14 Best Benzoyl Peroxide Washes (Tested and Reviewed for 2023)

Madison Beer sold out this cleanser for months after she said it was her favorite cleanser for acne, which ultimately meant I had to stop gatekeeping it for myself (sry). It’s truly just the best benzoyl-peroxide wash for my oily skin and cystic acne, thanks to the fact that it uses 4 percent benzoyl peroxide to help kill acne-causing bacteria before it pops up. Personally, my skin doesn’t require a ton of moisture in my cleansers, so I’m fine with the light hydration from glycerin. Regardless of your skin type, make sure to slather on a rich moisturizer for acne-prone skin—but especially if you’re prone to dryness.

• Strength: 4 percent
• Other key ingredients: Glycerin, propanediol (moisturizers)

THE REVIEWS: “I have been using the same bottle since October and have noticed my skin looking so much better!” writes one tester. “I used to have cystic acne, and this face wash would make my pimples look smaller within a couple of days! When I would notice a small pimple forming and wash my face at night, the next morning the pimple would not be there!”

It took a while to find a benzoyl-peroxide cleanser that didn’t strip my sensitive skin, but this CeraVe wash has been my holy grail for years because its gentle formula hydrates my skin while also treating my acne flare-ups. It has a 4 percent concentration of benzoyl peroxide, but also uses hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and the three types of ceramides (aka lipids that help moisturize and protect your skin barrier) to offset some irritation. I stick this in my nighttime skincare routine once or twice a week to avoid drying out my skin, and always follow it up with an oil-free moisturizer.

• Strength: 4 percent
• Other key ingredients: Niacinamide (soothing); ceramides, hyaluronic acid (hydrating)

THE REVIEWS: According to one tester, “This stuff was the greatest find. I have cystic acne and therefore have red, angry, and persistent post-acne marks. While they’re not completely gone, this has made a drastic difference in not only the marks but the rest of my skin tone as well.”

This 3.5 percent benzoyl-peroxide wash actually has a clay-like texture, thanks to the formula’s bentonite clay, which sucks up excess oil from the surface of your skin that can contribute to breakouts. But you can also smooth it on your skin in a thick layer as a face mask. Suds it up with water on your face every night to help prevent breakouts, then try it as a face mask once or twice a week and leave it on for five minutes to help treat existing acne.

• Strength: 3.5 percent
• Other key ingredients: Bentonite clay (soaks up oils)

THE REVIEWS: “I have very oily skin and this dual cleanser/mask product does wonders for preventing breakouts,” one reviewer writes. “The active ingredient—benzoyl peroxide—is my favorite for acne and I love that I can use it for daily cleansing, but also a weekly intensive mask. No matter what, using this product results in soft and hydrated skin.”

“I legit feel like everything is too gentle for my oily skin sometimes, which leaves me with a half-ass cleansed face that’s prone to breakouts,” says Cosmo’s beauty editor Beth Gillette, which is what led her to this Differin benzoyl-peroxide wash that uses 5 percent benzoyl peroxide to help kill acne-causing bacteria. It’s also filled with medium-strength cleansers that really help break up and wash away the oil on your skin. But FYI: This cleanser can definitely be a bit drying if you use it every day, so opt for this a few nights a week instead of daily to help reduce any possible irritation.

• Strength: 5 percent
• Other key ingredients: Glycerin (hydrating)

THE REVIEWS: “This is a perfect daily face wash for people, like me, who need a benzoyl peroxide regimen for clear skin, but also live on a budget,” one reviewer writes. “I use this in the morning. It doesn’t clog my pores and it doesn’t dry out my skin. Breakouts are minimal.”

In addition to having sensitive skin, I also have an oily T-zone that gets a gazillion times worse in the summer (fun 🙂). So whenever I need to treat my breakouts during the hot months, I pick up a fresh bottle of this Cetaphil wash at the drugstore. With 2.6 percent benzoyl peroxide, it helps treat my acne while also dissolving leftover skin oils without completely stripping the moisture from my face. And after every wash, my zits always look a bit calmed down, thanks to the formula’s anti-inflammatory zinc and licorice root.

