Everything you could wish to know about cleansing- why we need one, how to choose the best cleanser for your skin…and a big long list of popular cleansers, their pHs, whether they’re vegan and cruelty free…

Introduction

The skin has important functions as a barrier to stop stuff getting into the tissues of the body- chemicals, allergens, bacteria etc, and from stopping water from escaping. It is a vital shield which needs to function correctly otherwise all hell breaks loose. The skin is there to protect the inside of the body from bacterial infection, sepsis, UV radiation, allergens and for heat regulation. There is also the small matter of us wanting it to look nice, an added motivation for our wanting to take good care of it.

Contents list

1. Skin Science
2. Do we really need to cleanse
3. Is cleansing bad for our skin
4. Importance of skin pH- ideal pH for a cleanser
5. Cleanser science
6. Bad and good cleanser ingredients
7. Types of cleanser and who they’re suitable for
8. Best oils for cleansing depending on skin type
9. Practical tips, tools and double cleansing
10. Summary- How to cleanse for your skin type
11. Cleanser pH masterlist

Skin Science

The skin’s barrier is formed by living skin cells working their way from the base of the skin to the surface. As the cells progress to the surface, they die off. These dead skin cells (if all is going well) are plump and joined together by bonds called ‘corneodesmosomes’. They secrete a fatty substance, called ‘natural moisturising factors’. This top layer of skin is the bit that does the protecting, it’s only half the thickness of a piece of paper. It’s got a big job to do but is easily damaged.

The natural protective factors that the skin provides-

The mechanical barrier– The layer of dead skin cells that are bonded to each other also known as the epidermis creates an effective barrier that stops stuff from getting in and water from getting out.

Natural Moisturising Factors from the keratinocytes– amino acids, lactic acid, pyrrolidone carboxylic acid (PCA), ions (sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphate, chlorine), urea, citrate, sugars and peptides, free fatty acids, cholesterol and ceramides (1)

Sebum– triglycerides, wax esters, squalene (12%), free fatty acids (sapienic acid), cholesterol, sterol esters, diglycerides (1)

Protective bacteria– This is a bit more complex. Human skin is covered with bacteria, fungi, mites and viruses. Most of these live there happily and are no threat, as long as the skin is healthy and working normally. Take for example P. Acnes, a very common bacteria that lives in sebum glands. It digests lipids in sebum to create free fatty acids which helps lower skin pH, this is beneficial to the skin. But in situations where there is excess sebum, due to genetics or hormones, there is a shift in the balance of the relationship. P.Acnes multiplies in the presence of all the sebum and produces enough enzymes to damage the pore and start an inflammatory reaction, this is the beginning of a dreaded spot! So a bacteria that normally protects the skin, turns out to be the cause of acne (2).

The skin’s acidity– The skin’s pH varies, it is around 5.5, but it could be somewhere in the range of 4.0-6.5 depending on location, sex, age, race and skin health. Generally speaking acidic pH is associated with healthier skin (3)

So why do you need to know all this stuff? If you have normal happy skin and can use any cleanser then cool, you can just skip to the list to read reviews and compare prices, but if you have issues with your skin then knowledge is power. Skincare companies are only going to show you models with perfect skin looking chuffed with their cleanser, if you don’t identify with that smiling woman or man then arming yourself with full understanding of what is happening in your skin at a microscopic level is going to be your path to good skin.

Does your skin look like this? yeah? cool! you’re good. If not keep reading…

Do We Actually Need to Cleanse Our Skin?

There is a school of thought that cleansing only does the skin harm, and water cleansing is sufficient- the “caveman method” (4). I agree with the concept in one respect- cleansing can really screw up your skin’s natural defences and may be exacerbating any skin condition you may have. From personal experience, the only time I have had to try not washing my face for any length of time was when I got my eyebrows micro bladed. It didn’t look good- my skin started flaking and little pimples appeared.

It is widely agreed among dermatologists that skin cleansing is necessary (5) to remove dirt, old sebum, cosmetics, sweat and exfoliated dead skin cells. Cleansing is essential to remove makeup and sunscreen, and we all should wear sunscreen. A regular clean helps the skin tick over and exfoliate.

Is Cleansing Bad?

