ALPYN’s Brightening Bubbly Cleanser is my go-to — and it’s under $40

As a professional beauty product tester and commerce reporter with more than six years of experience cycling through formulations and fancy labels, cleansers continue to be a category with countless choices.

For those with sensitive skin who are always googling “best gentle cleanser,” this is the search result that comes up first in my eyes.

The various dermatologists I’ve interviewed name a gentle cleanser, moisturizer, and SPF as the holy trinity of your skincare routine. Many K-beauty options are ones I’m undeniably allured by, but the ALPYN Brightening Bubbling Cleanser is the one I’ve been using for more than half a decade.

ALPYN Brightening Bubbling Cleanser

Amazon

If you’re looking to kick-start your skincare routine in 2026, the ALPYN Brightening Bubbling Cleanser is the face wash I’d recommend snagging for smooth, polished, and truly refreshed skin. Every time I use it, I can’t stop glazing over my reflection in the mirror.

When I follow up with the brand’s 2% BHA & Borage Pore Perfecting Liquid and the Niacinamide & Nettle Firming Serum, my skin looks its most radiant.

After reviewing ALPYN to its entirety, I can attest that this brand is one that nurtures the skin and, as a result, always has me running back to my skincare shelf (actually running) to squeeze, dispense, and dollop its formulations day and night.

Its founder, Kendra Kolb Butler, wildcrafts the brand’s ingredients from her home base in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, all of which withstand extreme climates. When infused with clinical ingredients like niacinamide and vitamin C, they’re a world of goodness on the skin — and earn extra brownie points for those with dry skin.

If they can survive freezing temps in the Midwest, they’re superstars at calming parched skin!

Back to the cleanser: the silky, sudsy option that’s clad with AHAs (glycolic and lactic acids), papaya and pomegranate enzymes, vitamin C, and mountain cherry. When blended together, they’re a results-driven smoothie of improving skin texture, gently exfoliating and decongesting pores, and visibly brightening the skin.

Topped with cruelty-free and 100% vegan accolades, this cleanser is both planet- and skin-friendly. When used at night, it completely dissolves my foundation from the day and always leaves my skin balanced — never dry, never oily. This ALPYN “superstar” cleanser is the North Star that, when used, will have a constellation effect on your skin. As the precursor to other products, it’ll aid other serums and creams in looking their best.

The bottom line

I can write and write for ages about the ALPYN Brightening Bubbling Cleanser, and it’s seriously time you take my word and purchase it to start off the new year. Once you begin using it, the tube will remain a mainstay on your bathroom counter (as it is on mine!)

Because it’s a staple in anyone’s skincare routine, the less-than-$40 price is worth the investment. My recommendation? This cleanser, the 2% BHA & Borage Pore Perfecting Liquid, the Niacinamide & Nettle Firming Serum, and — if anti-aging is a subconscious goal of yours — the Super Sculpt Serum for Face & Neck.

Why Trust Post Wanted by the New York Post

This article was written by Victoria McDonnell, New York Post Commerce Journalist & Content Strategist, who has spent countless hours researching, testing hundreds of products and comparing the latest makeup, skincare, hair and beauty items and trends to determine what’s truly worth your hard-earned cash. She evaluates formulas, textures, ingredients and more, in addition to consulting medical and industry experts. Some of Victoria’s latest conquests include testing the best vitamin C serums on the market, and a rinse-and-repeat review of the best shampoos of 2025. Victoria, who received a beauty industry essentials certification from the Fashion Institute of Technology, has been creating shopping guides for the New York Post since 2021 and previously held positions at Insider Reviews and CNN Underscored.