Best Acne Face Wash of 2024 to Help Beat Breakouts

Any skincare regimen targeting blemish-prone skin is a non-starter without the best acne face wash. Just as the best acne treatment and best acne body wash use active ingredients like salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide to eliminate bacne, a great cleanser can help clear out pores, kill acne-causing bacteria, and prevent breakouts.

In fact, that's the key element here. You can't just use your favorite face wash (see: best natural face washes and best face washes for Black men) to target excess oil. The best face wash for acne is akin to the best face washes for oily skin. It should consider your skin type—dry, oily, combination—as well as any sensitivities for clearer skin. On top of that, the type of acne you have will also influence the product you choose—and, more specifically, the active ingredient you need.

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Peace Out Acne Gel Cleanser is our top pick for the best acne face wash. It nourishes skin with a luscious formula—and generous dose of pore-clearing salicylic acid without stripping your barrier. Read on to learn what type of cleanser is best for your acne-prone skin. Note: If you're dealing with persistent adult acne, consider a more advanced treatment, like the FDA-approved AviClear laser.

Read more of the greatest hits from our 2024 Men's Journal Grooming Awards, including best face sunscreen, aftershaves, beard oil, beard brushes, and colognes.

Best Acne Face Wash for Men at a Glance

Best Face Wash for Acne Overall: Peace Out Acne Gel Cleanser
Best Acne Face Wash for Oily Skin: Jack Black Deep Dive Glycolic Clay Cleanser
Best Face Wash for Hormonal Acne: Differin Maximum Strength Acne Foaming Cleanser
Best Acne Face Wash for Sensitive Skin: Thayers Blemish-Clearing Cleanser
Best Acne Face Wash for Combination Skin: Aesop In Two Minds Facial Cleanser
Best Acne Face Wash for Dry Skin: Murad Acne Control Clarifying Cream Cleanser
Best Acne Face and Body Wash: Dove Men+Care Advanced Care Acne Cleanser

Best Face Wash for Acne Overall: Peace Out Acne Gel Cleanser

Peace Out Acne Gel Cleanser is the best acne face wash due to its ability to gentle exfoliate.

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Salicylic acid is the most sought-after ingredient in the best acne face wash, and for good reason. It exfoliates surface skin while freeing trapped cells and sebum (the oil your pores secrete) from your pores. It also balances oil production to mitigate future breakouts. Peace Out Acne Gel Cleanser has a formula with 2 percent salicylic acid to quickly temper oil levels and clear pores. Meanwhile, its maltobionic acid buffs surface cells to prevent future clogged pores and ceramides, while reinforcing your skin’s barrier to preserve moisture levels. I love the gel's texture and density, which leaves my skin feeling strong, soft, and buoyant after rinsing.

Skin Types: Oily, combination, normal, dry.

Best Face Wash for Hormonal Acne: Differin Maximum Strength Acne Foaming Cleanser

Differin Maximum Strength Acne Foaming Cleanser is the best face wash for hormonal acne, as it uses a hefty dose of benzoyl peroxide.

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Differin built its brand on its excellent adapalene gel, a type of retinoid that improves cellular turnover to reduce clogged pores and minimize inflammation. But Differin Maximum Strength Acne Foaming Cleanser takes a slightly different approach than usual. It uses 10 percent benzoyl peroxide—the highest over-the-counter concentration allowed—to combat inflammatory and chronic acne that's resultant of bacterial proliferation, making it the best face wash for hormonal acne. While benzoyl dries skin out, the side effect is tolerable considering how effective it is at clearing complexion. Just be sure to rinse it thoroughly, as the ingredient can stain fabrics, and moisturize your face afterwards.

Skin Types: Oily, combination, normal.

Best Acne Face Wash for Oily Skin: Jack Black Deep Dive Glycolic Clay Cleanser

We love Jack Black Deep Dive Glycolic Clay Cleanser is the best acne face wash for oily skin, because it features two exfoliants.

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Jack Black Deep Dive Glycolic Clay Cleanser deploys a combination of oil-absorbing clay and two types of exfoliants: physically gritty volcanic ash (in small, gentle granules) and glycolic acid, which work together to lift dead cells away from the skin. While the cleanser touts these exfoliating powers, it's also so purifying and refreshing that you feel renewed after each rinse. After using this acne face wash, your other facial products will absorb better into your skin, boosting their respective performances.

Skin Types: Oily, combination, normal, sensitive.

Best Acne Face Wash for Sensitive Skin: Thayers Blemish-Clearing Cleanser

Thayers Blemish-Clearing Cleanser is the best acne face wash for sensitive skin as it banishes breakouts without irritating skin.

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Thayers Blemish-Clearing Cleanser features a medium-grade fix of salicylic acid (1.5 percent to be exact) and the skin-toning hero ingredient witch hazel. Pair that with aloe and lemongrass extract, and this face wash provides the pore-clearing powers demanded by acne-prone people, without the skin-punishing effects of a more parching product. Hyaluronic acid enhances the hydrating effect. Additionally, the face wash is unscented to prevent unnecessary inverse reactions from sensitive types.

Skin Types: Normal, dry, sensitive.

