Washing the face is perhaps one of the most important parts of any skincare routine. After a long and tiring day of being out and about, it’s crucial that you get rid of all the dirt, oil, and impurities your face has probably accumulated over time. With that in mind, it helps to stock up on a good facial cleanser as part of your essential skincare regimen.
But before anything else, you have to remember: skincare products aren’t “one-size-fits-all.” What might work for others might not give you the same results—and that’s absolutely okay. So given that each person has a different skin type, how exactly do you know which facial cleanser is right for you? We asked Dr. Elaine F. Kung, MD, of Future Bright Dermatology to find out. Keep reading to learn more.
The Best Facial Cleanser For Each Skin Type
Sensitive Skin
According to Dr. Kung, "Statistically, women with sensitive skin frequently use liquid soap-free or gel cleansers." She notes, "Addressing barrier dysfunction by using cleanser formulations that restore skin hydration, normalize skin pH, and restore the microbiome and skin lipids can assist in improving signs and symptoms of sensitive reactive skin like rosacea."
Dry, Sensitive, and Rash-Prone Skin
"If you have dry, sensitive, and rash prone skin, look for cleansers with skin barrier restoring ingredients such as ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide. Avoid potentially irritating ingredients like fragrances, dyes, and sodium lauryl sulfate," she tells us.
Dry, Sensitive Skin And Not Acne-Prone
Additionally, she says, "If [your skin is] extremely dry and sensitive without problems of acne, you may even consider micellar water and cleansing oils. A clinical study showed that four weeks of using a cleansing oil significantly decreased skin dryness, scaling, irritation, redness, and itchiness because of a significant decrease in transepidermal water loss."
Oily, Acne-Prone Skin
Dr. Kung warns, "Even though there's a huge trend towards exfoliating cleansers as a popular item for oily, acne-prone skin and for anti aging purposes, studies have shown that over exfoliation can cause more inflammatory acne, pustules, redness, and flushing."
She shares, "I do recommend people with oily, acne-prone skin to consider cleansers with ingredients such as salicylic acid, glycolic acid, sulfur, benzoyl peroxide, or niacinamide cleansers. However, I don't necessarily recommend that they use them every single day, especially if their skincare also includes other potentially irritating products like retinoids."
Instead, she recommends people with this skin type "to still have a gentle skin cleanser without exfoliating chemicals or beads to use in case oil-controlling products become intolerant."
