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Anyone who’s ever struggled with acne knows that pimples can pop up anywhere (and at any age). The ones on your face might be the most visible, but zits, blackheads, and cysts can pop up all over your body, including your neck, back, chest, arms, and even your butt, and facial cleansers sometimes aren’t strong enough to deal with them. “Body acne can be just as frustrating, if not more, than acne on the face,” says Dr. Dendy Engelman, a board-certified cosmetic dermatologist and Mohs surgeon at Shafer Clinic in New York City. Luckily, you have plenty of acne body wash options to choose from, as long as you know what to look for. The key ingredients? Salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide.
Salicylic and glycolic acid: Products with salicylic and/or glycolic acid are great for unclogging the pores and clearing out blackheads, says Dr. Calvin Williams, a dermatologist at Essential Dermatology Group. These products are “usually more gentle to the skin than other acne ingredients,” he tells SheKnows. Salicylic acid, in particular, “is a great ingredient for people with oily and acne-prone skin and particularly for treating and preventing comedonal acne (blackheads and whiteheads),” board-certified dermatologist Dr. Hadley King tells SheKnows.
Benzoyl peroxide: If you struggle with inflammatory types of acne — think “red papules and/or closed comedones (whiteheads),” Williams says — benzoyl peroxide products are a good choice. As an antibacterial agent, benzoyl peroxide helps reduce acne-causing bacteria like P. acnes and Staph. aureus, King adds, while also preventing and clearing out clogged pores.
When choosing an acne body wash, it’s important to remember that “everyone’s skin is different and has different sensitivities,” Engelman says. “What may work for someone else may not work for others.” So we skipped the sponsored influencer content and went straight to the experts to find out what acne body washes dermatologists love and recommend to their patients.
Best acne body washes recommended by dermatologists, at a glance:
- Best overall: La Roche-Posay Effaclar Acne Face Wash with Salicylic Acid
- Best for hydration: The Body Acne Wash from Nécessaire
- Best for inflammatory acne: CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Wash
- Best for irritated skin: CLn Acne Cleanser
- Best budget option: PanOxyl Acne Treatment Bar or PanOxyl Antimicrobial Hydrating Acne Creamy Wash
- Best for rough skin: Neutrogena Body Clear Acne Body Wash
- Best for exfoliating: Murad Acne Control Body Wash
- Best for small bumps: BeautyPie AcidEnzyme Exfoliating Face and Body Cleanser
- Best for oily skin: Garnier SkinActive Clean+ Blackhead Eliminating Scrub with Charcoal
- Best antioxidant cleanser: Face Reality Antioxidant Scrub
- Best for clogged pores: Acne-Clearing Body Wash from Differin
Best overall: La Roche-Posay Effaclar Acne Face Wash with Salicylic Acid
La Roche-Posay’s Effaclar Acne Face Wash with Salicylic Acid is a “consistent product” that’s great for blackheads and whiteheads with “minimal odor or side effects,” says Dr. David Li of Boston Derm Advocate. This gel cleanser also includes lipo-hydroxy acid (LHA) to exfoliate and renew your skin and glycerin for hydration. Overall, Li says this face wash is a “great option for general acne,” with extra bonuses coming from how easy it is to apply and lather and the pleasant “skin-tightening sensation” you get afterward.
Best for hydration: The Body Acne Wash from Nécessaire
Cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Michele Green recommends Nécessaire’s The Body Acne Wash, which contains 2 percent salicylic acid as its active ingredient. The salicylic acid will “exfoliate the skin and clear out clogged pores,” Green says, while glycerin will help moisturize and niacinamide will “restore the skin’s natural moisture barrier.”
Best for inflammatory acne: CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Wash
Green recommends CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Wash if you’re dealing with inflammatory body acne. It’s formulated with 10 percent benzoyl peroxide to “kill acne-causing bacteria and unclog pores,” she says, and it also contains hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and niacinamide “to hydrate the skin and prevent transepidermal water loss.” Dr. Barry Goldman of Barry Goldman Dermatology also flagged those key ingredients, calling the cream wash a “mainstay” that’s well-tolerated by many patients.
Best for irritated skin: CLn Acne Cleanser
If you experience irritation with acne cleansers, Williams recommends trying CLn products. “My patients often find them less irritating and more effective than the typical over-the-counter antimicrobial acne body washes,” he says. CLn’s acne cleanser, with 0.5 percent salicylic acid, is gentle enough to use on your face and body. You can also opt for CLn Body Wash, which doesn’t contain an active acne-fighting ingredient but can keep your skin cleansed and healthy in acne-prone areas.
