The 14 Best Face Washes for Dry Skin (2025)

You know if you have dry skin. It can be rough, flaky, and prone to redness or irritation—when your skin needs moisture, it's not exactly subtle. What's less obvious is how to go about washing and cleansing already dehydrated skin. "When you have dry skin, it is screaming for hydration," says board-certified dermatologist Dr. Flora Kim. "It is super important to think about ingredients that can best help support the precious compromised skin barrier and help not only repair and nourish it, but also optimize its function."

Kim recommends ceramides, lipids, and fatty acids, as well as ingredients that prevent transepidermal water loss. Additionally, she warns against faces washes blended with skin-scratching or irritating textures—think harsh scrubs and beads—as well as deep-cleansing face brushes. "Your skin is delicate!" Kim adds. "I recommend creamy or oil-based cleansers that are generously used (quantity is important too) and gently massaged onto your skin with your fingertips."

And we have you covered for that part. Below, some of our go-to face washes for dry skin that calm down irritation and plump up moisture levels.

Easy does it. Drunk Elephant's creamyE-Rase micellar water is made with three types ofceramides and hydratingmelon seed oil, making it an ideal quick morning rinse for those with dry and irritated skin.

The famousAugustinus Bader blendTFC8 is made from amino acids, vitamins, and a special mix ofsynthesized molecules inspired by skin. Pick up this luxe balm to see if it's what your skin is craving.

Avène's ultra-gentle cleanser is formulated witheczema in mind, though it's great for regularly dry or itchy skin, too.

Three cheers forCeraVe. The drugstore staple uses ceramides and hyaluronic acid in its hydrating cleanser—a moisture-attracting ingredient that complements the whole face wash process.

A Japanese cult fave that's gone global, the DHCDeep Cleansing Oil is known for melting away SPF, makeup, and pollution. Use it on days where you've gone full glam or if you feel like you need to double cleanse.

Clean ingredients don't need to be expensive, as this Mad Hippie cream cleanser proves. It's made withsesame,macadamia, andjojoba oils to leave your skin happier than it found it.

You might think glycolic acid is out of the question if you have dry, reactive skin—but thisSkinCeuticals pick proves that isn't always the case. The formula balances the exfoliator with calmingorange peel oil andallantoin.

There's so much buzz around Clinique's cleansing balm, you might wonder if it's worth it. Take it from us—the answer is yes. It removes makeup in seconds and leaves your skin feeling supple.

Repeat after us: You can take off your makeup without stripping your skin. Leave it to Paula's Choice to make a cream cleanser that does just that, softening finicky skin while it's at it.

Consider Cetaphil'sGentle Skin Cleanser if you need to press reset on your skin care routine, or you're trying to sniff out irritants. It's made without addedfragrances and dyes, and is entirely non-comedogenic.

Sweet almond oil is the hero ingredient in Dior's oil-to-milk cleanser. It's highly effective, and feels like a treat on your skin.

ThisLa Roche-Posay cleanser has won over plenty of fans, thanks to its impressive blend of thermal water, ceramide, niacinamide, and glycerin.

Dry, unhappy skin doesn't stand a chance against this Tatcha formula, which expertly mixes up vitamins A, B, D, and E with omega-3, -6, -9 fatty acids.

Squalane can be a game-changer for dry skin. It can also quickly make products way more expensive than $7.90. Luckily, The Ordinary swooped in with a cleanser well within everyone's budget.