Dermatologist review

Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Hydrating Facial Cleanser

A cheap, fragrance-free, genuinely mild cleanser — from a line of four near-identical names.

Reviewed by Dr. Schwarz, MD · Dermatologist

Cleanser
Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Hydrating Facial Cleanser
Cream-to-foamtexture / format
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate (mild non-ionic)main ingredient
Sensitive Skin, Dry Skin, Damaged Skin Barrierbest for
$1.59 / ozprice

A dermatologist’s take

Recommend.

Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Hydrating Facial Cleanser is a genuinely mild ten-ingredient wash for dry, reactive skin. Hydrating means it does not strip, not that it adds water — your moisturizer does that. Read the bottle, because several Ultra Gentle formulas look alike. It will not remove sunscreen.

Pros

  • No added fragrance
  • Good fit for sensitive skin
  • Good fit for dry skin

Cons

  • May need a second cleanser for water-resistant sunscreen

Skin fit

Who is it best for?

Sensitive Skin on light skin.

Sensitive Skin

Good fit

Most cleanser irritation comes from the surfactant. Sulfates carry a charge that binds to proteins in the outer skin layer and makes them swell — the tight, stinging feeling.

The surfactant here has no charge, so it lifts oil without much of that. One of the mildest washes at drugstore prices.

The front of one shin on pale skin. The surface is pink with fine white flaking and a few shallow cracks, and the skin around it is even in tone.

Dry Skin

Good fit

Dry skin cannot afford to lose more lipids at the sink, and a strong wash takes them with the dirt. This one leaves enough behind that skin does not feel tight.

Hydrating is generous — a cleanser is on your face for a minute — but not stripping you is a real benefit.

a very close view of irritated dry skin with fine flaking and no identifiable body part on light skin.

Damaged Skin Barrier

Good fit

When the barrier is stressed, take things away rather than add them. Ten ingredients, no fragrance, no acid, no active is close to the minimum a cleanser can be.

Fall back to it while skin settles after over-exfoliating.

Extreme close-up of light skin in an active eczema flare, too close to tell which part of the body it is. Blotchy pink-red inflammation covers the whole frame with no clear edge, with small raised bumps, fine dry scale and a few fresh scratch marks.

Eczema

Okay fit

Eczema-prone skin loses water too fast already, and a harsh detergent widens that gap every wash. This one keeps the loss small.

It has no ceramides, so the moisturizer that follows does the replacing.

Inflamed acne on light skin. The spots sit in a patch of pink, and the ring of redness around each one is easy to see. A few have a yellow-white head, and the skin between them is dry and flaking.

Acne

Poor fit

No acne active here. A comfortable base for an acne routine, nothing more.

Visible sebum shine and natural pores on the nose and cheek.

Oily Skin

Poor fit

It leaves skin soft rather than stripped. Oily skin usually wants more.

Feel & smell

What does it feel like?

DenseLightweight

Wash

It is a thin, white, creamy lotion that barely foams. It spreads over wet skin easily and rinses off without a film.

Skin feels soft rather than squeaky, not tight. If you judge a cleanser by lather, this will feel like it is doing nothing. Fragrance free, almost no smell. A flip cap bottle, and one lasts a long time because you need very little.

Cleansing

How Well Does It Cleanse?

More stripping

  • Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)
  • Sodium Cocoate

In between

  • Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)

Gentler

In this cleanser
  • Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
  • Cetearyl Glucoside
  • Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
  • Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate

This formula: Lower stripping potential

A mild, low-lather formula with glycerin. Suits dry skin that dislikes a stripped finish.

How to read this spectrum

Highlighted ingredients are in this cleanser; muted names are reference examples. These are broad ingredient tendencies, not a tested ranking. Families overlap. The formula estimate describes a dry, tight finish, not measured cleansing performance. The blend, concentration, pH, drying actives and how you wash affect dryness. Foam alone does not predict stripping.

Sources: Surfactant tolerability study · Mildness of surfactant blends

Inside the formula

What do the main ingredients do?

Glycerin mechanism diagram. Attracts and holds water: Glycerin acts as a humectant in the stratum corneum. Works within a formula: Emollients and occlusives help retain that water.
Open full-size diagram
More ingredient roles
Skin structure: surface, outer barrier, epidermis and dermisSimplified skin layers for clinical context. This schematic does not measure ingredient penetration or demonstrate a finished product effect.Surface filmOuter barrierEpidermisDermisSurface + outer barrier

How this formula works.

Every cleanser works the same way. A surfactant has one end that likes water and one that likes oil, so it surrounds the grease on your face and lets water carry it off. What separates a harsh wash from a mild one is what else it takes. Sulfates carry a negative charge that binds to skin proteins and makes them swell — the tight, stinging feeling — and a strong wash can leave the barrier worse than it found it.