Best Acne Face Wash for Combination Skin: Aesop In Two Minds Facial Cleanser

If you always go back and forth between face washes for dry or oily skin, pick Aesop In Two Minds Facial Cleanse, which is the best acne face wash for combination skin.

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Those with combination skin types always face a conundrum. Do you target your oily areas or your dry areas? Luckily, Aesop's In Two Minds lineup of facial products is tailored for that tricky situation. Aesop In Two Minds Facial Cleanser tones skin with witch hazel to nourish dry parts and reduce oily parts, while salicylic acid unclogs pores and smooths skin. Both ingredients reduce blemishes by keeping everything centered.

Skin Types: Combination, normal.

Best Acne Face Wash for Dry Skin: Murad Acne Control Clarifying Cream Cleanser

Murad Acne Control Clarifying Cream Cleanser is the best acne face wash for dry skin as it nourishes while clearing away debris and oil.

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Murad’s entire acne assortment is top tier, with products tailored to different skin types, including multiple face washes. For those with dry skin, the cream-based Murad Acne Control Clarifying Cream Cleanser deploys a light grade of 0.5 percent salicylic acid to free up any dead skin cells and clogged pores without blanching the skin. This non-foaming option is extremely gentle and nourishing, making it equally great for sensitive skin, too.

Skin Types: Dry, sensitive.

Best Acne Face and Body Wash: Dove Men+Care Advanced Care Acne Cleanser

Dove Men+Care Advanced Care Acne Cleanser is a one-two punch, serving as the best acne face and body wash.

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Like all Dove products, Dove Men+Care Advanced Care Acne Cleanser has a supremely hydrating formula that leaves skin soft. Plus, it’s a great way to chase a sweaty workout or sunscreen-slathered beach day, thanks to its gentle 1 percent salicylic acid formula. It’s good for washing the entire body from face to toe, so it reduces bathroom clutter while lasting awhile, thanks to its generous size.

Skin Type: Normal, combination.

Best Skincare Routine for Acne

If you regularly break out, chances are you've tailored your entire skincare regimen around this fact—and if you haven’t yet, then make it a priority. This includes:

Acne face wash suited to your skin type
Targeted acne treatment (like a topical gel or serum with salicylic acid, a pore-cleansing mask that uses clay or charcoal, and adapalene gel or prescription-grade tretinoin)
Lightweight, non-comedogenic moisturizers (meaning they won’t clog your pores)
Sunscreen for acne-prone skin

Ultimately you need to get to the bottom of what's causing your acne. Aside from genetics, it’s probably stress, diet-related, comedogenic skincare products, hormone fluctuations, subpar hygiene, or bacteria proliferation.

We say all of this because a men's skincare routine needs to be holistic in its approach to fighting acne, and you can’t pin all the pressure on a face wash for acne to make things right. Secondly, different people might choose different key ingredients in their acne cleanser. Maybe you want a clay cleanser, which can suck out excess oil from the skin, while someone else wants salicylic acid to exfoliate dead skin and unclog pores. Others may choose benzoyl peroxide because it targets inflammatory acne caused by bacteria.

While the shower seems like a great place to use your acne face wash, it's typically best to wash your face at the bathroom sink so you can really work the product into your skin, let any active ingredients set in for 30 seconds, and avoid the risk of dehydrating the skin (since long, hot showers can do exactly that). If you insist on doing it all in the shower, keep the water lukewarm, not steaming hot, and try to keep showers brief for the benefit of the skin around your entire body.

What to Look for When Choosing the Best Face Wash for Acne

You may find the same ingredient in two different products that satisfy completely different skin types. For example, salicylic acid is the hero ingredient in a few of our picks, one of which is perfect for oily skin, one for combination skin, and one for dry skin. The reason: it’s all about the formula as a whole. In our research to find the best acne face wash for your individual needs, we thought it would be useful to help you identify your skin type as well.

Dry

Dry skin naturally produces less oil than combination and oil types, so it can appear to be a bit more dull, flaky, and dehydrated. As such, fine lines tend to be more visible because of a lack of moisture. This skin type can also be a bit more sensitive.

Oily

Oily skin can appear shiny or feel greasy by day's end. That's because oil glands are a bit more active. If you're not using products to keep pores clear, dead skin cells and excess sebum can clog them and spur breakouts. This skin type is more prone to blackheads and acne.

Combination

Combination skin falls somewhere in between, with the T-zone of the face (forehead, nose, and chin) being oily and the cheeks being dry.

Normal

Normal skin types enjoy well-balanced skin that's hydrated and less prone to acne.

Why You Should Trust Us

At Men's Journal, we’re constantly testing the latest products. Our contributors and editors have more than a decade of grooming coverage under their belt. Whenever something enters the marketplace, it’s also at our desks, and quickly being tested. Think of us as grooming lab rats; we get to enjoy the spoils when something is really great, and endure the agony when a product isn’t up to par.

I’ve been a grooming journalist for nearly 11 years, over half of those spent with Men’s Journal. My work appears in GQ, Forbes, Robb Report, SPY, and many more, and I’m the guy who tests thousands of products a year for the benefit of readers. Compound that against 10-plus years on the beat, and I like to think I’ve got a good take on the best grooming products worth your time and money. Not to mention, I've also had acne my entire post-pubescent life, well into adulthood. So these are the first cleansers I work with and trust to keep breakouts at bay.