Essentials Foaming Facial Cleanser

If you grew up in the early 2000s, there is a decent chance Clean & Clear's foaming cleanser was your first conscious skincare purchase. Grabbed off a Walgreens shelf, probably next to a tube of Clearasil, it promised clean skin and delivered that signature tight, squeaky feeling that a generation of teenagers mistakenly believed meant it was working. That original formula was, by modern standards, a bit of a horror show — sodium laureth sulfate for stripping power, synthetic fragrance for that vaguely medicinal scent, parabens for preservation, and quaternium-15, a formaldehyde-releasing preservative that would make any current-day ingredient decoder flinch.

So it is genuinely surprising to pick up the current version and find that Clean & Clear has, without much fanfare, gutted the entire formula and rebuilt it from scratch. The sulfates are gone. The fragrance is gone. The parabens, the dyes, the formaldehyde releasers — all gone. What remains is a short, clean ingredient list anchored by cocamidopropyl betaine and decyl glucoside, two mild surfactants that do a respectable job of cutting through oil without leaving your face feeling like it has been sanded.

The addition of panthenol, or pro-vitamin B5, is a smart if unspectacular move. In a rinse-off product, panthenol does not have extended contact time to deliver its full moisturizing and anti-inflammatory benefits, but it does deposit enough to take the edge off the cleansing step. You notice it in the rinse — there is a softness that was completely absent from the old formula, a subtle signal that the product is not trying to wage war on your skin anymore.

Glyceryl oleate quietly does some of the heavy lifting here too. It is a refatting agent, meaning it deposits a thin emollient layer during the rinse-off step. This is the kind of ingredient that does not make marketing copy but makes a real difference in how your skin feels five minutes after washing. It is the reason this cleanser leaves you feeling clean without that desperate urge to immediately slap on moisturizer.

Texture-wise, long-time users of the original formula may be disappointed. The old version produced a thick, satisfying foam — the kind you could build up into a lather that felt like it was doing something. This reformulated version is thinner, more watery, and produces a softer, less dramatic foam. If you judge your cleanser by the vigor of its lather, this will feel like a downgrade. If you judge it by whether your skin barrier survives the encounter, it is a significant upgrade.

The formula is simple — perhaps too simple for anyone looking for their cleanser to multitask. There are no exfoliating acids, no antioxidants, no fancy botanical extracts. This is a cleanser that cleanses. It removes surface oil, daily grime, and light makeup without complaint, and then it gets out of the way. For some people, that is exactly the point. A cleanser's primary job is to prepare the canvas, not paint the picture.

Where it falls short is at the edges of its intended audience. If you have dry skin, even this gentler formula may leave you feeling tight, because it is still fundamentally designed to manage oil. If you wear heavy makeup or waterproof sunscreen, you will need a first-step cleanser — an oil or balm — before bringing this in as a second cleanse. And if you are someone who has graduated to the world of low-pH cleansers with amino acid surfactants, this will feel like a step backward in sophistication, even if the price-to-gentleness ratio is hard to argue with.

The elephant in the room is the brand itself. Clean & Clear is not cruelty-free — a dealbreaker for a growing segment of conscious consumers. It is owned by Kenvue, spun off from Johnson & Johnson, and sells in markets where animal testing may be required. No amount of reformulation addresses that concern, and it is worth naming honestly.

At roughly six to seven dollars for an eight-ounce bottle that lasts three to four months with twice-daily use, the value proposition is undeniable. This is one of the cheapest truly sulfate-free, fragrance-free foaming cleansers you can find at a drugstore. It does not pretend to be more than it is, and what it is — a gentle, affordable, no-nonsense daily cleanser for oily skin — it does competently.

The irony is that Clean & Clear spent decades marketing aggressive cleansing as a virtue and has now quietly conceded that gentleness was the answer all along. The reformulation is not glamorous enough to generate TikTok buzz, but it is the kind of practical improvement that actually matters. Your sixteen-year-old self would not have appreciated this formula. Your adult skin probably will.

