Literally the first step to every skincare routine, cleansers play a huge role in balancing our skin’s surface and keeping it clean. But what is in a cleanser? What makes it all sudsy? Is it good to get a squeaky clean feel after washing? Can you wash your face the same with just water? All those answers and more are about to be explained, at least I hope!

Before we dive into what is in your daily cleanser, let’s make sure we are on the same page as far as what cleansers are, how they are used and the skin types they are meant for.

What Are They?

Cleansers are products containing soaping or cleansing agents to remove dirt and debris from a surface. They are different from exfoliants in that they don’t focus on dead skin removal, even though some dead skin will naturally slough off while cleansing.

There are cleansers for all different reasons (hand soap, dish soap, shampoo), different ways to formulate, and places where they are meant to be used, like our body soap we don’t use to wash our dishes. Telling an esthetician that you’re using hand soap on your face might raise an eyebrow and be met with some words about how damaging it is to the skin, so make sure you are using soap where it’s meant to be used. No dish soap on the face!

How Are They Used?

Typically, a cleanser requires some water to activate ingredients that help break down dirt and debris. After massaging your cleanser into the skin, you’ll rinse with water and pat dry your skin. The “soapy” or “sudsing effect” of our cleanser is what breaks the bonds of oil and debris from the surface of our skin. However, there are some cleansers that don’t need water, like in the case of an oil cleanser, where the skin is dry in order to work, and then water is added. Some cream-based cleaners work in a similar way.

In the case of oil and cream-based cleaners where you don’t get that foamy effect, there are other ingredients in the product that lifts the dirt and debris off the skin, but water and a cloth or wipe are also involved. Please note - you can use a cleanser without water (cream-based cleansers) but you cannot wash your skin without a cleanser and only water. Water adjusts the pH of our skin’s surface whereas the cleanser helps to keep it in that 4.5 - 5.5 pH range.

You want to cleanse skin for 60-90 seconds, if you’re not 100% sure if you’re cleansing correctly, check out my video HERE all about how to cleanse and maximize those 90 seconds. You only have to cleanse once, but if you are a makeup wearer, I would encourage something known as the Double Cleanse, more on that in this blog HERE. The last point I want to make with how they are used is that you do not want that “squeaky clean” feeling after cleansing. The skin should feel clean and soft but not stripped. That squeaky feel is actually your acid mantle being removed, you need that and this isn’t the time to be removing it!

Who Are They For?

There is a cleanser for everybody and every body part! The trick is knowing which is best for you, and that comes down to ingredients.

Don’t freak out! You don’t have to know every ingredient to know what your skin needs. There are some general rules of thumb when choosing a facial cleanser based on skin types:

Combination Skin

Foamy Cleanser, Cream Cleanser to remove makeup

Oily Skin

Clay Cleanser, Oil-Based Cleanser (yes, because oil attracts oil and removes it), and Foamy Cleansers
For acne-prone skin, you’re looking for cleansers with actives like Salicylic Acid, Glycolic Acid, or oxygenating as bacteria is anaerobic

Dry Skin

Cream Cleanser, Foamy Cleanser, or Oil-Based Cleanser can be used regularly

Normal Skin

Foamy or Cream Cleansers can be used

You can see that almost everyone can benefit from a foamy style cleanser, just keep the actives (BHA, AHA) and exfoliating ingredients (those dang beads or tiny scrubbing sand) for the exfoliation portion of your routine, it doesn't have to be in every step. More exfoliation does not equal better skin, it means thinner, more aggravated, and sensitive skin.

I feel we are now on the same page with cleansers! Even though that was a lot of information, luckily you don’t have to remember it all, just make a note of what mentions your skin type, or a new fact that you want to apply when choosing your next cleanser.

Understanding the basics of cleansers and how to choose them is just the beginning though, to truly know a cleanser, you must know its key ingredients. More good news, there are categories of ingredients that you can find in all cleansers, so knowing just a few explains a lot.

