Skincare Decoded. Victoria Fu
secretes sweat and sebum—all part of your skin’s natural upkeep—which
ensures that it continues to serve as a healthy barrier against outside pathogens.
In other words, well, you’re shedding, and that’s okay! But just know that those
dust bunnies that you keep having to clean up around the house? A lot of that is
actually you! You can’t blame it all on your cat!
Think of washing as an anti-aging step. You may associate washing your face
with removing makeup, or maybe our old friend acne prevention—but it’s so
much more than that. All those particulates can accumulate and cause changes
in texture and clarity. They can even add to potential irritation. Pollutants, if left
unchecked, can start an unwanted cascade of free radical damage that contributes
to aging. You read correctly—your cleanser functions as an age-prevention step.
It should be the first step of your routine. Let’s be real: You almost certainly
wouldn’t be reading this book unless you were planning to invest in your
routine. So, let’s make sure we’re starting off on the right foot—with a clean face!
Applying product to an unwashed face can potentially trap dirt and unwanted
microbes underneath. In addition to causing breakouts, this can make it harder
for your products to penetrate and go to work on your skin. Overall, skipping
the cleansing step is pretty counterproductive if you’re wanting to build a good
routine, so let’s start off with a clean slate!
The Takeaway
As unglamorous as cleansers may seem, they do work for you every day. They’re
the Scottie Pippin of skincare products. Always remember, Michael Jordan might
have gotten all the spotlight, but he couldn’t have won all those championships
without Scottie. That’s right, we’re saying your cleanser is your routine’s Scottie P.
SKINCARE DECODED • 32 CLEANSERS • 33
A Very Brief History
of Cleansers
Probably one of the oldest forms of skincare, soap has
been around for almost 6,000 years, since the time of
ancient Babylon. All sorts of ingredients have been used to
make soap, such as ash (lye), animal fat (or pancreases!),
plant oils, and more. The first mention of soap—originally used to clean textiles and
as a medicine—as a skin cleanser was during the Roman Empire. More commonly,
Romans would massage oil into their skin and scrape away the grime—who knew oil
cleansers had so much history? Liquid soap didn’t come around until the late 1800s,
when it was invented by Palmolive. There’s many more that we haven’t listed here.
When you’re traveling, try checking out the local soap shops to see different cultures’
takes on this skincare essential.
Soaps Around the World
Every ancient civilization had its favorite recipe for soap. You can actually find modern
versions of these old-school formulas still in use.
African Black Soap Originating from West Africa, black soap uses the ash from burnt
plant bits like bark and cocoa kernels, which is how it gets its signature color. Fans of
African black soap swear by its antimicrobial properties for acne-prone skin.
Beldi Soap Also known as Moroccan black soap, Beldi has a signature gooey
consistency and lack of water in the formula. It’s traditionally used with gloves for a
deep body exfoliation.
Aleppo Soap Hailing from the city of Aleppo, Syria, this soap is reputed to have
historical origins in ancient Egypt and Syria. Its key ingredient is laurel berry oil.
Marseilles Soap Named after the French city of Marseilles, this soap is made with a blend
of seawater and olive oil. A very effective cleanser, it’s even used for household cleaning—
which means it might be too harsh for dry, sensitive skin.
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A TYPICAL CLEANSER
MICELLE
WASH . . . . . . AND RINSE
The Science of Cleansers
T
he main “cleansing” components of any cleanser—whether soap, gel, oil,
or foam—are its surfactants. These are cool little guys with a hydrophilic
(water-loving) head and a hydrophobic (water-hating) tail. The fact that they
can interact with both means these guys are a shoo-in for cleansing, since
they can pick up dirt and grime, and then be lifted off your face with a splash
of water. In a cleanser, these surfactants bunch together to form sphere-like
micelles. As you apply the cleanser and scrub, the micelles interact with the oil
and grime, attach to it, and carry it away with a rinse. That . . . sounds relatively
simple, right? Well, yes and no.
Dirt & Grime
Hydrophilic Head
Hydrophobic Tails
Skin Skin
Our Work
Here Is Done
Water-Loving Head
Oil-Loving Tails
TOO GENTLE TOO CLEANSING
Find Your
Balance
SKINCARE DECODED • 34 CLEANSERS • 35
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Mr. Micelle vs. Stratum Corneum
While the science is relatively straightforward (we hope!), creating the perfect
cleanser is a bit of an art. The ideal cleanser would only interact with the
dirt and leave your stratum corneum alone. Unfortunately, some surfactants
aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed. Some great-seeming surfactants can
actually attach to your SC proteins and lipids, causing you skin to have that
“stripped” dryness postcleansing. There are some folks that end up confusing
“super clean” as “stripped bare,” that’s definitely not the goal!
In addition to SC interaction, your cleanser can disrupt your SC’s acid
mantle. This isn’t an actual, physical mantle. The term refers to the lightly
acidic environment of your SC and this acidity plays a role in SC’s overall
health. In fact, higher skin