the brand.
Two ways to use it: on wet skin for 30 seconds, or on dry skin first for makeup.
Tradeoff: the brand describes a “fresh, clean, herbaceous scent,” and the full ingredient list sits behind a link we couldn’t read, so we can’t tell you exactly where that scent comes from.
Best for: normal to oily skin that likes a gel and a green-tea-forward formula.
Price: $39 for 8 oz; a 2 oz travel size is $16.
5. OSEA Ocean Cleanser: Best Natural-Origin Exfoliating Cleanser
OSEA’s gel cleanser combines Undaria seaweed, bentonite clay, Glycerin, and a jojoba and sesame oil blend with Lactic Acid, which the brand says gently exfoliates while you wash. OSEA says it’s primarily made with naturally derived ingredients and uses no synthetic fragrance.
Key features:
Seaweed and clay: Undaria seaweed for minerals and bentonite for excess oil, per OSEA.
Lactic Acid: a mild Alpha Hydroxy Acid, so it’s a cleanser and a gentle exfoliant at once.
No synthetic fragrance: the brand says scent may vary because of its natural composition.
Tradeoff: no synthetic fragrance isn’t the same as unscented: it has a noticeable scent, and the Lactic Acid makes it a poor fit on nights you use a Retinoid or another acid.
Best for: normal or combination skin that wants a scented, mildly exfoliating wash.
Price: $48 for 5 oz.
6. Biossance Squalane + Antioxidant Cleansing Oil: Best Plant-Derived Cleansing Oil
Biossance’s cleansing oil is built on Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride and Squalane, which the brand derives from sugarcane, with Polyglyceryl-2 Caprate as the emulsifier that helps it rinse off with water. It’s made to dissolve long-wear makeup.
Key features:
Sugarcane-derived Squalane: the brand’s signature ingredient.
Rinses clean: massage on dry skin, add water, rinse.
Day and night: works as a first cleanse before a gel.
Tradeoff: it carries Orange Oil and Lavender Oil, plus Limonene and Linalool, the kind of botanical fragrance ingredients the Dermatitis study counted most often.
Best for: makeup wearers who don’t react to essential oils and want an oil-based first cleanse.
Price: $34 for 200 ml.
How to Choose a Clean or Natural Cleanser
Decide what “clean” means to you. Fragrance-free? Plant-derived surfactants? Organic oils? Each pick above meets a different definition.
Read the back, not the front. Look for the surfactant or emulsifier in the first several ingredients, then scan for essential oils, Limonene, Linalool or “Fragrance.”
Match the texture to your skin. Balms and oils suit dry skin and heavy makeup; gels suit oily and combination skin.
Patch test. Botanical ingredients can cause reactions just like synthetic ones.
For more mild formulas sorted by skin feel, see our guide to non-stripping face cleansers.
When to See a Dermatologist
If a cleanser leaves your skin red, itchy, or swollen, stop using it. If reactions keep happening across different products, a board-certified dermatologist can help work out whether you’re reacting to a specific ingredient, botanical ones included.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best clean face cleanser?
Because “clean” has no standard definition, it depends on which definition matters to you. Our top pick is U Beauty’s The MANTLE Cleansing Balm for its sugar- and amino-acid-based cleansing system. For fragrance-free, KraveBeauty Matcha Hemp Hydrating Cleanser.
What is the best natural face cleanser?
If you want a natural-origin formula, OSEA Ocean Cleanser and cocokind Oil to Milk Cleansing Balm both lean on plant and marine ingredients. cocokind shows the percentage of each ingredient group, which makes it easy to check.
Is “natural” skincare safer?
Not automatically. The FDA says natural or organic sourcing doesn’t make an ingredient safe by default, and essential oils and plant extracts are common allergens.
Are sulfate-free cleansers gentler?
Often, but not always. Many sulfate-free cleansers use coconut- or sugar-derived surfactants that are milder, yet some of those, such as alkyl glucosides, can still trigger reactions in some people.
Do clean cleansers remove makeup?
Balms and oils, like The MANTLE Cleansing Balm, cocokind, and Biossance, are made to dissolve makeup and sunscreen. Gels like Krave’s may need a balm or oil first if you wear long-wear makeup.
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