The Best Face Washes for Blackheads, According to a Dermatologist
If you're sick of squeezing, you need a face wash for blackheads. The right cleansers can do wonders for your skin depending on the ingredients and formulations. You just have to be picky about what you put on your face. Ahead, we break down the top face washes that target blackheads, freeing them of grime and oil, plus what ingredients to look out for, according to dermatologists.
Best face washes for blackheads at a glance
- Best face wash for blackheads and sensitive skin: Cerave Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser, $13
- Best benzoyl peroxide face wash: CCMD Benzoyl Peroxide Wash, $24
- Best exfoliating face wash: Peter Thomas Roth Pro Strength Microdermabrasion Blackhead Eliminator, $68
- Best anti-inflammatory face wash: Skinceuticals LHA Cleasing Gel, $42
- Best oil-free face wash: Neutrogena Acne Proof Daily Scrub, $9
- Best face wash for combination skin: The Inkey List Salicylic Acid Acne + Pore Cleanser, $13
- Best budget face wash: Bioré Pore Unclogging Face Scrub, $6
- Best unscented face wash: La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Acne Face Wash, $15
- Best face wash for blackheads and oily skin: Murad Acne Control Clarifying Cleanser, $34
- Best natural face wash for blackheads: Tata Harper Clarifying Cleanser, $88
- Best face wash for normal skin: Paula's Choice Clear Pore Normalizing Cleanser, $13
- Best oil-control face wash: Cerave Foaming Facial Cleanser, $18
- Best charcoal face wash: Fenty Skin Cookies N Clean Whipped Clay Intensive Pore + Blackhead Face Scrub with Volcanic Sand + Charcoal, $32
- Best salicylic acid face wash: Herbivore Aquarius BHA + Blue Tansy Clarifying Cleanser, $26
The best face wash for blackheads, according to a dermatologist
Key ingredients: Benzoyl peroxide, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid
Format: Foaming cream
Dr. Campbell prefers face washes with 5 percent or less BPO, like the Cerave Acne Foaming Cream Cleaner, which contains 4 percent BPO. Other standout ingredients include niacinamide, which soothes the skin, hyaluronic acid, for added hydration, and ceramides, which help keep impurities out. All in all, it’s a gentle cleanser that’ll keep breakouts at bay on a budget.
Pros
- Can be used daily
- Gentle on sensitive skin
- Also treats and heals
- Moisturizing
Cons
- Some reviewers say it doesn’t foam
- Will bleach fabrics
Size: 5 oz.
Key ingredients: Benzoyl peroxide
Format: Cream
Dr. Campbell’s own line of skin care solutions includes this cleanser formulated with 5 percent BPO to help unclog pores, cleanse skin, and keep grime from working its way in. Dr. Campbell recommends using it daily in the shower on affected areas and then to dry skin with white towels to keep the BPO from bleaching your favorite linens.
Pros
- Can be used daily
- Kills bacteria
- 5% benzoyl peroxide
Cons
- Will bleach fabrics
Size: 6.7 oz.
Key ingredients: Salicylic acid, enyzmes, exfoliating crystals
Format: Creamy scrub
This luxury face wash from Peter Thomas Roth exfoliates the skin while cleansing and unclogging even the darkest, dirtiest blackheads. Instead of BPO, it’s formulated with salicylic acid to dissolve the gunk that forms blemishes. It’s safe for all skin types, and doesn’t just de-clog pores, but refines them and smooths skin texture as well.
Pros
- Exfoliating
- Gentle on sensitive skin
- Also treats and heals
- Moisturizing
- Contains salicylic acid
Cons
- Expensive
Size: 2 oz.
Key ingredients: LHA (caproloyl salicylic acid), glycolic acid
Format: Gel
Another one of Dr. Campbell’s choices, this cleanser is a powerhouse at cleaning pores. It’s stacked with skin-saving ingredients including salicylic acid, glycolic acid, and glycerin, which work together to remove build-up without drying out the skin. It’s also a Climate Pledge Friendly approve product, meaning it meets sustainability requirements that helps support the planet.
Pros
- Exfoliating
- Anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory
- Eliminates dead skin cells
- Sustainable
- Contains salicylic acid
Cons
- Some reviewers say it dries skin
Size: 8 oz.
