Best and Worst Cleansers for Sensitive Skin, Eczema & TSW

Each time you shave or cleanse your skin, you may be silently damaging your skin barrier and biome. Skincare companies often put profits before skin barriers—and it could be contributing to the sensitive skin epidemic we see today. 

In less than three minutes, this guide will teach you exactly how to read a cleanser label like a specialist, expose the hidden irritants lurking in popular brands and find what it takes to cleanse your skin safely, without irritation (it’s really easy). And if your favourite cleanser is not reviewed in this post, drop the brand and product name in the comments below and we will review it. 

It's important to "look behind the label" because if you have sensitive skin, eczema, rosacea, psoriasis, hives, dermatitis or TSW, what you put on your skin matters a lot. The wrong product could hamper moisturising lipids and reduce collagen and ceramide production, leading to prematurely aged skin and even skin inflammation that won’t budge. 

In this scientific blog we cover:

• How to Read a Cleanser Label in 10 Seconds

• The Gentle Cleanser Comparison Chart — how does your favourite cleanser stack up?

• Essential Cleanser Tips For Glowing Skin

Let's dive right in.

As a published researcher and health practitioner (with very sensitive skin), I have spent more than 20 years treating the most severe cases of chronic eczema and dermatitis, from babies, to adults with 50+ years of suffering. Two decades in clinical practice has taught me that skin inflammation has many triggers like stress and incorrect diet, but the most common trigger is a poor wash routine. That’s because your skin cannot heal if your wash products are constantly destroying your skin barrier and microbiome. 

The Hidden Danger of Food Ingredients (According to Monash University)

Many 'sensitive skin' and natural brands pack their formulas with food ingredients like oats, goat's milk, coconut oil or almond oils under the guise of “eat your skincare”, however this myth could actually put some people in danger of anaphylaxis, especially if you have eczema or dermatitis. 

Clinical research from Monash University (Australia) confirms a dangerous biological mechanism: rubbing food ingredients into broken skin on a frequent basis can lead to the development of a severe allergic reaction the next time you eat that food (Anantharajah, 2021; Monash University, 2015; De Luca, 2022). 

So if you have broken skin like eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, hives, rosacea or TSW, avoid repeatedly using cleansers and skincare products containing almond oil, coconut oil, oats, wheat and milk, including goat's milk. This might just save you or your child from a potentially life-threatening allergy in the future.

How to Read a Cleanser Label in 10 Seconds

Look for words like "gentle" and "sensitive skin" on the front, then flip to the back and read the actual ingredients.  

Most people look at the front of a bottle to see if a product is safe. As a researcher, I also look at the back. Even organic brands who say their products are ‘100% natural and organic’ have synthetic ingredients like cocamidopropyl betaine and hyaluronic acid listed on the back. 

Is it independently certified or are they potentially greenwashing?

Is it independently certified clean beauty (e.g. by CertClean) or are their natural and organic claims verified with certification? If not, they might be greenwashing you into believing their product is gentle, safe and natural or organic, when it's not (see the table below for real examples). 

To protect your skin barrier, you only need to look for two things on an ingredient list:

1.Is it free of suspect ingredients? 

• The Specialist Rule: If you see Betaine, Sulfate or Paraben anywhere on the bottle, put it back on the shelf. Your compromised skin cannot risk more barrier damage.
• Allergy Rule: If you see Oats, Milk, Coconut, or Nuts (like Almond Oil) anywhere on the bottle, put it back on the shelf. This might just save you or your child from a potentially life-threatening allergy in the future.

2.Is the pH biome and barrier friendly - ie below 5.0? 

This is incredibly important so take note: Healthy skin functions properly when its surface pH is below 5.0 (Lambers, 2006). In contrast, eczema-prone skin typically has a pH between 5.5 and 6.5, coincidentally it's the same skin pH range as older people, who typically have dry and fragile skin (Rippke, 2004).

We have known this fact for many years, yet skincare companies and cosmetic chemists are still saying "pH balanced" is pH 5.5-6.0, when this pH actually signals damaged and aged skin. And your skincare could be silently damaging your skin as a result.

To expose how common retail options stack up, use this grading chart to see how many trusted brands convey ‘gentle’ or ‘natural’ on the front of the pack, but the ingredient label on the back tells a different story. Many claim to be ‘suitable for dry, itchy or sensitive skin’ but are they really?

Note I have contacted these brands regarding the pH of their products and I'm waiting for a reply. 

The Cleanser Comparison Chart

What Makes A Truly Great Cleanser?

1.The pH is crucial to healthy skin

Look for the pH. Is it below 5.0?

