A hydrating cleanser like this one does not hydrate skin in a lasting way. A cleanser is on your skin for about a minute and then rinses off. "Hydrating" mostly means it does not strip, which is valuable but different from adding hydration. Your moisturizer does the real hydrating.
The mildness here comes from non-ionic surfactants rather than sulfates or soap, so skin does not feel tight afterward. That suits dry and reactive skin well.
Product naming can be confusing when a brand sells several similar versions. When formulas differ but names barely do, checking the ingredient list is the only reliable way to know what you are buying.
| Key active | Polyglyceryl-10 laurate (mild non-ionic) |
| Texture | Creamy, low-lather |
| Best for | Sensitive, dry skin |
| Approximate price | $8–$11 |
| Fragrance | Fragrance free |
The surfactants are genuinely mild — non-ionic agents rather than sulfates or soap, so it cleans without stripping.
Fragrance-free and cheap, in a large bottle.
It does not leave skin tight, and it is well tolerated by reactive skin.
For a basic, inexpensive daily cleanser for sensitive skin, it does the job.
The naming is genuinely confusing. Neutrogena sells several "Ultra Gentle" cleansers — hydrating, foaming, daily — with near-identical packaging and different formulas. Read the bottle, not the shelf tag.
It is low-surfactant, so it will struggle with sunscreen. If you wear SPF every day, you will need something with more cleaning power at night, or an oil-based cleanser.
"Hydrating" is doing some work in the name. It does not strip, which is not the same as adding hydration. A cleanser is on your face for a minute and then goes down the drain. No cleanser meaningfully moisturizes you — the moisturizer does that.
No ceramides or niacinamide, unlike CeraVe's and La Roche-Posay's equivalents at a similar price.
Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Cetearyl Glucoside, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol
1. Cleansing without compromise: the impact of cleansers on the skin barrier and the technology of mild cleansing (https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1396-0296.2004.04s1002.x) — Reviews how harsh surfactants damage skin proteins and lipids causing after-wash tightness and dryness, while surfactants that interact minimally with skin proteins are mild and clean without stripping, supporting the claim that the cleanser cleans without stripping and does not leave skin tight. 2. The use of cleansers as therapeutic concomitants in various dermatologic disorders (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11845951/) — States that cleansers with nonionic surfactants and slightly acidic or neutral pH are preferable for people at increased risk of irritancy, backing the claim that non-ionic (rather than soap/sulfate) surfactants are milder and well tolerated by reactive/sensitive skin. 3. Passive sustainable hydration of the stratum corneum following surfactant challenge (https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2230.1999.00486.x) — Demonstrates that the sulfate surfactant sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) has protein-denaturing potency in the stratum corneum and alters barrier function with increased transepidermal water loss, supporting the claim that sulfate surfactants strip and damage the skin barrier.