Upgrade Your Skincare Game With These Facial Cleansing Brushes (2024)

TL;DR

Our favorite cleansing brush is the RoseSkinCo. Petal 2. It’s intuitive to use, has a compact and functional design, and effectively cleanses the skin. But if you’re looking for a delicate, manual cleansing brush, we recommend the Tata Harper Cleansing Kabuki Brush. If physical exfoliation is your goal, try the Ezbasics Facial Cleansing Brush.

Our Top Picks

Brush Material: Silicone | Skin Type: All | Features: Four brush modes, USB rechargeable, automatic shut-off

This is our favorite cleansing brush thanks to its ease of use, compact and functional design, variety of features, and effective yet gentle cleansing capability. Our tester, Alison, was really impressed by how user-friendly it is, sharing that it’s easy to understand how to use the functions. It gave her skin a thorough cleanse without feeling abrasive, and she loved how it shuts off after two minutes to ensure you don’t overdo it. She was also pleasantly surprised by the massage feature, saying that it felt like a mini skin treatment.

The design is compact and ergonomic, and it’s made with antibacterial, clinical-grade silicone that feels gentle on the skin. One minor flaw is that the speed and on/off buttons are camouflaged into the handle and are a bit tricky to press, but other than this, it’s a nearly perfect facial cleansing brush.

Alison, tester with sensitive skin: “The surprise winning feature is the massage setting which is total bliss and a bonus. The silicone bristles are soft and nonirritating on my sensitive skin, and do a good job of cleaning. I enjoyed using this brush and would happily use it every day.”

Brush Material: Silicone | Skin Type: All | Features: Heats up, has magnetic charging port

Another silicone facial cleansing brush, this one also received very high scores during our test. It features a heating capability, a magnetic charging port, and gentle vibrations. While our tester shared that she needed to carefully read the instructions to understand how to use it properly, meaning that it was not the most intuitive, she noted that the instructions were clear.She was very impressed by how well it cleansed her face of multiple layers of foundation without being too abrasive or causing irritation on her sensitive skin. She noted that while she often finds silicone bristles to be too harsh on her skin, the bristles on this brush are totally gentle. It does take a few minutes to heat up if you choose to use that setting, but our tester shared that it did add to the experience of using this brush. Once she cleansed her face, it was left feeling great, and the brush was easy to clean afterward.

Miriam, tester with combination skin: "This brush works effectively to remove makeup and exfoliate my face without irritating my sensitive skin.I often wear several layers of makeup due to my uneven skin tone and texture, and I could see the makeup lifting as soon as the brush touched my face. My skin feels soft, refreshed, and clean—a big difference from washing with my bare hands."

Brush Material: Fine synthetic bristles | Skin Type: All | Features: Compact wooden handle

Unlike a lot of facial cleansing brushes that are made of silicone and feature various mechanical modes, this one has soft synthetic bristles—similar to a makeup brush—and is meant to be used manually. The ultrasoft bristles bump up the lather of foam cleansers and work to give the skin a deep yet gentle clean. The bristles also provide very subtle exfoliation, perfect for those with sensitive skin that struggle to exfoliate without creating irritation.Our tester, Lee, said that the wooden handle is easy to grip, and she loved how compact the brush is, making it a great option to travel with. She said it helped to make her cleanser really sudsy, and it worked beautifully to remove makeup and give her skin a deep clean without feeling harsh or stripping. The one downside? Because the brush features bristles that are light in color, if you use it to help remove makeup, it might stain a bit. And as opposed to silicone which can be cleaned in a few seconds, this brush takes a bit longer to fully clean.

Lee, tester with sensitive skin:“The bristles really conformed to every area of my face with ease, and I could even use it on my sensitive skin without irritation. I have some minor skin irritations at the moment, and this brush didn't aggravate it.”

Brush Material: Silicone | Skin Type: All | Features: Two modes of sonic pulsation

Buttah was created with melanin-rich skin in mind, and this facial cleansing brush is excellent for all skin types. It works to cleanse the skin of excess oil, remove dead skin cells, and improve radiance. It features two modes of pulsation, which provide a gentle facial massage, and the silicone bristles are delicate enough not to irritate the skin, but effective enough to effectively exfoliate it.