• Strength: 2.6 percent
• Other key ingredients: Zinc, licorice root (soothing)

THE REVIEWS: “I love this acne wash because I still get hormonal pimples especially when it's close to that time of the month,” writes one tester. “I have combination skin and an oily T-zone. After using Cetaphil, my face and oily T-zone oil have improved a lot. When I have acne, I do spot treatments, so the pimple has decreased in size or is almost completely gone the next day.”

If you love a creamy, milky cleanser at heart, but your acne-prone skin says otherwise, try this benzoyl-peroxide cleanser from the Inkey List. It uses 5 percent benzoyl peroxide to help decrease the bacteria on your skin that causes breakouts, along with two types of hyaluronic acid and glycerin to lightly moisturize your skin to counteract some of the potential dryness. FWIW, Cosmo beauty editor Beth Gillette keeps this in her shower and lathers it on once or twice a week to keep breakouts and oil at bay.

• Strength: 5 percent
• Other key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid (hydrating); glycerin (moisturizing)

THE REVIEWS: One review reads, “I love how creamy the consistency is and how it feels on my face. When I rinse it off, I feel like I’m really cleaning out my skin. I will definitely use it when I have more breakouts but not daily.”

The foamy texture of this Eclat benzoyl-peroxide wash is so sudsy, it practically feels like washing your face with a bubble bath. It’s on the less-intense side (see: 2.5 percent benzoyl peroxide), and also uses soothers like licorice root, niacinamide, and aloe vera to help calm inflammation from active acne. Just squeeze one or two pumps into your palm and massage onto your skin every night, skipping a morning cleanse if your skin is dry or sensitive.

• Strength: 2.5 percent
• Other key ingredients: Licorice root, niacinamide, aloe vera (soothing)

THE REVIEWS: “The cleanser smells nice and foams nicely,” one reviewer notes. “You don’t have to use a large amount to get a good lather either. Skin feels clean after washing. It seemed to minimize some of the redness and inflammation in my recent acne flare-up.”

Whether you’re dealing with butt acne, back acne, chest acne—legit, acne anywhere—your best choice for quickly killing some zit-causing bacteria is with this benzoyl-peroxide wash in the shower. Dermatologist Joshua Zeicher, MD, recommends this formula for your body because, yes, although it’s strong (hi, 10 percent benzoyl peroxide), it’ll help treat existing pimples by washing away acne bacteria off your skin and prevent new clusters from popping up. Once a week, lather up with this wash wherever you’re prone to oil and acne, then after the shower, smooth on a body cream to avoid dryness.

• Strength: 10 percent
• Other key ingredients: Aloe vera (soothing)

THE REVIEWS: One tester writes, “As someone who has struggled with severe back acne for years, I have tried many different products to find relief. I was pleasantly surprised by the effectiveness of this product. After using this product for a few weeks, I noticed a significant improvement in my back acne. The acne started to clear up, and the inflammation and redness subsided. Additionally, it didn't dry out my skin or cause any irritation, which is always a concern when using acne products.”

Okay, if you only get the occasional zit, skip the drying benzoyl-peroxide wash and grab these super-cute star-shaped pimple patches instead. These acne dots are actually infused with benzoyl peroxide to help slightly flatten your pimple by killing some acne-related bacteria, all while soaking up excess oils with the hydrocolloid material. Clean your zit, peel a patch off with a pair of tweezers, then firmly press it into your skin with the flat end of your tweezers to keep it from sliding around. Leave on while you run errands, sleep, go to the office—the world is your oyster, bb.

• Strength: N/A (pimple patch)
• Other key ingredients: Hydrocolloid (soaks up excess oils)

THE REVIEWS: One tester writes, “I absolutely love the pink hearts. I have spot cystic acne, which can be very painful at times. I have now used four of my hearts, all having the same result. I put them on the pimple at night before I go to bed and when I wake up in the morning, my skin is smooth where the bump once was. Would recommend it to anyone with acne of any kind or severity.”

Okay, yes, most benzoyl-peroxide washes are drying as hell. But (!) testers with already-dry skin love Naturium’s cream cleanser, because it’s filled with hydrating aloe vera, glycerin, and xylitol—a moisturizing type of sugar—all while killing some bacteria to treat and prevent zits. Just be sure to only incorporate this into your routine once or twice a week at night, and load up on your hydrating serums and calming toners afterward to help reduce irritation.