Note that water-free (or low water) products don't have a pH reading as it requires water to measure. For all other products, pH is incredibly important and it should be under 5.0, ideally around 4.5 as this supports the microbiome and barrier (see diagram below). 

In contrast, eczema-prone skin and damaged skin has a pH above 5.5. Tap water and poorly formulated cleansers and skincare can adversely affect your skin's pH and this may prevent skin inflammation from healing (see diagram, below). 

When your skin barrier pH is below 5.0 your skin naturally produces its own ceramides and collagen, but this process declines when your skin pH rides above 5.0. Research hows using low pH skincare (lower than pH balanced) can restore the skin's pH to within a healthy range and this increases collagen and ceramide production naturally (Narda, 2025; Blaak, 2011). 

Skincare companies would have you believe that using a ceramide cream is all you need, but if you are damaging your skin barrier with alkaline skincare, a ceramide cream won't help. Low pH skincare is the secret to creating healthier skin.

2.Soapberry Peel Extract

This is one of the best cleanser ingredients. It is also called soapnut but it's not a nut, it's a berry that has been used for thousands of years in traditional cultures like India, Nepal and China. It cleansed skin perfectly long before artificial soaps and cleansers were invented. However, many soapberry powders are dark brown, poorly refined and harsh when used on their own and these are not the soapberry I'm talking about here. 

Soapberry peel extract is from the fresh plant and it is a pale yellow colour, not the brown soapberry you will find online. Soapberry peel extract is smooth and gentle on sensitive skin, especially when teamed with cleansing oils like castor oil, camellia oil and apricot oil, which is the combination used in Natural Gentle Cleanser.

Finding a cleanser for sensitive skin should not be difficult, but it often is. If you are looking for a low pH cleanser that is actually suitable for sensitive skin, visit Skin Friend. 

References

Oscoz-Jaime S, et al. Allergic contact dermatitis caused by sodium cetearyl sulfate. Contact Dermatitis. 2018 Jun;78(6):426-427. doi: 10.1111/cod.12968. Epub 2018 Feb 21. PMID: 29464717.

Anantharajah A, Randall KL. Goat's milk allergy in a family following household sensitization to goat's milk soap. Asia Pac Allergy. 2021 Apr 20;11(2):e13. doi: 10.5415/apallergy.2021.11.e13. PMID: 34007823; PMCID: PMC8103011.

Nowak K, et al. Parabens and their effects on the endocrine system. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2018 Oct 15;474:238-251. doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2018.03.014. Epub 2018 Mar 27. PMID: 29596967.

De Luca JF, et al. Goat milk skin products may cause the development of goat milk allergy. Clin Exp Allergy. 2022 May;52(5):706-710. doi: 10.1111/cea.14133. Epub 2022 Apr 6. PMID: 35384104.

Kruse L, et al. Coconut allergy: characteristics of reactions and diagnostic predictors in a pediatric tertiary care center. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2021;126(5):562–568.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Allergens in cosmetics. FDA.gov, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved 27 April 2026 from: https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetic-ingredients/allergens-cosmetics.

De Groot AC, Schmidt E. Essential oils, part I: introduction. Dermatitis. 2016;27(2):39–42.

Trattner A, et al. Occupational contact dermatitis due to essential oils. Contact Dermatitis. 2008;58(5):282–284.

Heydorn S, et al. Fragrance allergy and hand eczema — a review. Contact Dermatitis. 2003;48(2):59–66.

Monash University. Food in skincare products linked to development of allergies. Monash University News, 18 September 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2026 from: https://www.monash.edu/news/articles/food-in-skincare-products-linked-to-development-of-allergies.

Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia. Development of food allergy through food-based skincare products. 16 August 2024. Retrieved 27 April 2026 from: https://allergyfacts.org.au/development-of-food-allergy-through-food-based-skincare-products/

Boussault P, et al. Oat sensitization in children with atopic dermatitis: prevalence, risks and associated factors. Allergy. 2007;62(11).

Danby SG, et al. Effect of olive and sunflower seed oil on the adult skin barrier: implications for neonatal skin care. Pediatr Dermatol. 2013.

Christensen MO, et al. Prevalence of and association between atopic dermatitis and food sensitivity, food allergy and challenge-proven food allergy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2023 May;37(5):984-1003. 

Narda M, et al. Glycolic acid adjusted to pH 4 stimulates collagen production and epidermal renewal. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2021. Brooks SG, et al. The skin acid mantle: an update on skin pH. J Invest Dermatol. 2025.

Blaak J, et al. Treatment of aged skin with a pH 4 skin care product normalises increased skin surface pH and improves barrier function. J Cosmet Dermatol Sci Appl. 2011.