For this blog, I broke them up into Surfactants, Active Ingredients, and Fillers To Watch For. Most of these ingredients will be high on the product’s list, so you don’t have to search too far to find what you know. Once you know what you like and don’t like, for example, I love finding foamy cleansers with skin calming ingredients, then you can look for that when selecting a new line to try. I shared a post on my Pinterest about how to choose samples HERE, cleansers are one of my go-to’s when testing out a new line!

Just to recap, you know what cleansers are, how to use them, and what skin types prefer what types of cleansers. You’re (hopefully) excited to try new cleansers from product lines you’ve been waiting to try but still are not 100% sure what you’re looking at when you read a product’s label. Ready to unlock that mystery?

Firstly, not all surfactants are bad, and not all are good. The key here is knowing the difference so when you pick up your cleanser and read the label you know if you should keep it or toss it. Here are five of the most common surfactants used in skincare cleansers:

Surfactants

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate: This can be derived from plants but can also be derived from petroleum, something I strongly urge against using. This can cause topical irritation.
Sodium Laureth Sulfate: Similar to Sodium Lauryl Sulfate but still very different;

They function similarly in the sense that both ingredients create that foamy feel in products, but as Fu explains it, sodium lauryl sulfate binds to proteins on the skin's surface more than sodium laureth sulfate. What this means is that sodium lauryl sulfate has the potential to be more irritating and there's a higher rate of contact allergy to it: "In terms of irritation potential of a product, sodium laureth sulfate is a better alternative than sodium lauryl sulfate," Fu says.
-Brooke Shunatona, ‘Sodium Lauryl Sulfate For Skin’ https://www.byrdie.com/sodium-lauryl-sulfate-for-skin-4707396

Sodium Cocoamphoacetate: A very gently, deeply hydrating cleansing agent also commonly used in hair care. It is neither an irritant nor a toxin and is safe to use in percentages under 10%.
Decyl Glucoside (sugar surfactant): Used in soaps for its foamability this is a gentle, effective cleansing agent that’s amazing for dry skin and retaining skin’s hydration.

When I say “active ingredients” I mean ingredients that can exfoliate the surface of our skin, so more along the lines of a two-in-one cleanser and exfoliant type product. Like all those facial cleansing scrubs you see on the shelves at Target, they are marked as a cleanser but really they are an exfoliant that is not necessarily best to use every day. Let’s dive right into what those ingredients are and what they do to your skin:

Active Ingredients

AHA: Also known as Alpha Hydroxy Acids, there are many AHA’s out there and each one has a skin condition that it is best for. Check out my Ingredients Blog HERE where I explain those a lot more in-depth.
BHA: AKA Beta Hydroxy Acid and there is really only one, Salicylic Acid. This is best known for treating acne and oily skin but is commonly found in skincare labeled anti-aging. Even though it is best for oilier skin, it isn’t harmful to use on other skin types, it just isn’t really necessary. I opt for enzymes or AHA to treat other skin types.
Beads/Seeds: I’m not going to go too in-depth here on this as it is in the blog linked above, but, often you will find seeds or microbeads as a part of your facial cleanser. These are extremely common in over-the-counter products (I see you Clean & Clear) and very often not marketed for the right skin. Can everyone use them? Yes. Should everyone use them? No. How do you know if you need a seed or bead as a part of your cleanser? You probably don’t and can just use it as an exfoliant. More on how to use those HERE

Like the intermission in a play or most celebrities’ faces, there’s always a little filler. In your skincare products these function to support the overall look, texture, feel, finish, and aroma of your product.

Most of your ingredient list is actually filler! That’s not a bad thing, you want your cleanser to hold its gel shape or have the subtle aroma of citrus, and you definitely want it to keep a long shelf life! Some names might look scary but are actually natural. I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again, ingredient lists have to use the scientific name of the ingredient so something like Lavendar is actually Lavandula Officinalis. So just what’s filling up your cleanser?