Formula

The Science

The reformulated Clean & Clear Essentials Foaming Facial Cleanser pivots from traditional anionic surfactants to a milder amphoteric and non-ionic surfactant system. Cocamidopropyl betaine, the primary cleanser here, is an amphoteric surfactant derived from coconut oil that carries both positive and negative charges, allowing it to interact with skin proteins less aggressively than sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate. A 2005 study published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science demonstrated that cocamidopropyl betaine produced significantly less transepidermal water loss and skin irritation than sodium lauryl sulfate at comparable cleansing concentrations.

Decyl glucoside, the secondary surfactant, belongs to the alkyl polyglucoside family — sugar-derived non-ionic surfactants that are among the mildest available in personal care. Their non-ionic character means they do not interact with the charged proteins of the stratum corneum, reducing irritation potential.

Panthenol, included here at an undisclosed concentration, is the provitamin form of vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid). While its benefits are most pronounced in leave-on formulations, a study in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology (Camargo et al., 2011) demonstrated that panthenol in wash-off products can still deposit measurable amounts on skin, providing mild barrier support and reducing signs of irritation. In this formula, panthenol works in tandem with glyceryl oleate — a partial glyceride that acts as a refatting agent during the rinse step, helping replace some of the lipids removed during cleansing.

The formula uses tetrasodium glutamate diacetate, a biodegradable chelating agent that replaces the tetrasodium EDTA found in older formulations. This is a minor but notable modernization — glutamate-based chelators perform the same water-softening and preservative-boosting function with better environmental biodegradability.

References

1. Comparative evaluation of skin irritation potential of commonly used surfactants — International Journal of Cosmetic Science (2005)
2. Skin moisturizing effects of panthenol-based formulations — Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology (2011)

Dermatologist Perspective

Dermatologists generally recommend gentle, fragrance-free cleansers for patients with oily or acne-prone skin, and this reformulated version aligns with those guidelines. Board-certified dermatologists note that the switch from sulfate-based to amphoteric surfactants reduces the risk of barrier disruption, which is particularly important for patients using topical treatments like retinoids or benzoyl peroxide that already compromise barrier function. However, dermatologists caution that any foaming cleanser can be over-drying for patients with dry skin, eczema, or rosacea, who would benefit from a non-foaming cream or micellar cleanser instead. The inclusion of panthenol is seen as a positive step, though its efficacy in a rinse-off product is limited compared to leave-on formulations.

Guidance

Clean & Clear has been a rite of passage for teens since the 1990s, but its original foaming cleanser was known for being aggressive — packed with sulfates, synthetic fragrance, parabens, and even formaldehyde-releasing preservatives. The quiet reformulation to the current gentle, stripped-back formula represents one of the more dramatic ingredient overhauls in the drugstore cleanser category.

About Clean & Clear Legacy Brand (20+ years)

Clean & Clear was founded in 1956 by Revlon, acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 1991, and is now owned by Kenvue. It has been a mass-market drugstore staple for nearly seven decades, though it is not a dermatologist-developed brand and relies more on consumer trust than clinical research backing.

Brand founded: 1956 · Product launched: 2012

Myth vs. Reality

Myth

Foaming cleansers are always too harsh for sensitive skin.

Reality

This reformulated version uses cocamidopropyl betaine and decyl glucoside instead of sulfates, making it significantly gentler than most foaming cleansers — though it may still be too stripping for very dry skin.

Myth

Clean & Clear products are only for teenagers.

Reality

While the brand markets primarily to teens, this cleanser's simple, gentle formula is suitable for any adult with oily or combination skin looking for a no-frills daily cleanser.

FAQ

Common Praise

"Effectively removes oil and dirt without leaving residue"

"Very affordable for a daily cleanser"

"Gentle enough for everyday use on oily skin"

"Current formula is fragrance-free and paraben-free"

"Leaves skin feeling clean and soft"

"Easy to find at any drugstore"

Common Complaints

"Can cause dryness and tightness on non-oily skin types"

"Reformulated version is more watery and less foamy than the original"

"Long-time fans prefer the older formula"

"Not effective enough for heavy makeup removal"

"Some users still experience breakouts"

Appears In

best cleanser for oily skin best drugstore cleanser best budget cleanser best foaming cleanser for teens best sulfate free drugstore cleanser

Related Conditions

acne oiliness large pores

Related Ingredients

panthenol cocamidopropyl betaine decyl glucoside