18 Best Japanese Acne Cleansers & Soap Bars For Clearer Skin

Throughout the day your face is exposed to oils, dirt, and other harmful impurities that clog your pores and allow bacteria to build up. Cleansing with the products best suited to your skin type can rehydrate, freshen, and brighten your complexion in a short period, and lift dirt and other bacteria from deep in your pores to leave you with better-protected, healthier-looking skin. 

One key factor in sustaining lasting skin health is the importance of maintaining a balance between the cleansing products and your skin’s natural protective and cleansing properties. The below breakdown of facial cleansing lotions, soaps, and washes will help you understand the best approach for you and what will compliment your unique skin type.

Read on to learn more about the best Japanese cleansers & soaps for clearer skin!

Best Japanese Facial Cleansing Lotion For Tightening Pores

Mizuhashi Hojudo Emulsion Remover Cleansing Lotion 200ml

This award-winning cleansing lotion helps to dissolve impurities and lift makeup and other causes of darkened pores that cannot be removed with regular washing. It contains seawater, which is rich in minerals, helping to strengthen your skin’s protective barrier, and arginine, a protein that helps to promote elasticity and firmness in your skin. Best suited for oily, acne-prone skin, this Japanese cleansing lotion also tightens your pores to help reduce darkened areas and blemishes.

Best Japanese Facial Washes For Preventing Acne

Kanebo Suisai Beauty Clear Powder Facial Wash 0.4g x 32pcs

The Suisai cleansing powder wash is one of the most in-demand cleansing wash powders in Japan. This clear powder facial wash removes dirt and dead skin from deep in your pores and is particularly effective on rough and dull-looking skin due to its gentle skin-brightening properties. 

Key ingredients include royal jelly which is rich in amino acids that help repair and protect damaged skin and reduce signs of pigmentation associated with aging. This face wash also includes tofu extract which contains soybeans that are powerful antioxidants and also promote collagen production.

Rosette Cleansing Paste Acne Clear Foam Cleanser 120g

The Rosette Cleansing Paste Foam Cleanser is formulated to work most effectively on acne-prone skin due to its unique clay-based foaming formula which helps to lift dirt from your pores, rehydrate your skin, and reduce the appearance of acne and other damaged areas.

This product contains several plant-based extracts with hydrating and healing properties, such as dokudami extract, which is high in antioxidants and has a strong anti-inflammatory effect on irritated skin, and oak extract, which is known to lock moisture into the protective outer layer of your skin to prevent dehydration.

Best Japanese Cleansing Wash For Clogged Pores

Ettusais Jelly Mousse Face Wash For Acne & Clogged Pores 165g

The Jelly Mousse Face Wash from Ettusais dispenses as a gel that foams in your hands for even more distribution and deep pore cleansing. This allergy-tested product works best on oily skin as the rich foam lifts excess sebum and impurities.

The product contains collagen, a key moisturizing and regenerative ingredient, and natural camomile and rosemary plant extracts that are known for their cleansing and moisturizing properties which also help to soften your skin and reduce the appearance of blemishes and acne.

Best Japanese Cleansing Wash For Oily Skin

Shiseido d Program Essence In Cleansing Foam 120g

This Essence in Cleansing Foam from Shiseido’s d Program creates a protective foam that lifts excess dirt and helps to revitalize your skin by locking in moisture using your skin’s natural barrier. Shiseido’s effective natural formula makes the wash ideal for all skin types, including sensitive skin.

Key ingredients include liquorice extract which has a calming effect on your skin to help reduce inflammation and treat skin conditions like eczema and acne. It also includes orange oil which helps to restore your skin’s natural shine by removing excess dead skin cells.

Best Men’s Face Wash For Treating Acne

Rohto Oxy Perfect Face Wash Men’s Acne Cleanser 130g 

The Rohto Japanese face wash for men offers a powerful deep pore cleanse that helps to eliminate acne-causing bacteria, clear up oily skin, and strengthen its outer layer from harmful everyday pollutants. The cleanser includes several acne-clearing ingredients such as dipotassium glycyrrhizinate, which has an anti-inflammatory effect as well as sebum-absorbing properties that help oily skin, and yukinoshita extract, a traditional Chinese medicine used to treat eczema, rashes, and other skin irritations. Recommended for frequent use to effectively treat acne-prone or irritated skin.

Best Japanese Facial Soap For Moisturizing Skin

Pelican Cicalm Moisturizing Bar Soap With Cica & Jojoba Oil 80g

This Japanese medicated soap makes use of the unique properties of heartleaf and mugwort extract which are both known for their anti-inflammatory properties and ability to help your skin retain its moisture. This product also contains Jojoba oil which is similar to sebum and can be easily absorbed into the skin to help treat common skin conditions such as acne and dry skin. The multiple plant extract ingredients also help to condition and soothe dry and damaged skin and work to promote regular hydration for your skin.

Best Japanese Facial Soap For Skin Impurities

Mizuhashi Hojyudo Itsukano Sekken Enzyme Cleansing Soap Bar 100g

This cleansing soap bar from Mizuhashi Hojyudo is a gentle face-washing soap that lifts impurities from deep in your pores leaving your skin clean and blemish-free. This soap is free from artificial colorants, fragrances, alcohol, and additives, and can be used on sensitive skin. 

It also contains proteolytic enzymes that aid in skin exfoliation to help shed dead skin cells, and coconut oil which is best used in the treatment of damaged skin and in strengthening your skin's natural barrier against harmful pollutants.