Common Fillers In Cleansers:

Capric/Caprylic Triglyceride - You’ll find this in many of the skincare products in my online store, and probably a few on your shelf at home. Used often as an emollient binding ingredients together, it’s also a preservative (shelf life of your product) and antioxidant.
Vegetable Glycerin - Remember back in the ‘Ingredients 101: Moisturizer’ blog I shared about humectants? If not that’s ok, it’s a category of ingredients that draw moisture into the skin. That’s what glycerin does in skincare products, it helps to draw moisture into the skin, which balances the other ingredients in cleansers that strip the skin’s surface and cleanse debris.
Decyl Glucoside - This ingredient you’ll find in extra sudsy cleansers! Known for its foaming abilities, this little gem is non-toxic and won’t dry skin out.
Phenoxyethanol - Commonly used as a preservative and product stabilizer, this ingredient has been linked to skin irritations and is best left on the shelf at the store.
Sodium Stearate - Used as a thickening agent to help solidify soaps, this is commonly used in skincare and even deodorants. Unfortunately, it is a known skin irritant and can cause topical irritation and even rashes.

“A woman is most beautiful when she smiles. Other than that. the most valuable tip I’ve learned is to always use a skin moisturizer.”

— Beyonce

Some of these ingredients keep skin soft and hydrated while other ingredients cleanse, and others are best left unused. Like life, everything in skin care is about balance. Balancing the tough with the soft, the cleansed with the hydrated, and knowing which cleanser and ingredients do this for your skin type.

Remember, if you are ever struggling with what your skin type is and what products to use for it, head over to my Instagram and check out my Skin Type Quiz linked in my bio. After you take the quiz you’ll be able to see my notes for that skin type as well as receive a personalized email from me all about your skin based on your responses.

I couldn’t talk about cleansers without taking a moment to discuss the tools associated with them. Some of you may use them, some of you may think you need them, but I promise you that you can get great results without using these tools at home. They are fun to use though.

“I use [my] Clarisonic, it’s great for removing excess oil and makeup and leaves my face feeling really smooth and clean.”

— Fergie aka Fergalicious

Cleansing Tools

Clarisonic - An electric, rotating facial brush, this tool can turn any cleanser into a two-in-one cleanser + exfoliation. If you have a rougher skin texture, consider using one of these nightly. For the rest of us 3-4X a week is enough and like mentioned before can count as your exfoliation step too.
Manual Brush - Unlike the Clarisonic, this tool does not rotate and requires you to use circular, upward motions while using. Similar to the Clarisonic, you don’t need to use this all the time, but it is really great to use to remove thick face makeup: on dry skin, massage a cream-based cleanser into the skin, have some cleanser on the brush, massage the brush on top of the cleanser on skin. You will need to use shampoo or hand wash to cleanse the makeup out of your manual brush.
Buff Puff - You might have seen these in the beauty aisle at any store, they are peach-colored egg-shaped loofa pads that are marked as used on the face. However, I believe these are too rough for the skin and unnecessary. You can get a deeper and better exfoliation from an enzymatic exfoliant like the Pumpkin Brightening Mask.
Cleansing Wipes - Similar to a makeup wipe, these are touted as being able to cleanse your skin without water, or with minimal water. Eh. I make my own if needed with coconut oil or a cream cleanser, but I still need to use water or a sponge to rinse and remove the residual product.

If you have a Clarisonic or Manual Brush, make sure you’re using it regularly and cleaning it often! The issue I usually find is clients just don’t use them. You invested in that tool, it’s important to get your money’s worth. On the other hand, steer clear from that egg-shaped buff puff, it’s far too harsh for most body skin and is best used on elbows, knees, and toes.

I know that was quite a lot and you are probably not going to remember what was shared at the beginning of the blog! That’s ok! Bookmark this, print it out, whatever you need to do so that you have this information at the click of a mouse. Make a note in your phone of what ingredients you want to use and which to watch out for. My hope is that these blogs help you make better. more confident product decisions.

It’s important we know what's being used on our skin as it is a giant sponge for our body, make sure you’re using the good stuff, and like in with Capric/Caprylic Triglyceride don’t be afraid of big, scary ingredient names, they might actually be really good for you! Head over to my Instagram and let me know if this blog answered some questions for you! As always, be good to your skin and even better to your whole self.

xx eri

Ingredients 101: What's In Cleansers?