Rosacea cleansers and face wash should be gentle with soothing ingredients to calm the skin. They should not contain exfoliants.

The best type of rosacea cleanser to use depends upon what Baumann Skin Type® you have, but in general soothing cleansers are best. I have rosacea myself (I am a Baumann Skin Type 4:DSNW) and this blog will discuss my favorite cleansers that I use myself and prescribe for my dermatology patients.

The easiest way to find a good rosacea cleanser is to take the skin type quiz to find out which brands of rosacea cleanser are best for your rosacea-prone skin.

Washing your face when you have rosacea can cause your skin to sting and burn - even if you wash with water.  Because of this, many of my patients with really sensitive skin or a rosacea flare choose not to wash their face in the morning. Here are tips on how to wash your face when you have a rosacea flare:

• wash gently
• avoid scrubs and exfoliants
• avoid face brushes
• use gentle circular movements
• use warm, not hot, water
• rinse with cool, not cold, water

Pat dry after cleansing with a gentle soft towel.  The key is to avoid as much friction as possible.

You can build a custom skin care routine and find out best rosacea skin care routine steps when you take the skin type quiz and use our skin care routine/blogs/skincare/skin-care-routine-quiz builder.

The type of cleanser to chose for step 1 of your rosacea skin care routine depends upon your skin type. There are many soothing face wash choices such as Cera Ve face wash or face washes with aloe, tea tree oil, argan oil and other soothing and calming ingredients to cleanse the face. But you want to choose your face wash to match the rest of your skin care routine.  You see- the cleanser you chose sets the stage for the products that follow and effects penetration, absorption, and effectiveness. Our routine builder takes this into account when it designs your routine, but in case you want to choose products the hard way- here is a break down of rosacea cleansers for every skin type.

Dry skin types with rosacea need cleansers that deposit barrier building fatty acids on the skin and that do not strip oils from the skin. Creamy cleansers are my favorite to use- because I have dry skin and rosacea. These are the cleansers I recommend for facial redness when you have dry skin. They are safe to use when you have a rosacea flare.

These are other choices of cleansers that can be used if you have dry, sensitive skin and suffer from rosacea:

If you have many skin allergies, I suggest a hypoallergenic soothing cleanser.

For oily skin types with rosacea, salicylic acid is safe even though it has a low pH. You see- it is a member of the aspirin family so it has anti-redness capabilities. Salicylic acid and sulfur are two really good ingredients to look for in a rosacea cleanser when you have oily skin. Below are my go to cleansers that I prescribe for my oily skin rosacea patients- but remember- if you take the quiz you can build an entire rosacea skin care routine.

Combination skin types with oily skin can use a soothing cleanser with mild surfactants. However, there is no such thing as combination skin - so if you think you have combination skin- take our quiz to find out which of the 16 skin types you are so you can get more accurate advice.

If you get papulopustular rosacea and suffer from pimples and breakouts in addition to rosacea flares-salicylic acid and sulfur containing cleaners area a good choice.  If you have dry skin, make sure and use them in combination with a barrier repair moisturizer like Zerafite Soothing and Calming Moisturizer so your skin does not get dry.. 

Below are suggested cleansers for you. In some skin types they should be used once a day, in very oily skin types you may need to use this cleanser two times a day. 

Take the skin type quiz to build a custom rosacea skin care routine is for your skin type. The regimen that you receive will tell you how many times a day to use this soothing face wash.

You must be very careful choosing an antiaging cleanser when you have rosacea. Most antiaging cleanser can irritate rosacea-prone skin. It is best to take the skin type test and find out which cleanser is the best rosacea cleanser for your skin type. What you use after the cleanser also matters. Antiaging skin care is rosacea is challenging.  Let us help you shop!  You can ask our skin care concierge for advice.

If you have dark spots and rosacea, you really need our advice. Most skin lightening ingredients can irritate reactive skin. You need a anti-redness skin care routine with gentle tyrosinase inhibitors such as licorice extract or azelaic acid. This will work best when used after a low pH cleanser. So- your step 1 of your am and pm routine should be a salicylic acid (if you are oily) or a mild hydroxyacid(if you are dry) cleanser. 

Sometimes your skin burns or turns bright red and you are afraid to put anything on it. You can skip washing your face in the morning but you still need to remove sweat, sebum and sunscreen at night. 

 When you have burning skin, you need to choose a cleanser that does not hurt your skin barrier, does not have any acids in it (except mild salicylic acid), and contains soothing ingredients. The best way to calm skin that feels like it is on fire is to use room temperature water very gently with a soothing cleanser. Follow with a moisturizer that was formulated to treat rosacea flares.

None! Never use a facial scrub if you have rosacea. Friction makes rosacea worse. Click here  for more advice on how to treat  rosacea.

If your skin stings every time you wash your face- even if you only wash your face with water- you probably have rosacea. (Or you have just started a retinoid and you are not used to it yet). Some people have rosacea and do not know it because they feel their face stinging, but they don’t have any facial redness. Rosacea prone skin can sting just from the friction of washing the face with water. It is very common to feel stinging or to see redness on the face after using a face wash.

Here are some tips if your face burns after washing it:

1. Take the skin type quiz to see if you have rosacea
2. Consider using a cleansing water with selenium or other soothing ingredients
3. Choose one of these soothing rosacea cleansers
4. Consider not washing your face in the morning and only wash at night.
   
   

To get specific skin care advice on rosacea face wash, sulfur soap, or other anti-redness cleansers to use in a personalized skin care routine- take the skin type quiz now. It is the first step to getting on the best skin care products for rosacea.

1. Baumann L. Rosacea in Ch. 17 of Baumann's Cosmetic Dermatology Ed 3. (McGraw Hill 2022)
2. Baumann, L. Chapters 64-74. Anti-inflammatory Ingredients in Cosmeceuticals and cosmetic Ingredients (McGraw Hill 2015)
3. Levin, J., & Miller, R. (2011). A guide to the ingredients and potential benefits of over-the-counter cleansers and moisturizers for rosacea patients. The Journal of clinical and aesthetic dermatology, 4(8), 31.
4. Li, G., Wang, B., Zhao, Z., Shi, W., Jian, D., Xie, H., ... & Li, J. (2021). Excessive cleansing: an underestimating risk factor of rosacea in Chinese population. Archives of Dermatological Research, 313, 225-234.
5. Draelos, Z. D. (2010). Optimizing Redness Reduction Part I: Rosacea and Skin Care. Journal of the Rosacea Research & Development Institute: Volume 1 Number 1, 2010, 7.Almeida, L. M., Ianhez, M., Dal'Forno, T., Picosse, F. R., Ravelli, F., Kamamoto, C., ... & Gold, L. F. (2024). Long‐term maintenance treatment of rosacea: experts' opinion. International Journal of Dermatology, 63(1), 94-101.
6. Maden, S. (2024). Epidermal Skin Barrier and Skin Care in Rosacea: A Narrative Review. Dermis, 4(3), 1-7.