Best Body Wash for Acne: Our 8 Favorite Picks

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Our facial skincare routines are so important. But what about the best? BodyDo you wash your face with soap for acne? Body acne, often more specifically described as backne, chestne or even buttne, can be a stubborn pain to deal with — especially during warm weather when we’re taking off the layers. In the past, we’ve just picked out whatever body wash smelled the nicest and had a great sale price, but now, we’re on a mission.

We set out on a quest to find the best bodywash for acne and took it seriously. Whether you’ve been dealing with body acne since your teens or it’s suddenly begun to pop up in your adult life, we’ve got you. We did the research and scrolled endlessly to find the best shower gels, scrubs, or soaps for your body.

How we determined the best body washes for acne

If you’re targeting body acne, there are specific ingredients to look for — both ones you want to use and others you want to avoid. Some ingredients may be able to smoothen skin, reduce redness and unclog pores. Others are just there to create suds, which can cause more harm than good.

Ingredients We Love:

  • Salicylic acid
  • Retinol
  • Centella asiatica (cica)
  • Tea tree oil
  • Benzoyl peroxide
  • AHAs/BHAs in general
  • Plus!

Ingredients We Don’t Love:

  • Sulfates
  • Parabens
  • Phthalates
  • Mineral Oil
  • Silicones
  • Other potential toxins/pore blockers

Cleveland Clinic dives deeper into understanding the ingredients in your skincare, but if you’re looking to get right to the good stuff, scroll down and see why we picked out these eight products as the best body washes for acne you can order today!

These are the 8 Best Body Washes For Acne

1. Peach & Lily KP Bump Boss Microderm Body Scrub

K-Beauty Brilliance

Ulta

This is one of our favorite skincare launches from K-beauty brand Peach & Lily. It boasts a spa-grade formulation that combines the benefits of microdermabrasion, chemical peels, and skin-softening treatments into one scrub. It’s gentle, fragrance-free and non-comedogenic, and it contains 10% AHA (7% glycolic acid + 3% lactic acid), plus hyaluronic acid, cica and barley!

Pros:

  • Also targeted at keratosis pilaris, which is strawberry skin
  • Vegan, gluten-free, alcohol-free

Cons:

  • A few shoppers have noted that it’s a little hard to squeeze out of the tube

It’s there!

Available at: Ulta

2. Hero Cosmetics Brave Body Cleanser

For Everyone and All

best-body-wash-for-acne-hero-brave-body
Target

If you’ve experienced the awesomeness of Hero’s pimple patches before, you know to expect great things from this acne-focused body wash. It’s infused with salicylic acid to gently exfoliate and deeply cleanse pores to decongest skin and minimize excess oil. It’s also not a scrub, which can be nice if your skin is extra irritated!

Pros:

  • Designed to be gender-neutral
  • Alcohol-free, sulfate free

Cons:

It’s there!

Available at Target, Amazon

3. Olay Cleansing & Renewing Nighttime Body Wash

Retinol: Reveling in Retinol

best-body-wash-for-acne-olay
Target

You are probably aware that retinol is a popular anti-aging and skin-clearing ingredient for the face. It can have similar effects on the skin! This cleanser contains it — as well as a vitamin B3 complex to revitalize and hydrate oily and combination skin types!

Pros:

  • For large sizes, it is less than $10
  • Fast-absorbing

Cons:

It’s there!

Available at: Target, Walmart

4. Herbivore botanicals Bamboo Charcoal Deep-Cleanse Detoxifying SoapBar

Best Body Bar

best-body-wash-for-acne-herbivore-charcoal-bar
Dermstore

This body bar is made with clarifying tea-tree oil and bamboo charcoal. These ingredients could be key to removing impurities from the skin and restoring health. This soap can also be used on your face, making your routine easy and effective.

Pros:

  • Cruelty-free. Gluten-free.
  • Naturally exfoliating

Cons:

  • It may feel a bit dry, so it is best to stick with oily skin

It’s there!

Available at: Dermstore, Sephora, Credo Beauty, Amazon

5. Bushbalm Nourishing Oil for the Body

Our Worry-Free Favorite

best-body-wash-for-acne-bushbalm
Amazon

This pH-balanced, gentle body wash contains redness-soothing and gentle ingredients. If your acne typically doesn’t respond well to strong, concentrated treatments, or perhaps if you use a medicated lotion, something calming like this is the way to go. It’s 99% natural and made with aloe vera, jojoba seed oil and glycerin to cleanse skin without stripping it!

Pros:

  • Unscented
  • Gynecologist-approved

Cons:

It’s there!

Available at

6. Frank Body Clearing Body Shampoo

Brightening and Blemish-Busting

best-body-wash-for-acne-frank-body
Ulta

Infused with kakadu plum, this soap-free vitamin C body wash may help “banish those stubborn back breakouts for good” while simultaneously brightening and evening out your skin tone. It also contains salicylic and blackhead-targeting agents, as well vitamin B and coffee seeds extract to energize your skin.

Pros:

  • Non-stripping
  • Shoppers love how soft their skin feels after using it

Cons:

  • You can use it if you prefer a foamier lather

It’s there!

Available at: Ulta

7. Humane Maximum-Strength Acne Wash

Getting down to Business

best-body-wash-for-acne-humane
Amazon

This 10% benzoyl peroxide shampoo is for you if your skin can withstand some serious power. It claims to target both whiteheads & blackheads, as well under-the skin, cystic acne. It can reduce inflammation, redness, excess oil, unclog pores and stop the growth of bacteria.

Pros:

  • For the face or body
  • Clean: No sulfates or parabens.

Cons:

  • It may not be suitable to more sensitive skin types

It’s there!

Available at: Amazon, Walmart

8. Murad Acne Bodywash

Triple-Action Acne Fighter

best-body-wash-for-acne-murad
Murad

This body wash contains both glycolic and salicylic acid, as well as date seed powder, to target skin breakouts. It also contains licorice root extract and green tea to soothe irritated skin. We also feel great about the fact that this body wash was dermatologist-developed!

Pros:

  • No parabens or phthalates
  • Award-winning

Cons:

It’s there!

Available at: Murad, Sephora, Dermstore

Other Body Washes We Love for Acne

Are you looking for products that will enhance your beauty and wellness routines? You can find more options below.

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