It certainly could be! Even though the experts are telling us that cleansing is a must, a lot of the ingredients in cleansers can be problematic for the skin. I have discussed it before in my “Is Cleansing Sabotaging Your Skin?” post. There has been some research that shows the skin really suffers after cleansing, so it’s important to keep it as gentle as possible. One study showed that for two hours after cleansing the skin’s sebum is reduced, hydration decreases and “trans epidermal water loss increases (6). This study only used water for cleansing! So in a way cleansing is bad, but it is advised so it is important to learn how to do it properly and cause as little upset as possible. Skincare brands don’t necessarily broadcast the pH’s of their products, I have tried to include as many of them as possible in my master list.

(Note– This is the reason why it’s important to move on with your skin routine immediately after cleansing- If you’re using an exfoliating acid step, this is the step to do it, when the skin is still dry, to avoid over exfoliation. If you’re not using an acid serum or toner, keep a hydrating facial mist in the bathroom to immediately rehydrate the skin).

Why Is Skin pH Important

pH is a measure of how acidic something is- how many Hydrogen ions are floating about. It’s measured on a scale of 14, 7 in the middle is neutral and anything below that is acidic. The rest of the body is neutral, so there must be an important reason that the skin is more acidic than saliva or blood or the gut. One important reason for different parts of the body having different acidity is enzymes. Enzymes are proteins that create or break down other chemicals, they are very sensitive to temperature and pH. When pH rises, the enzyme that creates natural ceramides stops working (among other important processes) and the skin’s barrier is compromised.

At acidic pH the bacteria that lives on the skin is at it’s most beneficial. There are certain bacteria that we want on the skin and some we want less of. There is an antimicrobial peptide called Dermicidin produced by the skin that works best at pH 5.5, at neutral it’s less effective. At neutral levels of Staph Aureus rise, this could contribute to eczema. When the pH is above 6, levels of P. Acnes rises and there is worsening of acne (7).

Studies have shown that the pH of cleansers has a direct effect on skin health, which will be of huge importance if you are suffering with a condition. Washing the skin will cause the pH of the skin to rise and cause impairment of skin barrier, any cleanser with a pH above 6 will have a negative effect- skin cells will swell and allow in irritants (8). It doesn’t appear to be the duty of skincare companies to make sure their cleansers are the right pH. Here is a table of certain cleansers, it’s out of date but it illustrates how high pH of cleansers could be-

Skincare brands don’t necessarily broadcast the pH’s of their products, I have tried to include as many of them as possible in my master list. I hope I have given a decent background to the reasons why we need to care so much about what is in our cleansers.

Cleanser Science

When a cosmetic scientist is creating a cleanser, the basis for the product is the surfactant. This is the substance that will remove the dirt. This ingredient is often the most problematic for the skin, potentially causing irritation. There are different classes of surfactant to be aware of, if you can remember some of the terms it’ll make choosing a product easier- a scan of the ingredient list can reveal the nature of the cleanser and give an idea of whether you’ve found a goodie or not.

Boring bit now- surfactants molecules have hydrophobic (water hating) bits and hydrophilic (water loving bits). This double ended nature is what makes surfactants work as cleanser. The hydrophobic tail is attracted to oil and oil soluble dirt, grabs it and then the surfactant particles bunch together to make balls called micelles. Surfactants also make the cleanser slippery and spread nicely so that you can rub it into the skin to lift the dirt. Here is a picture of a micelle-

Types of surfactant-

Anionic surfactants– -Good at cleansing, cheap, lathers well but are irritating, the irritation factor can be reduced by combining with amphoteric surfactants. Includes– bar soap (e.g. sodium tallow ate, sodium cocotte, sodium palmate), sodium lauryl sulphate, sodium laureth sulphate, ammonium lauryl sulphate, ammonium laureth sulphate, sulfosuccinates, alkyl benzene sulfosuccinates, alkyl methyl laureate, propyl peptide condensenates, monoglyceride sulphates, ether sultanates, fatty glycerol.

Cationic Surfactants– Often used in conditioners, reputedly as irritating as anionic surfactants and also cytotoxic (can kill cells!) Includes– quaternary ammonium compounds (aka quats) cetrimonium bromide, cetylpyridinium chloride, benzalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride, dimethyldioctadecylammonium chloride, dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide

Amphoteric surfactants– Work well as detergents, create a smaller creamy foam, are less irritating but more expensive. Includes– cocamidopropyl betaine, cocamphoproprionate, sodium lauraminoproprionate.

