12 Best Korean Foaming Cleansers for Oily Skin & Pimples

If you have oily skin with persistent acne breakouts, it can be hard to find a facial cleanser that works perfectly with your skin. Today, we're showing you some very gentle foaming cleansers that your skin needs.

Is foam cleanser good for acne?

When you buy a facial cleanser, you're spoiled for choice: foam, gel, cream, milk, oil... the list goes on. With so many choices, it's hard to know which one is best for your skin type. The following information will help you find the best cleanser for oily skin and those prone to redness or acne.

What is a foaming cleanser? 

Foaming cleansers are probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a face wash. It's usually a lightweight cleanser that comes in the form of a cream, liquid or gel that when combined with water, turns into a rich lather. They are great for removing excess debris and impurities and sometimes have a gentle exfoliating function that helps purify the skin by removing dead skin cells. 

Who should use foaming cleanser?

While all skin types can benefit from cleansing foams, they are ideal for oily, combination, normal, and acne-prone skin, which will likely get the best results. This is because cleansing foams have a deep penetrating ability that allows them to work wonders in deep cleaning pores, helping to get rid of excess sebum and gunk in the pores, reducing pesky pimples, blackheads and whiteheads.

Can I use a cleansing foam every day?

If you use a cleansing foam that is gentle enough to cleanse your face without drying it out, you can use it daily. People with oily or combination skin can benefit from twice-daily cleansing, in the morning and evening. If you use too much: Excessive use of anti-acne cleansers can dry and irritate the skin.

How to use the cleansing foam?

Wash your face with water. Place a dime-sized amount in the palm of your hand, add a few drops of water, and work up a lather. Apply to the face by massaging in upward circles, covering all areas of the face and neck. Rinse thoroughly with warm water.

Deep cleansing foams for oily & blemish-prone skin

Aromatica Tea Tree Balancing Foaming Cleanser

Enriched with Australian tea tree oil and bergamot oil to cleanse excess oil and impurities accumulated between the pores, it refreshes skin and improves the oil-water balance.

Skin-loving ingredients, USDA organic aloe vera and plant-based glycerin, restore moisture, while burdock root and comfrey root soothe irritated and reddened skin. The rich, creamy lather glides gently over skin and smoothes skin texture, leaving skin feeling clean and comfortable.

💘  Shop Now for Aromatica Tea Tree Balancing Cleanser

Purito From Green Deep Foaming Cleanser

A gentle cleansing foam is formulated with plant-based ingredients that effectively remove impurities and makeup residue that can clog pores, while maintaining the skin's acid mantle at an optimal pH of 5.5.

Green tea and centella asiatica extract help balance, soothe the skin and strengthen the skin barrier. This cruelty-free, vegan formula does not contain chemical surfactants that could be irritating, such as SLS and SLES, making it safer for those susceptible to breakouts.

Skinfood Egg White Pore Foam Cleanser

As the name suggests, this rich lathering facial cleanser contains amino acid and nutrient-rich egg white extract, also known as albumin, which deep cleans and refines pores, creating a smooth, poreless complexion.

Fresh fruit and plant extracts, including centella asiatica, olive oil and sesame oil, penetrate deep into the skin to target excessive oil production, dirt, bacteria, blackheads and pore-clogging impurities.

Cosrx AC Collection Calming Foam Cleanser

A perfect blend of Salicylic Acid and Centella AC-RX, which includes healing ingredients such as Madecassic Acid, Asiaticoside and Asiatic Acid, aims to tackle acne and blemishes, making it ideal for those with very oily skin who fear blackheads and rough, dull skin.

The star ingredient, beta hydroxy acid (BHA), is used as a keratolytic, which means it helps exfoliate the skin by loosening the "glue" that holds skin cells together to visibly reduce congestion and achieve a clearer, brighter, smoother complexion. It's an upgraded version of Cosrx's gentle daily salicylic acid cleanser.

💘  Shop Now Cosrx AC Collection Cleansing Foam

Neogen Real Fresh Foam Green Tea Cleanser

Beautifully composed of naturally occurring antioxidants and soothing botanicals, this facial cleanser gently gets rid of all debris, sweat and dust from your skin without stripping it of its natural oils.