Key ingredients: Salicylic acid
Format: Gel
Some acne treatments are too tough to use everyday—this is not that scrub. Instead, this cleanser gently treats breakouts and blackheads while arming the skin against new breakouts. Stand-out ingredients include 2 percent salicylic acid and sorbitol, for hydration in drying conditions. The best part? It’s only $9.
Pros
- Oil-free
- Affordable
- Exfoliating
- Contains salicylic acid
Cons
- Has a scent
- Some reviewers say it dries out skin
Size: 4.2 oz.
Key ingredients: Salicylic acid, zinc, allantoin
Format: Gel
Popular brand The Inkey List makes a blackhead-battling cleanser made with salicylic acid. It froths into a gentle foam that washes away blemishes, de-gunking pores while preventing new spots from popping up. For $11, it’s an affordable option that will get skin squeaky clean.
Pros
- Clean ingredients
- Soothes irritation
- Contains salicylic acid
Cons
- Reviewers say it has a thick consistency
Size: 5 oz.
Key ingredients: Salicylic acid
Format: Scrub
In addition to its fan-favorite blackhead pore strips, Bioré also makes an super face scrub that penetrates pores to stave off blackheads and whiteheads. It also features a gentle exfoliator that sloughs away dead skin and dirt, leaving skin softer after one wash.
Pros
- Gentle scrub
- Has salicylic acid
- Affordable
Cons
- Scented
- Some reviewers say the microbeads are sparse
Size: 5 oz.
Key ingredients: Salicylic acid, lipo-hydroxy acid, glycerin
Format: Gel
Made by La Roche-Posay, the gel cleanser fights acne, blackheads, and blemishes using salicylic acid. There’s no pore-clogging oils, no harsh exfoliants, no drying ingredients—it’s powerful enough to wash away a day’s worth of impurities while leaving the skin protected again future breakouts.
Pros
- Hydrating
- Exfoliating
- Oil- and fragrance-free
- Has salicylic acid
Cons
- Some reviewers say it’s not gentle enough for sensitive skin
Size: 6.76 oz.
Key ingredients: Salicylic acid, green tea extract
Format: Gel
There’s not one, but two types of salicylic acid in this bad boy to stop acne in its tracks. It’s safe for oily to normal skin, lightly washing away grime and build-up while leaving the skin smooth, hydrated, and fresh. It’s clinically-tested and killer at banishing blackheads from deep within pores.
Pros
- Dissolves excess oil
- Gentle on sensitive skin
- Also treats and heals
- Has two types of salicylic acid
Cons
- Has a scent
Size: 6.72 oz.
Key ingredients: Prickly pear flower enzymes, wild-crafted juniper fruit, chlorella
Format: Liquid gel
Splurge on this dreamy cleanser, crafted with natural botanicals (including salicylic acid from white willow bark) to ban blackheads while nourishing skin. As for the other ingredients, there’s botanicals to fight blemishes (like prickly pear enzymes and citric acids), ingredients to balance oil (tapioca and yucca root), and ingredients to fight redness (like chlorella and honey).
Pros
- Botanical ingredients
- Soothes redness
- Balances oil
- Has salicylic acid from white willow bark
Cons
- Expensive
Size: 4.1 oz.
Key ingredients: Salicylic acid, pro-vitamin B5, arginine
Format: Gel
Get your pores back to normal with this clarifying cleanser from Paula’s Choice. The salicylic acid, or BHAs, dissolve dirt and gunk to refresh your pores and stave off future impurities from cropping up. There’s no fragrances, no parabens, or any other “bad” stuff—just the ingredients that’ll leave skin happy and clean.
Pros
- Reduces redness
- Soothing and calming
- Has salicylic acid
- Fragrance-free
Cons
- Some reviewers say it may be too strong for sensitive skin
Size: 6 oz.
Key ingredients: Ceramides, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide
Type: Foaming
“For those with acne or oily skin who cannot tolerate a benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid cleanser, I recommend the CeraVe Foaming Cleanser, which is a great option to help eliminate excess oil without drying the skin out or leaving the skin feeling irritated,” says Marisa Garshick, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City. “This cleanser also contains ceramides, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide to help restore the skin barrier and hydrate the skin.”
Size: 16 oz.
Pros:
- It’s formulated with niacinamide to calm redness.