Non ionic surfactants– Good foam enhancers, help to dissolve oils, create emulsions, conditioning, thickening, these are the least irritating, but are expensive. These are the ingredients in some oil cleansers that make them turn milky in water. Includes– fatty alcohols, fatty alkanolamides, lauramide diethanolamine (DEA), cocamide DEA, lauramine oxide, stearamine oxide, PEG-80 sorbitan laurate, alkyl poly glucoside.

Good cleansers have a combination of different surfactants, but this makes them more expensive. Anionic surfactants, like sodium lauryl sulphate, are easy to formulate, effective at cleaning and make a pleasant lather as well as being cheap. These are the cleansers to watch out for, they are highly irritating and drying (10)

Other ingredients in cleanser include oils and humectants to replace water and moisture lost during cleansing, fragrance to make it smell nice, acids, other skincare ingredients (which may not have any effect as they are rinsed off.

Good and Bad Cleanser Ingredients

Types of Cleanser and How to Choose a Good One for You

(Still reading? Well done, you get a skincare gold star, for more full on break down of many more products keep scrolling to the full master list)

• Bar soaps made of saponified oil– Not for the face, do not use, way too alkaline, highly irritating, you can identify them by an ingredient that goes like this- sodium ___-ate. No product suggestion- you’re not allowed one.
• Syndet bars– Look like traditional bar soap but are made of solidified synthetic surfactants, which brings down the pH and irritancy. Typical ingredients- alkyl carboxylate and alkyl isethionate, these are anionic surfactants, so may still be drying. You want to know the pH before you crack on. Product suggestions- Sebamed pH 5.5 Cleansing bar
• Foaming liquid– These use foaming surfactants to lift dirt and trap it in micelles to be rinsed away. Probably better suited to normal/oily skin. Check the ingredients for SLS/SLES, these are best avoided. A combination of different surfactants is best to avoid irritation and check ingredients for moisturising and humectants. Can use as a second cleanse. Product suggestions- Cerave Foaming £9, Klairs Rich Foaming £22, Ishtar Skinlights Ultralase £12.95, Vanicream Foaming Cleanser £16
• Non foaming liquid/gel– Water based so works as a second cleanse. Do not foam or lather at all, therefore less likely to strip and irritate. Look out for extra skincare ingredients like glycerin. Product suggestions- Cerave Hydrating Cleanser £9, Glossier Milky Jelly £15, Hada Labo Rohto Gokujyn Hyaluronic Acid Cleansing Foam £7
• Micellar water– Contain gentle non foaming surfactants that form micelles that trap and remove oil and dirt etc. Surfactant include ‘quats’ which could irritate if left on the skin so should rinsed off. Suitable for light water soluble makeup. Product suggestions- Bioderma H2O £12.95, Skintifique Cleanser P for allergic skin £12.50, Boots Botanics Hydration Burst Micellar Cleanser £6.99
• Cold cream– Water in oil formulas that contain mineral oil, beeswax, behenic acid and fragrance. They contain oils that dissolve sebum and makeup etc and fatty acids emulsify and allow the dirt to be rinsed away. Cold creams are highly moisturising and gentle, not to mention packed with old school glamour. Massaged in then rinsed or wiped away with pads. They contain no surfactants so less likely to irritate. May clog clog-prone types. Good as a makeup remover/first cleanse. Product suggestions- Ponds cold cream £11.95, Avene Cold Cream £10.95
• Cleansing milk– A thinner oil in water mixture, similar to cold creams. Very gentle and non irritating. Suitable for dry skin, good as a makeup remover/first cleanse. Product suggestions- La Roche Posay Toleraine Sensitive Makeup Remover £11.95, Avene Gentle Mlik Cleanser £12
• Emulsifying oil cleanser– Contain oils and an emulsifying agent so that they turn milky in the presence of water and can be rinsed away. Good for removing oil based makeup and sunscreen. Gentle and non drying, good for an skin types. Product suggestions- Hylamide High Efficiency £16, Dear Klairs Deep Black Cleansing Oil £24, DHC Deep Cleansing Oil £24