The star ingredient, fermented green tea, helps protect skin from free radicals and reduces the risk of irritation and inflammation. Niacinamide, glycerin, aloe vera, and sodium hyaluronate (salt form of hyaluronic acid) moisturize the skin.

Etude House Soon Jung Ph 6.5 Whip Cleanser

Made with 98% natural ingredients, this non-comedogenic product is formulated with a pH similar to that of healthy skin to maintain the skin's balance. Panthenol, also known as provitamin B-5, seals in moisture and maintains hydration for an extended period of time. Madecassoside, derived from Centella Asiatica, helps soothe and repair irritated and damaged skin.

This hypoallergenic product does not contain additives such as synthetic perfumes and colors, animal materials, parabens, mineral oils, sulfates, or silicones, making it safe even for sensitive skin.

💘  Buy Now Etude House SoonJung Whip Cleanser

Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Cleansing Foam

If you are concerned about enlarged pores and breakouts, this deep cleansing facial foam is excellent for you. It contains special ingredients, mineral-rich volcanic clusters from Jeju Island, which have the ability to absorb excess oil and impurities from pores, revealing visibly smoother, softer skin.

It also contains exfoliating acids, lactic acid (AHA) to minimize the appearance of pores, and salicylic acid (BHA) to promote the removal of build-up that can clog pores.

Some By Mi AHA, BHA, PHA 30 Days Miracle Acne Clear Foam

An acne-clearing cleanser combines AHAs, BHAs and PHAs with a proprietary blend of skin calming ingredients, calamine and centella asiatica extract to fight all causes of acne and address skin concerns such as fine lines, pigmented spots or uneven skin tone.

Tea tree leaf water has antibacterial, antifungal and toning properties known to reduce inflammation and redness, while salicylic acid (5,000 ppm) helps shed off dead skin cells from the top layer of the skin, decreases excess oil and unclog pores, which is ideal for those with visible whiteheads and blackheads.

Heimish All Clean White Clay Foam

Made with natural, hypoallergenic ingredients, this gentle facial cleanser offers deep cleansing with its featured ingredient, kaolin (white Amazonian clay), which effectively detoxifies the skin and absorbs unwanted sebum to thoroughly remove pore-clogging debris, leaving skin fresh and with a beautiful matte finish.

Tea tree oil, a natural acne treatment, helps reduce itching, irritation and inflammation, while hyaluronic acid, a powerful humectant, restores moisture to dehydrated skin.

💘  Buy Now Heimish White Clay Cleansing Foam

Dear, Klairs Rich Moist Foaming Cleanser

A non-irritating cleansing formula uses an amino acid (the main component of protein) instead of a chemical detergent (SLS) to deep clean your pores and eliminate all traces of makeup and unnecessary waste while keeping your face hydrated.

Formulated with hyaluronic acid, ceramide, tea tree oil, aloe vera, ginseng, and licorice extract to stay nourished and retain moisture, keeping skin soft after cleansing. This vegan and hypoallergenic cleanser is free of alcohol, parabens, and artificial pigments.

Pyunkang Yul Low pH Pore Deep Cleansing Foam

This sulfate-free cleanser produces a gentle, low pH lather that contains alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) from fruit and naturally derived surfactants that work deep within the skin to clean the inside of pores and remove makeup residue and pollutants.

Powered with soothing centella asiatica, green tea, tea tree extract, and beta-glucan to soothe and protect sensitive, irritated skin, while hyaluronic acid helps skin hydrate and plump.

Mizon Snail Repairing Foam Cleanser

If you're already a K-beauty enthusiast, you're probably familiar with this popular staple of the Korean skincare routine: Snail secretion filtrate.

Snail mucin is composed of proteins, glycolic acid, copper peptides, and elastin, which remove dead skin cells and stimulate cell turnover, diminishing the appearance of fine lines, age spots, and wrinkles while strengthening the skin barrier and maintaining moisture.

Papaya also helps to lightly exfoliate skin to brighten lackluster skin and hyaluronic acid helps to improve skin's moisture levels. The deep cleansing formula forms a slightly sticky lather “mochi bubble” that clings to impurities and helps purify pores and reduce the visibility of blackheads.