It smells pretty nasty (as it contains no perfumes generally), but it is quite gentle. It’s not really meant as an acne treatment, though. It’s meant for people with extremely sensitive skin.
Read the labels.
There is an anti-bacterial version (I’ve only ever seen it in bars) that contains triclosan which may be somewhat helpful for acne, but isn’t usually recommended for facial use, more for the body (many anti-bacterial handsoaps, mouthwashes and toothpastes contain triclosan).
Have you tried phisoderm? It’s similar to Cetaphil in that it’s intended for sensitive skin, but phisoderm has medicated versions for acne which I haven’t seen in Cetaphil products.

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