• Cleansing oil balm– These have a thicker more solid texture that turns to liquid with the warmth of the hands. Capable of removing heavy duty makeup and proper water resistant sunscreen. May emulsify with water or require towelling off with a warm muslin. May contain mineral oil, beeswax, shea butter, plant oils. Suitable for all skin types but those with oily skin will probably want to second cleanse. Product suggestions- Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm £24, Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser £15.50, The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser £5.50
• Non Emulsifying Oil aka oil cleansing method or OCM– This involves using a plain oil as a cleanser with no surfactant or emulsifier. Can be mechanically washed off with a warm microfibre, flannel or muslin. The user may experience something called ‘grits’, where the pore contents are released and feel like gritty bits. You could help loosen the pore contents by pretreating the skin with a clay mask and or an acid (BHA/AHA). Oils you could use for cleansing include- castor oil or hazelnut for oily/acne prone skin, sunflower or olive oil for dry skin. It may require some trial and error, comedogenicity varies from person to person this table is just a general guide. If you’re prone to acne or blocked pores it may be best to stick to the top of the table (LabMuffin has a good post on this)-

Oils for Oil Cleansing for Different Skin Types

Cleansing- Practical Tips

1. Rather than relying on lather and foam to do the cleansing invest in some nice soft cloths to add some mechanical cleansing. Wash them regularly
2. Don’t leave the cleanser on for too long, they will have more chance to irritate
3. Rinse off with tepid water rather than hot water
4. If your cleanser makes your skin feel super tight and or itchy and uncomfortable this isn’t a good sign
5. You should definitely rinse off micellar water
6. Cleansing wipes do not do a good enough job of removing dirt/makeup/sunscreen and will leave a film of dirt and irritating chemicals
7. Do not use too much cleanser, a hazelnut sized blob should cover the face
8. If you have very dry or eczema prone skin, cleansing in the morning as well as the evening is not essential.

Double Cleansing- How and Why

Double cleansing is a handy way of removing makeup and sunscreen and leaving the skin prepped for the rest of the routine. It is not necessary to double cleanse if you haven’t worn makeup or heavy sunscreen really. The principal behind it is that by using two cleansing steps the skin is in contact with the cleanser for less time, rather than having to work one cleanser into the skin for longer.

It is a technique I use myself, as I’m fond of wearing makeup and I like my mascara to stay on through the day. I use a oily cleanser- at the moment it’s Low Viscosity Cleaning Ester by NIOD, this dissolves my mascara, lipstick and base then I use a soft clean damp cloth to remove this. I rinse my cloth thoroughly then use a water based cleanser like Ishtar Skintight Ultralase or Cerave Hydrating Cleanser to make sure all the dirty oily cleanser is off.

You can use the same cleanser twice if you wanted to, but I find that if I’ve used something oily as a first cleanse I would rather second cleanse with something with a low pH that will remove any residue. I have oily acne prone skin and this works well for me. This second water based step is particularly important if you use AHAs like glycolic acid, as the acid won’t penetrate into the skin if there is any residue of oil.

Cleansing Tools

I don’t know that you need anything special to cleanse with. I like a microfibre cloth because they help to gently move my mascara. I have heard bad things about Clarisonics impairing the moisture barrier, which makes sense, they do seem a bit harsh. Main thing is that the tool is gentle and clean, I had a cleansing sponge once that was quite literally was a scourer, if it feels scratchy you must discard. Black is a good colour so it doesn’t look wrecked after the first use.

• Foreo Luna £129 and the cheaper trial version Luna Play is a textured silicone disc that cleans using sonic vibrations and apparently has some sort of anti ageing effect
• Konjac sponges are a very gentle way to cleanse and lightly physically exfoliate
• Muslin squares dry quickly and are affordable
• Flannels
• Microfibre cloths are very soft and effective, my personal favourite

Summary- What Cleanser Do I Actually Need For My Skin Type

In all truth, there is ‘no one size fits all’ answer. You may be getting away with breaking all the cleanser rules and using bar soap with no problems but I’m guessing you wouldn’t have read this far if that was the case. The principals remain the same for each skin type, try and avoid irritation as much as possible by minimising contact with irritating surfactants. Avoid foam, SLS, ,SLES, alcohol and heavily fragranced products as much as possible. Low pH is best…

