Simple Skincare Guide: Sensitive-Skin Basics and Where to Buy in the US

Simple is a British skincare brand for sensitive skin, created in 1960 and owned by Unilever since it bought Simple's parent, Alberto-Culver, in 2010. Its best buys are the Kind to Skin Moisturizing Facial Wash and Micellar Cleansing Water, both made without added perfume or colour. In the US they are sold at Target and Walmart, but stock is patchy, so check before you build a routine around them.

You can scan a bottle's barcode or label with the ingredient scanner in Pori to check its formula against your skin type. It's useful with Simple because recipes differ by country. Pori reads ingredients; it doesn't diagnose skin conditions.

This guide covers who makes Simple, what "kind to skin" means on the label, which cleanser suits you, how easy the brand is to find in the US, and what to buy instead when it's out of stock. We compared published ingredient lists, brand claims and listed prices; we did not test these products on skin. Prices are as of November 2026, with the retailer named.

Who owns Simple skincare?

Unilever owns Simple. The brand was developed in 1960 by the Albion Group, a British soap maker that focused on sensitive skin. It changed hands several times: Smith and Nephew bought it in the late 1980s, a management buyout in 2000 created Accantia, and in December 2009 the US company Alberto-Culver bought the business for £240 million. Unilever agreed in September 2010 to buy Alberto-Culver for $3.7 billion, and Simple came with it.

Simple arrived in the US in February 2012 under the name Simple Sensitive Skin Experts, with 13 facial products at launch. It sits in Unilever's portfolio alongside Dove and Vaseline, and like them it's priced for supermarkets and drugstores.

What does "kind to skin" mean on Simple products?

"Kind to Skin" is Simple's main range name, and the claim behind it is about what's left out. Retailer descriptions say the products contain no colour, perfume or harsh chemicals that can upset skin. Most are also labeled as dermatologically tested, and the US micellar water adds ophthalmologist testing for use around the eyes.

What's left in tends to be humectants and soothing vitamins. Panthenol (pro-vitamin B5), vitamin E and glycerin show up across the range, and the micellar water adds niacinamide. These are mild, well-tolerated ingredients. They help skin hold water. For acne, pigmentation or rosacea you'll need other products.

One caution. "No perfume" means no added fragrance blend, and the recipe depends on the market. Simple's Philippine and Singapore listings for the Moisturizing Facial Wash include chamomile and geranium flower oils, which carry their own scent compounds. The UK list we reviewed does not. If fragrance allergy is your issue, read the label on the bottle in your hand. Our guide to fragrance and essential oils in skincare explains why this matters.

Which Simple cleanser should I use?

Simple's cleansers are its strongest products. They're gentle, cheap and easy to swap if one doesn't suit you.

Kind to Skin Moisturizing Facial Wash

This is the classic. The UK formula washes with sodium laureth sulfate, decyl glucoside and cocamidopropyl betaine, then adds glycerin, panthenol, vitamin E and bisabolol. Sodium laureth sulfate is milder than sodium lauryl sulfate, but it's still a real foaming cleanser, so very dry skin may prefer a cream wash. Our guide to sulfates in face wash covers the difference. In the UK it's sold in 150 ml bottles; in the US it comes in 5 fl oz.

Water Boost Micellar Gel Wash

A clear gel that rinses off, for people who want a fresh feel without a squeaky finish. Simple describes it as a water-gel with micellar cleansing bubbles. Some markets have a newer formula with Pentavitin, a sugar-based humectant, so recipes differ by country.

Is Simple micellar water good?

For sensitive skin it's a solid choice. Simple US lists it as fragrance-free, dye-free, hypoallergenic and tested by dermatologists and ophthalmologists. Target's listing gives the full ingredient list: water, hexylene glycol, glycerin and a mild surfactant, with niacinamide, panthenol and sodium ascorbyl phosphate near the end. The preservative system includes phenoxyethanol, cetrimonium chloride and cetylpyridinium chloride.

Two caveats. Some reviewers on Simple's US site and on Target say a repackaged bottle feels and smells different from the old one, so if you loved an older version, compare labels. And as with any micellar water, rubbing a cotton pad back and forth irritates more than the liquid does. Hold the soaked pad on your skin for a few seconds, then wipe once.

Simple's micellar water isn't in our catalogue. If you can't find it, these are close alternatives: Bioderma Sensibio H2O for very reactive skin and Garnier's fragrance-free All-in-1 for the lowest price. Our best micellar water guide compares them, and the Garnier skincare guide sorts Garnier's seven versions.

Can you buy Simple skincare in the US?

Yes, but it's harder than buying CeraVe or Cetaphil. Simple runs a US website with Kind to Skin products, including the Micellar Cleansing Water, the Moisturizing Facial Wash and a Replenishing Rich Moisturizer. The US bottles carry their own barcodes, separate from the UK ones, so formulas can differ from the British versions.

At retail, availability varies:

• Target: listed the 13.5 fl oz Micellar Cleansing Water at $14.99 and showed it out of stock when we checked in November 2026. Simple's micellar makeup remover wipes are also listed.
• Walmart: listings for the 5 fl oz Moisturizing Facial Wash ranged from about $10 for a twin pack to about $15 for a single bottle, with several sold in multi-packs.
• Amazon: listings include imported UK stock. Those bottles say 150 ml and may have a different ingredient list from the US version.

Because supply is uneven, we'd treat Simple as a nice find when you see it and keep a backup cleanser in mind. If a product is out of stock, the fragrance-free alternatives below do the same job and are sold in most US drugstores.

What can I buy instead of Simple for sensitive skin?

If the shelf is empty, these gentle, fragrance-free cleansers fill the same role. None is a Simple product; we list them because Simple is hard to find in many US stores.

• Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser: a low-foam lotion cleanser, closest to the Moisturizing Facial Wash in feel. See our Cetaphil guide.
• La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Cleanser: a cream cleanser with ceramide and niacinamide. See our La Roche-Posay guide.
• Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser: a fragrance-free foaming option. See our Neutrogena guide.

For a moisturizer, Simple's US site lists a Kind to Skin Replenishing Rich Moisturizer. If you can't find it, a fragrance-free drugstore option such as CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion or Moisturizing Cream fills the gap. Our best moisturizer for sensitive skin guide has more.

What should I skip from Simple?

• Face wipes as your only cleanse. They're handy for travel. Used every night, the rubbing adds up, and they don't remove sunscreen as well as a rinse-off wash.
• Imported bottles at high prices. A 150 ml UK face wash shipped to the US can cost several times its UK price, and the formula may differ from what you had before.
• Expecting treatment. Simple products are gentle basics. For acne, dark spots or signs of aging you'll need an active ingredient such as salicylic acid or a retinoid from another line.
• Assuming "no perfume" covers everything. Check for essential oils in regional versions if you react to fragrance.

Is Simple good for sensitive skin?

For most sensitive skin, yes. The core cleansers skip added fragrance and dyes, the formulas are short, and the extras are mild humectants. That lines up with what the FDA and dermatology sources describe: fragrance is one of the most common causes of cosmetic contact allergy. Still, "sensitive" covers a lot. Skin that reacts to almost everything should patch test any new product. If you have eczema, rosacea or persistent redness, see a dermatologist. Our guides to building a sensitive skin routine and telling whether your skin is sensitive go further, and you can browse cleansers for sensitive skin in our catalogue.