Best Exfoliating Face Washes of 2026

The Renewing cleanser is the gentler CeraVe default; this one is the version we reach for when oil is the bigger problem. It uses 2% salicylic acid, adds purifying clay and niacinamide, and lathers from a clear gel into a dense foam. The clay is the detail that separates it: it gives the wash a matte finish rather than a creamy one.

We noticed that finish most on hot, humid mornings. Skin feels clean and less slick before sunscreen, which is the point of an oil-absorbing acne wash. The 16-ounce pump is generous, and the formula is fragrance-free with ceramides, so it is not a bare-bones strip-and-go cleanser. It is a practical daily wash for a T-zone that turns shiny by lunch.

It is a targeted oily-skin wash. We keep it to once a day, and we follow with a moisturizer rather than assuming the ceramides cover everything. If your main goal is gentle exfoliation rather than oil control, the Renewing cleanser is the safer CeraVe.

The first thing we notice is what is missing: there are no beads, no grit, nothing to drag across a breakout. La Roche-Posay's Effaclar cleanser does its exfoliating with 2% salicylic acid and lipo-hydroxy acid, and it lathers into a light foam that rinses quickly. For skin that reacts to physical scrubs but still needs pore-clearing help, that combination is the reason to choose it.

The formula is tested on sensitive skin and allergy tested, and it is non-comedogenic, which makes it easier to justify in a routine that is already crowded. It is an 8-ounce gel, so it takes up less shelf space than the 16-ounce CeraVe pump, but you also get less product. We reach for it when we want a medicated wash that does not feel like a treatment mask.

What we do not love is how drying it can feel if you do not moisturize promptly, especially in winter. That is a manageable trade-off for oily skin, but it is not the wash we choose for a dry, tight barrier. If your skin is sensitive and acne-prone, though, it is a strong middle ground between a gentle cleanser and a full acne treatment.

Aveeno's scrub is built around fine beads rather than big, chase-them-around-the-sink particles. The cream base holds them in place, and the soy extract gives it a soft, conditioning feel that is unusual in a scrub. It is the kind of texture you can use in the morning without feeling like you have sanded your face awake.

We like it for dullness and surface roughness. The beads buff away surface flakes, and the formula is soap-free and oil-free, so it rinses without a heavy film. It is also fragrance-light and pleasant, which is a small thing until you are using it every day. For combination skin that looks tired, it is an easy add.

What we appreciate most is the restraint. A lot of scrubs try to convince you they are working by stinging; this one does not. We use it two or three times a week and let a salicylic wash handle the pore-clogging days. It is a great fit for skin that needs a gentle polish, and it is the scrub we recommend first for sensitive skin.

The price is the first thing that makes this scrub worth a look, but the formula is more considered than the drugstore tag suggests. It pairs 1% salicylic acid with bamboo powder and green tea, and the grit is moderate rather than gravelly. We can feel it working without feeling like we are buffing off a layer of skin.

That middle ground is the appeal. It is more assertive than the Aveeno scrub, so it is better for a nose and chin that feel congested, but it does not have the walnut-shell heft of St. Ives' apricot scrub. The green-tea scent is fresh and not overly sweet, and the 6-ounce tube is easy to squeeze in the shower.

We use it two or three times a week, not every day, and we do not pair it with a retinol or an acid toner on the same night. The 1% salicylic acid is a supporting player here; the bamboo powder does most of the visible work. That makes it a maintenance scrub rather than a treatment you rely on for a breakout.

What we like most is how easy it is to keep in the rotation. It wakes up a dull T-zone without asking for a big time commitment, and it leaves skin smooth enough for makeup to sit well. It is not the most refined scrub in this group, but it is a hard one to beat when you want grit without a luxury price.

Dermalogica's exfoliant does not look like a face wash at all. It is a rice-based powder that you tip into wet hands, rub into a paste, and massage over your face. The first time we used it, the texture was the surprise: soft and slightly granular, more like fine sand than a scrub, and it rinses without leaving a residue.

We like it for the control it gives you. Add more water and it becomes a milky cleanser; use less and it stays dense enough to polish. Papaya enzyme and salicylic acid do the chemical side, while the rice powder provides the physical feel. For travel, the powder format is less leak-prone than a tube, and it will not spill in a dopp kit.

It is a ritual product more than a workhorse. If you already have a daily salicylic wash, you do not need it; if you want a gentle, tactile polish that doubles as a travel-friendly cleanser, it earns its place. We keep it for mornings when our skin feels rough but not inflamed, and we do not expect it to replace a medicated acne wash.

Pumice sounds like something for a callus, not a face. In DRMTLGY's scrub, though, the granules are milled fine enough to feel like polishing powder suspended in a thick cream. That texture is the draw: it gives you the slip and drag of a scrub without the sharp, scattered grit that makes some physical exfoliants feel risky.

The formula also brings sugar cane extract, which supplies glycolic acid, plus green tea, lemon, and apple extracts. We do not treat it as a chemical exfoliant in the same league as a 2% salicylic wash; the physical pumice does most of the work. What we like is that it rinses clean and leaves skin looking buffed rather than raw.

A little goes a long way. We use it once or twice a week, and we follow with a moisturizer rather than another exfoliant. The 3.1-ounce jar is smaller than a tube, so it is best stored on a dry shelf rather than in a wet shower caddy.

The polish is the point, and we notice the difference most on rough patches around the nose and chin. It is not the gentle daily pick in this group; it is the one we reach for when skin needs a reset. That makes it a targeted tool rather than a routine staple.

The menthol is what you notice first. Jack Black's Face Buff has a cool, tingly wake-up effect that makes it feel more like a morning product than a treatment, and the particles are biodegradable rather than plastic. It is a scrub built around a shave routine, not just a face-wash step.

We like it before shaving because the grit lifts dead skin and softens the hair without the oily residue some pre-shave products leave. The formula is dermatologist-tested, and the 6-ounce tube lasts a while because you only need a pea-sized amount. The fresh scent is strong enough to notice but not so strong that it lingers all day.

It is a specific tool: built for pre-shave prep, not for a quiet, fragrance-free routine. For normal or oily skin, it is a useful two-in-one—exfoliant and shave prep in one step—which is why it stays in our rotation.