Best Japanese Face Wash For Dry Skin

Rohto Hada Labo Gokujyun Adlay Foaming Face Wash 160ml

The Rohto Hada Labo Foaming Face Wash is a foaming and moisturizing solution that places an emphasis on helping your skin retain its moisture. It contains key ingredients such as Job’s Tears, also known for brightening your skin to even out its complexion. It also contains sorbitol, which is highly effective at attracting moisture to the outermost layer of your skin and locking it in to keep it hydrated over a prolonged period, and chamomile flower extract which is known for its skin-soothing properties and its effectiveness in managing the appearance of acne-prone skin.

Best Japanese Face Wash For Cleansing Pores

Ishizawa Lab Keana Nadeshiko Baking Soda Face Wash Foam 100g

The Keana Nadeshiko Baking Soda Face Wash from Ishizawa Lab creates a thick moisturizing foam that lifts dirt and other impurities from your pores. The key ingredient sodium bicarbonate is an excellent skin exfoliator due to its grainy texture, effectively removing dead skin cells and excess oil, as the honey helps to speed up your skin’s healing process and reduce inflammation. Finally, hydrolyzed collagen will help to improve skin elasticity and lock in moisture for maximum hydration of your skin’s surface.

Best Face Wash For Rough Skin

Shiseido Senka Perfect Whip Acne Care Cleanser 120g

The Senka Perfect Whip Cleanser from Shiseido is a medicated face wash that offers a gentle deep cleansing experience with a refreshing floral aroma. This Japanese cleanser is formulated to help prevent acne and eczema while promoting stronger and healthier skin. Active ingredients include myristic acid, which has powerful cleansing properties that help to wash away dirt and excess dirt leaving your skin smoother and brighter, and glyceryl stearate which helps to strengthen your skin’s natural barrier and lock in moisture.

Best Japanese Soap To Prevent Body Odor

Deo Tanning Bar Soap for Body Odor 100g

The Tanning Bar Soap for Body Odor from Deo is designed to eliminate body odor and wash away acne-causing bacteria from deep in the pores leaving behind a fruity aroma on your face and body while tightening and smoothing your skin. Active ingredients include persimmon tannin, a strong antioxidant known for its antimicrobial properties, and hamamelis extract, a liquid distilled from the witch hazel plant that is commonly used to treat inflamed or damaged skin.

Best Japanese Face Wash For Rehydrating Skin

DHC Face Wash Powder 50g

DHC Face Wash is an exfoliating cleansing powder that turns into a soft exfoliating and moisturizing foam upon contact with water. It helps to gently dissolve unwanted dead skin cells and other everyday impurities and leaves your skin with a smoother and brighter complexion.

Key moisturizing ingredients such as honey and maltitol hydrate and soften your skin, while lavender flower and licorice extract help to calm and soothe red or inflamed skin and improve the appearance of uneven skin tone.

Best Cleansing Wash For Removing Dirt & Makeup

BCL AHA Cleansing Research Wash Cleansing 120g

The BCL Cleansing Research Face Wash is specially formulated with alpha hydroxy acid to exfoliate your skin, improve its texture, and reduce signs of aging over time. This cleansing wash helps to gently lift away unwanted old skin cells to both cleanse and improve texture and encourage the generation of new healthier cells leaving your skin feeling fresh and smooth. The scrub’s key ingredients include kiwi extract, which moisturizes and softens your skin, and apple extract, which is rich in antioxidants and helps to reduce damage and increase hydration.

Best Japanese Face Washes For Treating Acne

Orbis Clearful Hypoallergenic Face Wash For Acne 120g

Specially formulated for sensitive skin and other skin types that are prone to irritation or acne, this hypoallergenic face wash from the popular sensitive skincare producer Orbis helps to treat the cause of acne at its root by washing away bacteria buried deep in your pores while reinforcing your skins moisture levels.

The exfoliating wash contains an extract of the Japanese mugwort plant which has a calming and purifying effect on distressed skin, while the antioxidant properties of aloe vera plant extract are particularly suited to aid in the healing of dry or damaged skin.

Ishizawa Lab Acne Barrier Protect Face Wash 100g

The Ishizawa Acne Face Barrier is a medicated foaming face wash that eliminates acne-causing bacteria deep in your pores while helping your skin retain its natural moisture and brightness. It is ideally suited for sensitive, acne-prone skin due to its gentle hypoallergenic ingredients. These include tea tree oil, and eucalyptus oil, both of which have antibacterial properties that treat acne, and help to reduce skin damage and eliminate excess oil. The face wash also contains allantoin, which is known for its ability to rehydrate and improve the overall texture and brightness of your skin.

Best Japanese Soap For Treating Acne

Pelican For Back Bar Soap for Acne 135g

The Pelican For Back soap bar is a medicated soap to help treat and prevent acne. Its antibacterial ingredients help to remove excess sebum from your skin’s surface and harmful external pollutants from deep in your pores, leaving you feeling soft and refreshed.

Key ingredients include activated charcoal which is known for its antibacterial properties and for being highly effective in removing impurities in your skin to help prevent breakouts of acne. This soap also contains kaolin, an absorbent agent that removes excess oil and impurities from your skin’s outer layer, helping to restore its natural brightness.

Best Foaming Face Wash For Acne-Prone Skin

Kao Bioré Skin Care Foaming Face Wash For Acne 130g

This Japanese medicated foaming facial wash is formulated especially for treating blemishes or acne-prone skin. It features Skin Purifying Technology (SPT), a unique low-irritation cleansing formula that doesn’t penetrate the skin and mimics the natural pH balance in your skin, reduces excess oil, and rehydrates dry or damaged areas.

Ingredients include Isopropyl methylphenol, a compound found in the oil of thyme which has strong antibacterial and antioxidative properties, and myristic acid, known for its powerful cleansing properties in removing dirt and excess oil.

Want to discover more Japanese facial washes? See our full range of products here. If you’re looking for more products to help prevent and treat acne, check out our article on 15 of the Best Japanese Skincare Products for Acne Prone Skin That You Can Buy Online.