- Comes in a large bottle for an affordable price
- Supports skin barrier health
Cons:
- May be too drying on certain skin types
- Targets oil production, not blackheads, so you may need another treatment product to spot treat existing breakouts
Key ingredients: Salicylic acid (willow bark BHA), zinc PCA, blue tansy
Format: Gel-to-foam
This salicylic acid wash does a whole lot more than just look pretty on your vanity (though it certainly does that, too). The gentle exfoliating cleanser offers effective blackhead removal with the help of willow bark BHA, a natural form of salicylic acid that clears clogged pores without causing irritation. It combines the active with zinc PCA, which balances oil production, and blue tansy, which also helps with oil production while also soothing redness (… and giving it its gorgeous blue tint).
Size: 3.38 oz.
Pros:
- Clears and clarifies pores
- Treats current blackheads and prevents them from occurring in the future
- Effectively removes makeup
Cons:
- May be drying on some skin types
Key ingredients: Volcanic sand and silica, charcoal, salicylic acid
Format: Creamy scrub
Charcoal may not be one of derm’s top two ingredients for treating blackheads, but it still may deserve a spot in some people’s acne-prone skincare routine. “Activated charcoal has been treated with oxygen, which gives it the ability to act like a magnet for toxins and impurities,” Elizabeth Tanzi, MD, co-director of the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery in Washington, DC, previously told Well+Good. This scrub, from Fenty Beauty, combines charcoal with volcanic sand and silica to offer a pretty hefty physical exfoliation, and also includes salicylic acid to clear pores from the inside out.
Size: 3.5 oz
Pros:
- Offers physical and chemical exfoliation
- Contains charcoal for extra detoxification
- Has a whipped texture makes for a great sensory experience
Cons:
- May be too harsh for sensitive skin types
Ingredients to look for in a face wash for blackheads
Caren Campbell, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in San Francisco, says there are two main ingredients to look out for in a face wash for blackheads. Both benzoyl peroxide (BPO) and salicylic acid are used in many of the best face wash formulations for fighting acne and preventing breakouts. "Salicylic acid gets a lot of air play," says Dr. Campbell. "I prefer benzoyl peroxide at lower percentages—five percent or less—and creamy formulations."
Because many acne-fighting ingredients tend to be drying, it can be helpful to get them in cleanser form. The short contact time on your skin (you do, after all, wash your cleanser off after a few seconds) will help prevent irritation from whatever skin-clearing formulas you may be using.
1. Salicylic acid
Salicylic acid is a beta-hydroxy acid that acts as a deep cleaner and gentle exfoliant. Its small molecular size allows it to penetrate your pores and break down dirt, oil, and bacteria that may be clogging them and causing blackheads.
"Salicylic acid is a BHA that that crystalizes to a small enough size, allowing it to settle down within our pores to clean them from the inside out thereby preventing the accumulation of dead skin cells, debris, and oil—which, [when present], provide the perfect environment for pimples to live," says board-certified dermatologist Sandra Lee, MD, who's best known as "Dr. Pimple Popper" and names salicylic acid as her favorite ingredient for treating blackheads. "It’s a chemical peel acid, so it helps to exfoliate the skin and even helps to speed the lightening brown spots that may have been created from previous acne breakouts."
2. Benzoyl peroxide
While salicylic acid tackles the dirt and grime that causes blackheads, benzoyl peroxide targets the inflammation that comes along with them. According to Dr. Lee, it's an antibacterial ingredient that works by killing the Propionibacterium acnes (or "p.acnes" for short) bacteria that causes breakouts.
One thing to keep in mind: Benzoyl peroxide can cause bleaching (if you've used it before, you may have noticed stains on your towels), and while this is less likely to happen with a cleanser than has a lower concentration of the ingredient than a leave-on treatment, you'll want to handle with care—especially around your eyebrows and hairline.
Ingredients to avoid in a face wash for blackheads
Avoid using anything heavy or oily that can build up over time and get stuck in your face. "Anything you put on your face that is not 'non-comedogenic' has the potential to clog pores," says Dr. Campbell. "The term 'comedogenic' means 'pore clogging,' so you want to look for products that have been studied and shown not to clog pores." Look for products devoid of potential pore-cloggers like coconut oil, lanolin, and SLS, among others (you can find a more exhaustive list here).
What type of cleanser is best for blackheads?
Generally speaking, gel and foaming cleansers tend to be best for blackheads, because they have higher levels of surfactants in them than their creamy and oil-based counterparts. These cleansing agents help to whisk away dirt and oil, allowing for a deeper clean. If you like the feel of physical exfoliation, scrubs are great—just be sure to opt for a gentle one that won't disrupt your skin barrier.
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