So here’s my summary for each skin type-

• Normal or combination skin– Double cleanse if needs be- if wearing makeup or sunscreen. Keep it gentle to avoid causing dryness- an emulsifying oil cleanser and a bland water based non foaming gel for instance.
• Oily or acne prone skin– Just because it’s oily doesn’t mean you can scrub the heck out of it or that you need to lather away all the oils. The more you dehydrate it, the more oil will be produced. Treat it more like dry skin. Feel free to cleanse with oils, follow with a gentle low pH cleanser to remove any oils which could clog.
• Very dry, sensitive, eczema prone or those with a damaged moisture barrier (such as Tretinoin users)– Oil cleansing method should serve you well. Mineral oil is a good starting oil as is is non comedogenic and is readily available. A plain oil is advantageous to damaged skin types because it is emollient and doesn’t contain any surfactants or preservatives that could inflame.
• Fungal acne– I have included fungal acne triggers in my table of cleansers (see below) to help you. There is a list of ingredients that can trigger fungal acne- benzoyl peroxide, fatty acids, most oils, esters, fermented ingredients, polysorbates. Safe ingredients include- fatty alcohols, silicone, capric/caprylic triglycerides, alpha hydroxy acids, mineral oil and squalene. Cleansers are not as much an issue for fungal acne as they son’t remain on the skin for too long.

Cleanser pH Masterlist

I have included all the most popular cleansers in my list after scouring Instagram, Facebook, The Ordinary Chatroom and Reddit groups (r/skincareaddiction esp). There are also some more obscure ones that just have great ingredients and reviews (e.g. Ocusoft and Acne Free).

Some brands are not transparent about their cruelty free and vegan status. Some were only too happy to answer questions (Ishtar Skinlights) and some refused to give me any information (It Cosmetics). The French brands- La Roche Posay, Avene and Vichy made the whole thing very difficult- they seem to give their products very long names and slightly change the names and formulas very regularly. I wouldn’t trust them to keep a formula going long term.

If the cleanser pH master list table is tricky to read, you can head to my SkincareWithFriends Facebook group where you can save the file for future reference. I hope this has been useful for you. It’s not a sponsored post by any means though the links are affiliate which means that if you click and spend you will be supporting my blog.

References-

1. Pappas, Apostolos. “Epidermal surface lipids.” Dermato-endocrinology vol. 1,2 (2009): 72-6. link
2. Grice, Elizabeth A, and Julia A Segre. “The skin microbiome.” Nature reviews. Microbiology vol. 9,4 (2011): 244-53. link
3. Schmid-Wendtner, M-H. & Korting, H.C. “The pH of the Skin Surface and It’s Impact on the Barrier Function” Skin Pharmacology Physiology 19 (2006) 296-302. link
4. https://thelovevitamin.com/3135/caveman-regimen/
5. Corazza, M., Lauriola, M.M., Zappaterra, M., Bianchi, A. & Virgili, A. “Surfactants, Skin Cleansing Protagonists” Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology 24,1, (2009) 1-6 link
6. Eo, J., Seo, Y.K., Baek, J.H., Choi, A.R., Shin, M.K. & Koh, J.S. “Facial Skin Physiology Recovery Kinetics During 180min Post- Washing with a Cleanser” Skin Research & Technology 22,2 (2015) p.148-151. link
7. Ali, S.M., Skin pH: from basic science to basic skin care. Acta dermato-venereologica., 93,3, (2013) p.261. link
8. Fluhr, J.W., Kao, J. Ahn, S.K., Feingold, K.R., Elias, P.M. & Jain M. “Generation of Free Fatty Acids from Phospholipids Regulates Stratum Corneum Acidification and Integrity” The Journal of Investigative Dermatology., 117,1, (2001) p.44-51. link
9. Baranda, L., González-Amaro, R., Torres-Alvarez, B., Alvarez, C. & Ramirez, V. “Correlation Between pH and Irritant Effect of Cleansers Marketed for Dry Skin” International Journal of Dermatology, 41 (2002) p.494-499. link
10. Ananthapadmanabhan, K.P., Moore, D.J, Subrahmanyan, K., Misra, M. &Meyer, F. “Cleansing Without Compromise: The Impact of Cleansers on the Skin Barrier and the Technology of Mild Cleansing” Dermatologic Therapy 17, (2004), p16-25. link