Those with dry, sensitive skin know all too well that tight and squeaky feeling that often happens post-cleanse. This is especially the case when using a foaming facial wash most likely containing surfactants that, although effective at thoroughly removing impurities, tend to strip skin of natural oils and good bacteria.
Dr. Noah Gratch, a board-certified dermatologist at MDCS Dermatology in New York City, said that the innovation of foaming oil cleansers — which are washes that start off as an oil then work up into a rich foaming lather — can offer both a deep clean and a dose of moisture.
“A foaming oil cleanser can provide a deeper clean than traditional cleansers, while keeping the skin hydrated,” Gratch said. “The oil in these formulations can break down oil-based residues from makeup and help balance the skin’s oil levels.”
This is due to the “like dissolves like” theory, a general rule of thumb previously explained to us by a dermatologist. Typically, compounds will dissolve in like compounds. In this case, oil is highly successful at breaking down excess oil, sunscreens, makeup and other debris on the skin.
If you’ve already looked into foaming oil cleansers, you may have noticed they’re slightly challenging to find. This is because, according to a previous interview with cosmetic chemist Javon Ford, they can be difficult to formulate. Fortunately, now more than ever, there are a few oil-to-foam cleansers available on the market, which you can shop for yourself down below.
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More than likely, you've seen (or even used for yourself) the original CeraVe's hydrating cleanser, a creamy and non-foaming formulation that's been one of the most dermatologist-recommended facial washes for those with dry and sensitive skin. The brand recently launched this foaming oil version, which like all of CeraVe's products, contains three ceramides that are essential for maintaining a healthy skin barrier. This also contains hyaluronic acid for drawing moisture into the skin and squalane oil, a nourishing ingredient that board-certified dermatologist Dr. Brendan Camp suggested looking for in foaming oil cleansers.
The adored French pharmacy brand La Roche-Posay formulates this cleanser that has a luscious oil-to-foam texture, a deeply hydrating shea butter base and prebiotic thermal spring water, a brand-signature inclusion that's rich in antioxidants. It also contains niacinamide, a popular ingredient that's good for everything from brightening dull skin to managing excess oil production.
Using a barrier-repairing lipid complex, a plumping blend of seaweed hyaluronate and moisture-locking aloe leaf juice, this hydrating and milky foaming oil cleanser by SkinFix can eliminate impurities without stripping the skin. In fact, this soothing formula claims to visibly reduce redness and blotchiness, increase softness and skin hydration as well as target irregular skin texture.
Also by SkinFix is this foaming oil cleanser for the face and body, made specifically for eczema-prone and hyper sensitive skin. It features a prebiotic formula that promises to deliver lasting support to the skin's moisture barrier, along with glycerin, a highly effective humectant that draws moisture into the skin, and colloidal oatmeal, a trusted ingredient for relieving itchiness and redness associated with eczema.
Dermalogica's clinical-grade cleanser starts off as a unique gel-oil texture before lathering in a dense foam that melts away pollutants, greasy sunscreen and stubborn makeup. It contains a plant-derived prebiotic that attracts moisture to the skin, sodium cocoyl glutamate, a mild cleansing agent, and sea buckthorn oil, an oil that's rich in the antioxidant vitamin E, which can help ward off environmental stressors that potentially cause premature skin aging.
This Korean-formulated cleanser contains three different oils — notably jojoba oil, an anti-inflammatory rich in vitamin E that can also draw moisture into the skin. The rich foam also has alpha hydroxy acids for mild exfoliation and skin refining, as well as fermented extracts that can help moisturize skin.
Peach & Lily, the K-beauty brand that helped make "glass skin" the one of most coveted skin care trends of the last few years, makes this oil to foam cleanser that has the unique inclusion of micro-bubbles to help deep clean pores. It uses coconut fruit extract to dissolve impurities, calming aloe vera and a variety of flower extracts that claim to offer anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties to the skin.
Another Korean oil-to-foam cleanser is this option, which has 4.6 out of 5 stars on Amazon and comes in seven different formulations. Choose from a brightening rose vitamin complex, a calming blue tansy for irritated skin, an imperial caviar formula, which claims to boost collagen production, a cica biome oil foam that contains centella asiatica oil for soothing and reducing redness and several more.