Full clinical explanation

Every cleanser works the same way. A surfactant has one end that likes water and one that likes oil, so it surrounds the grease on your face and lets water carry it off. What separates a harsh wash from a mild one is what else it takes. Sulfates carry a negative charge that binds to skin proteins and makes them swell — the tight, stinging feeling — and a strong wash can leave the barrier worse than it found it.

This one uses a non-ionic surfactant, polyglyceryl-10 laurate, with no charge to bind with. It lifts oil and leaves proteins and most lipids where they are.

The cost of that mildness is cleaning power — it will not take water-resistant sunscreen off in one pass. And hydrating is a stretch. A cleanser sits on your face for a minute and goes down the drain. Not stripping you is worth a lot; adding water is the moisturizer's job.

Full ingredient list · 10 ingredients

Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Cetearyl Glucoside, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol

All ingredient roles

Glycerin

A small humectant. It moves into the outer layer of skin and holds water there.

Cetearyl Alcohol

A fatty alcohol that softens skin and thickens the product. Despite the name, it is not drying.

Water

The base the other ingredients are dissolved in. Most of it evaporates soon after the product goes on.

Ethylhexylglycerin

Helps the preservative work and softens the feel of the product.

Carbomer

A thickener that gives the product its texture.

Phenoxyethanol

The preservative. It stops bacteria and mold from growing in the product.

Use & results

How to use it.

Every day

How much

A dime-sized amount on wet skin, massaged for twenty or thirty seconds, then rinsed.

Careful

Read the bottle, not the shelf tag. Neutrogena sells several Ultra Gentle cleansers with different formulas and nearly the same name.

In a routine

Removes sunscreen

Not reliably. It is low in surfactant by design, so at night use an oil-based cleanser or micellar water first, then this second.

Over time

What to expect

Skin stops feeling tight after washing, from the first use. That is all a cleanser can promise; hydration comes from the moisturizer afterward.

Price spectrum

Where does the price fall?

Paying more doesn’t guarantee better results. A good buy is a formula with the right ingredients, strength and texture for your skin. Use price per ounce to compare cost, then weigh it against the pros and cons above.

The product line

Which Neutrogena product should you choose?

Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost range includes water gels, richer creams and SPF options. Similar names do not mean identical formulas. Check the finish, fragrance labeling and whether you are choosing a moisturizer or a sunscreen version.

GentlestStrongest
This reviewUltra Gentle Hydrating Facial Cleanser

Ultra Gentle Hydrating Facial Cleanser

The mildest, and fragrance free. Creamy, barely any lather.

Ultra Gentle Cream to Foam Cleanser

Ultra Gentle Cream to Foam Cleanser

Nearly the same name, but it foams and it is scented. The one people buy by mistake.

Deep Clean Facial Cleanser

Deep Clean Facial Cleanser

A stronger foaming wash for oily skin. It leaves skin far tighter.

Oil-Free Acne Wash

Oil-Free Acne Wash

Salicylic acid in a wash. A treatment, not a cleanser, and drying on sensitive skin.

More about the lineup

Neutrogena sells cleansers across the whole range, and four of them share almost the same name.

Alternatives

If it didn’t work for you

La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Cleanser product packaging
If you want a creamy low-lather wash

La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Cleanser

Fragrance-free and creamy, with the ceramide and niacinamide this one skips. Costs more, bigger bottle.

Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser product packaging
If you want a simple fragrance-free wash

Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser

Also fragrance-free and mild, with no dyes or lanolin, and it still cleans properly. It carries the National Eczema Association seal.

Aveeno Calm + Restore Nourishing Oat Face Cleanser product packaging
If you need a milder wash

Aveeno Calm + Restore Nourishing Oat Face Cleanser

Milder still, with colloidal oatmeal, an FDA-recognized skin protectant. It removes no sunscreen at all, and it contains feverfew, a ragweed relative.

Questions

Before you buy

Which Neutrogena Ultra Gentle is this?

The hydrating, low-lather creamy one. Read the bottle.

Is Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Hydrating Facial Cleanser fragrance-free?

Yes.

Will Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Hydrating Facial Cleanser remove sunscreen?

Not well. Use an oil-based cleanser at night if you wear SPF.

Does Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Hydrating Facial Cleanser have ceramides or niacinamide?

No. Similar-priced CeraVe and La Roche-Posay cleansers have both.

Is Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Hydrating Facial Cleanser good for sensitive skin?

Yes. One of the mildest at this price.

Does Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Hydrating Facial Cleanser actually moisturize?

Not really. It avoids stripping; your moisturizer does the hydrating.