The present invention provides mild cleansing and cleaning compositions and methods for mitigating irritation induced by harsh detersive surfactants. The invention relates to a method of reducing skin irritation associated with a cleansing composition comprising at least one surfactant, the method comprising combining an effective amount of at least one nonionic amphiphilic polymer with at least one detersive surfactant selected from anionic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants, nonionic surfactants and combinations of two or more thereof. The at least one nonionic amphiphilic irritation mitigating polymer is prepared from a free radically polymerizable monomer composition comprising at least one hydrophilic monomer and at least one hydrophobic monomer, wherein said N-vinyl lactam and wherein said hydrophobic monomer is selected from a vinyl ester of a C1-C22 carboxylic acid or at least one monomer selected from a C8-C22 alkyl (meth)acrylate an associative monomer, a semi-hydrophobic monomer, or mixtures thereof.