That's kind if the topic of the day, so here goes.
If you want to detect taps and a swipe at close distance the VL6180V1 is a fine choice. It's the least expensive of the sensors. It works at 850nm and some people can see the faint red glow. Some people don't like that.
Next would be the VL53L0. All the VL53 sensors work at 940nm - so no visible light.
The L0 is only a few cents more expensive, and you can get small drivers from Pololu or Sparkfun. (The driver from ST is very complete - but kind of large.)
But if you want to detect directional swipes, you either need 2 sensors, or you need the VL53L1 sensor. The L1's have a lens, giving you the ability to divide up the sensors into zones. Spliting the Field of View into 2 zones, you can look left, then look right.
Run this fast enough and you can see a hand passing to the right or to the left.
I'd use the VL53L1X with the UltraLite driver for this though. It's easier to program and you don't need the distance the CB provides.
The download the 2D lidar code from the ST site under the VL53L1X part. It's a fine example of how to change the FoV between the ranges.
Good luck,
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