• Strength: 5 percent
• Other key ingredients: Aloe vera, glycerin, xylitol (moisturizing)

THE REVIEWS: “This product has worked wonders for my skin,” a reviewer notes. “As soon as I use this, whenever I’ve had a pimple, it is dried out almost completely the next day. And gone the second day. It also keeps upcoming ones from fully forming. This is now one of my favorite products!”

Dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, MD, recommends this spot treatment to his patients who get occasional cystic acne flare-ups who want a gentle-ish benzoyl-peroxide treatment. Why? Because it uses 2.5 percent of benzoyl peroxide to help treat individual pimples by killing some bacteria in your zit that’s making it inflamed and angry. And if your zit is really ~screaming at you~, this’ll help calm it down with soothing niacinamide and zinc. Dr. Zeichner also loves the gel-like texture for smoothing all over your face as a mask once a week to help prevent breakouts. (FYI, Cosmo gave it a 2022 Holy Grail Beauty Award, nbd).

• Strength: 2.5 percent
• Other key ingredients: Niacinamide, zinc (soothing)

THE REVIEWS: According to one tester, “I started using this mask on my whole face almost every night to prevent hormonal flare-ups. I’ve experienced irritation from benzoyl peroxide in the past, but this product is really gentle and hasn’t caused any problems so far. I noticed fewer breakouts and flare-ups since I started using it.”

Dermatologist Melissa Levin, MD, swears by this benzoyl-peroxide treatment, because it combines 5.5 percent of micronized benzoyl peroxide with “a lipo-hydroxy acid, a derivative of exfoliating salicylic acid,” she says, “to help chemically buff away dead skin that can get trapped in your pores and cause acne.” Because this bb has a higher concentration of benzoyl peroxide compared to other products on this list, Dr. Levin recommends using this only to spot-treat specific pimples, as the acid and the benzoyl peroxide combo can be pretty drying.

• Strength: 5.5 percent
• Other key ingredients: Lipo-hydroxy acid (exfoliating), glycerin (moisturizing)

THE REVIEWS: “I’ve been using this as a spot treatment for a few months and I have definitely noticed that it helps reduce the size of my breakouts,” a tester writes. “It doesn’t make them go away magically overnight, but it definitely reduces healing time.”

A few months ago, my face was consistently breaking out, and I had legit no time to run to get a prescription from my derm. So I started smoothing this benzoyl-peroxide treatment on my face every morning and saw a major decrease in zits after a week or two. It uses 2.5 percent benzoyl peroxide to help treat and prevent my breakouts. But, tbh, what I love most is its fast-absorbing gel texture, which dries clear and doesn’t pill or get greasy when I layer moisturizer and sunscreen on top (which you absolutely should be doing, btw, as benzoyl peroxide makes your skin more sensitive to sunlight, says dermatologist Melissa Levin, MD).

• Strength: 2.5 percent
• Other key ingredients: Carbomer (creates gel texture)

THE REVIEWS: “I have been using this product in the morning almost every day for the past couple of months,” writes one reviewer. “It is great for acne! I feel like it protects the skin during the day. My skin feels really dry afterward, which is why I’m using a rich moisturizer and sunscreen on top of it.”

When your skin is breaking out and looking dull af, smooth on this exfoliating, 5 percent benzoyl-peroxide serum, which is legit filled with ingredients your acne will haaate (and we <3 that). Along with helping to kill some acne-causing bacteria via benzoyl peroxide, this serum is also filled with chemical exfoliants, like glycolic acid to help buff away some dead skin and willow-bark extract to break down oils. As a bonus, this treatment is full of anti-inflammatories to soothe your existing breakouts, including azelaic acid, niacinamide, and aloe vera.

• Strength: 2.5 percent
• Other key ingredients: Glycolic acid, willow bark extract (exfoliating); azelaic acid, niacinamide, aloe (soothing)

THE REVIEWS: “I could feel the tingling working immediately on certain affected areas. It does not last long,” writes one tester.