In addition to appreciating that the brush fit into the palm of her hands, our tester loved the texture of the bristles and the pulsation feature. She noted that the pulsation provided a massage and an invigorating sensation, leaving her feeling energized. After using it, she shared that she could no longer see any traces of dead skin, and her skin was left looking clean and glowy. One thing she noted was that she had to scrub the brush a bit to get all traces of makeup off of it, but all things considered, we still highly recommend this tool.

Leslie, tester with combination skin: "It made my skin feel soft, silky, and smooth and just made me glow. It exfoliated to the point where I didn't see any dead skin on my face, and it didn't strip my skin."

Brush Material: Silicone | Skin Type: Oily, dry, combo | Features: Five speed settings

If you’re looking for a facial cleansing brush that will effectively exfoliate your skin, we recommend this one. In addition to its lightweight and compact design, and the variety of speed settings it has, our tester loved how well it worked to cleanse and exfoliate her skin. She noted that while the bristles didn’t feel harsh or abrasive, they are a bit more stiff compared to many options on the market, making it a good choice if you enjoy physical exfoliation.While it didn’t fully remove 100% of her makeup (that's what a makeup remover is for, anyway), it's not a deal-breaker as it does an excellent job at cleansing bare skin and exfoliating to reveal a glowing complexion.

Michelle, tester with normal skin: “The brush did a wonderful job of exfoliating and cleansing my skin. It felt like it was able to get a good amount of makeup off while also removing dead skin.”

Brush Material: Silicone | Skin Type: All | Features: Synchronizes with Bluetooth app, has 16 pulsation intensities

We recommend breaking down your makeup with an oil-based cleanser prior to going in with your face wash (also known as double cleansing), but it doesn’t hurt to have a tool that does an excellent job at removing makeup. Our tester was pleasantly surprised by how well this one removed her foundation, lipstick, and even eyeshadow, saying that while there was the tiniest bit of makeup residue left on her skin after using the brush, a few splashes of water got rid of it.

In addition to how well it works to remove makeup, she noted how much she liked the soft bristles, saying that they weren’t too abrasive on her sensitive skin. Something really unique about this particular facial cleansing brush is that it connects to an app specifically designed to use in combination with the tool. She expressed that it was really cool to have visual guidance while cleansing, and the app shares the ideal amount of time you should spend cleansing each part of your face, but our tester said it definitely took some work to figure out how to change the settings and customize the app to her liking.

Cai, tester with sensitive skin: "The bristles were short, soft and silicone-y, but didn't drag on the skin like you might expect a rubber-based product to do. My complexion looked a bit red after use, but I didn't feel over-exfoliated or hot (which is usually the case for me whenever I rub my skin) so I'm counting this as a win."

Brush Material: Silicone | Skin Type: Oily, dry, combo | Features: Heating function

Skincare tools can be really fun additives to your skincare routine, but if they’re too complicated to use, chances are we’ll give up on them after only a few uses. That's why we love this one—it’s simple and intuitive. Our tester said she had no issues setting it up, holding it, or using it, and she found that it did a great job of giving her skin a deep cleanse. She expressed that it’s likely ideal for a weekly deep cleanse as opposed to a daily cleanse because the bristles aren’t ultrasoft—this is definitely something to keep in mind if you have sensitive skin. Regardless, she shared that the bristles were effective and not overly abrasive.

While the brush does feature a heating function, our tester noted that she didn’t feel much of a difference between the heated setting and the regular setting—the heat emission was very minor.

Mads, tester with combination skin: "This brush was very straightforward and easy to use. I had no complications with setting it up, holding, and using it. The size was large enough to feel I had a grip on it but lightweight enough to be easy to travel with. The vibrations were strong but not too noticeable sonically."

FAQ

• Are facial cleansing brushes good for your skin?

  They have their benefits—namely, more effective cleansing and exfoliation. However, being overzealous with your cleansing brush or using it too often might cause redness and irritation. To avoid irritation, Dr. Farhang recommends using a cleansing brush no more than a few times a week, preferably in the shower when your skin is wet and soft.

• How do you use a facial cleansing brush?

  Dr. Farhang suggests making it a part of your shower routine so that skin is already soft and wet when using one (this helps minimize irritation). Pair it with a gentle cleanser, and use it only a few times per week, rather than daily, especially if your skin is on the sensitive side. If you’re working with an eclectic brush that has several features, refer to the directions on the packaging of your device.