Facial cleansing is one of the three essential steps in skin care (along with moisturizing and sun protection). It removes sebum, dirt and product residue without drying out the skin. Proper cleansing can significantly improve the success of your skincare routine.

In this article we address the following questions:

1. Does cleansing destroy the skin barrier?
2. What role do surfactants play in cleaning products?
3. What does proper facial cleansing look like in your skin care routine ?
4. Which cleanser is the best?
5. What is double cleansing ?
6. Should you use an exfoliating cleanser ?

There are a few things to consider when cleaning, first and foremost:

"Clean better" does not equal "Clean stronger"

A more thorough cleansing is not necessarily better. Some people achieve better results by cleansing their skin more gently than before. This can even be especially true for impure skin! A damaged, compromised skin barrier can encourage pimples and blemishes.

Does cleansing destroy the skin barrier?

Cleansers contain detergent substances, so-called surfactants . These can combine with both oily and watery substances and ensure that our skin is cleansed. They should be strong enough to remove unwanted residues such as make-up, SPF (sun protection) etc., but at the same time mild enough not to irritate our skin barrier.

How do I recognize...

...that my cleansing product is mild enough for my skin type? One method is to wait 5-10 minutes after cleansing, instead of applying cream straight away, and observe how your skin feels . Does it feel tight? Does it feel dry? Is it thirsting for cream? Then you should perhaps consider a milder cleansing product . You can also try using less product when cleansing, for example.

What role do surfactants play?

Do I have a chance of identifying mild cleaners by their ingredients ? Unfortunately, only to a limited extent. There are more and less harsh surfactants, but it always depends on the overall formulation . The concentration of the surfactants is unknown and even harsh surfactants can be softened in combination with mild surfactants. They can also contain soothing substances such as panthenol, which also contribute to skin tolerance. Fragrances can increase the potential for irritation for allergy sufferers. Natural surfactants are not necessarily milder; soaps made from vegetable fatty acids are even particularly harsh due to their high pH value. Just because it says "coco" doesn't mean a surfactant is mild.

Rather harsh:

• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
• Sodium Laureth Sulfate
• Sodium Cocoate
• Sodium Palmate
• Sodium Oleate

Rather mild:

Signal words such as

• "Betaine",
• "Glucosides" or
• "Ampho" pay attention

e.g. Disodium Coco- Ampho diacetate

Photo: by John Thomas via Unsplash

What does cleaning routine look like?

Morning:

Cleansing in the morning is optional . Oily skin may be happy to get rid of the excess sebum from the night before. Dry skin can skip cleansing in the morning or just clean with water . It's worth a try, especially for irritated skin.

At evening:

One Daily cleansing should be part of your skin care routine. It is much more useful to do it in the evening, as this removes dirt, Make-up and sunscreen should be removed for the night.

The same product can be perceived as mild or harsh by different people. Reviews and routines from people with similar skin types can certainly provide some guidance.

Which cleanser is the best?

Gel, mousse, balm, milk... There are so many types of cleansers . It's easy to lose track. They can all have a few advantages and disadvantages, but here I would go for whichever texture you like the most :)

Water-based:

This includes most commercially available cleansers such as cleansing gels or foams (first ingredient: aqua ). Foams are generally milder than gels because you automatically use smaller amounts.

Oil-based:

These include cleansing oils, balms, jellies , etc. The advantage is that the oil contained in them can dissolve products on the skin, meaning that fewer surfactants are needed. These are only needed to be rinsed off with water and are therefore often gentler on the skin than water-based cleansers with the same cleansing performance.

Photo: by Brittney Wang via Unsplash

What about double cleansing?

Ever heard of it? This Korean trend involves using two cleansers one after the other in the evening:

• first an oil-based cleanser
• then a watery cleanser

Is this necessary?

As always:  It depends on.

Especially if you wear a lot of make-up, this can be a method to remove everything relatively gently and without leaving any residue, without having to mechanically "scrub".

Danger: Pure oils (eg olive oil) are not cleansers! They cannot be rinsed off with water and remain on the skin. There are oils for double cleansing that do not contain any surfactants themselves. After that, a second cleanser is absolutely necessary. However, the oil cleansers on the European market in the vast majority of cases also contain surfactants, so they are also suitable for solo cleansing .

Peeling with cleansers?

Yes, a grain peeling can feel very good. In general, we should minimize mechanical stimuli for the benefit of the skin barrier . Sharp-edged peeling grains can cause tiny injuries and provide entry points for microbes and allergens. So if you want a mechanical peeling, opt for jojoba oil beads rather than sea sand or nutshells.

Better chemically?

Chemical peels are a mild alternative. They can remove dead skin cells from the skin (AHA) and also loosen clogged pores (BHA). They are available as leave-on products (e.g. a serum) but also as rinse-off cleansers.

Do active ingredients in cleansers actually do anything? This applies to chemical peels as well as other active ingredients: sometimes they are wasted down the drain, but often they are a good way to gently introduce the skin to the effect (short contact method).

Conclusion:

A gentle cleansing is an essential step in skin care to remove sebum, dirt and product residue without drying out the skin. The cleansing product should be gentle on the skin barrier . In the evening, cleansing is part of the skincare routine, while in the morning it is optional. When choosing the type of cleanser, you can decide based on your preferred texture. Double cleansing can be beneficial for some, especially if you wear a lot of make-up and sun protection. If you want to incorporate a peeling into the cleansing step, you should opt for gentle chemical peels. Happy face washing!

Your Ying

Engineer, Cosmetic Scientist and Founder of Skingineered