What is a Cleanser and Why is it Essential for Healthy-Looking Skin?

A high-quality cleanser leaves the skin feeling fresh, clean, and balanced, ready to take on the next step of your skincare regimen.

While it may seem straightforward, choosing the right cleanser can significantly impact how your skin looks and feels. Understanding how cleansers work and which one best suits your skin type can help you navigate the countless formulations to find the right one for you.

An effective skin cleanser serves several important functions that support healthy-looking skin. Here’s what a cleanser does and why it’s such an important part of your skincare regimen:

Key Benefits of a Skin Cleanser

• Makeup Removal: Cleansers help remove makeup, dirt, and environmental impurities, without stripping the skin.
• Unclogging Pores: Daily cleansing helps clear skin of excess oil and debris that can clog pores and lead to blemishes.
• Maintaining Moisture Balance: An effective cleanser supports the skin’s moisture barrier to help maintain hydration and leave the skin feeling soft and smooth, instead of tight and dry.

Using a cleanser in the morning and evening can keep your skin feeling healthy, hydrated, and prepped to effectively reap the benefits of moisturizers, serums, or other treatments that target specific concerns. Harsh or excessive cleansing can disrupt the skin’s natural pH balance and barrier, so it’s important to use formulations that support the skin’s ability to repair and protect itself.

Skin cleansers come in several forms, each with unique textures and properties tailored to suit different skin types and concerns. Here are the main types of cleansers we offer and how they could cater to various skin needs:

Types of Cleansers

• Cleansing Balm: Cleansing balms use oils to attract and dissolve other oily substances, like makeup and facial impurities. Some cleansing balms can remain oil-free by using ingredients like squalane, which is naturally found in your skin.
• Cream Cleanser: Suitable for all skin types, cream cleansers help dissolve makeup, dirt, and surface impurities. They also tend to contain nourishing ingredients that support the skin barrier.
• Foaming Cleanser: This type of cleanser contains molecules that help lift dirt and excess oil. Foaming cleansers are typically suitable for all skin types, but some formulations can be drying. If you have naturally dry skin, consider a more gentle foaming cleanser.

Selecting a cleanser that meets the needs of your skin type is crucial for achieving effective results. Different skin types benefit from different textures and ingredients, so it’s helpful to understand which cleanser may be right for you:

Oily Skin

Skin cleansers for oily skin tend to be foaming. They help manage excess oil and remove impurities from the skin’s surface. Our Glucoside Foaming Cleanser is formulated with plant-based surfactants that gently cleanse while respecting the barrier of even the most delicate skin.

Dry Skin

Dry skin requires gentle hydration during cleansing to prevent the stripping of natural oils. Our plant-derived Squalane Cleanser, an oil-free cleansing balm, removes makeup while supporting the skin’s moisture barrier through hydration, leaving the skin feeling soft and smooth.

All Skin Types

Effective cleansers should remove surface impurities without irritating the skin. Our Glycolipid Cream Cleanser is a non-stripping, creamy cleanser designed to maintain hydration by respecting the skin’s natural barrier and pH.

Combination Skin

Combination skin has both oily and dry areas. It benefits from a balanced formulation that cleanses without stripping or irritating the skin. Mild foaming cleansers, like the Glucoside Foaming Cleanser, can best support this skin type.

Cleansing isn’t just about removing impurities. The right cleanser can help target your specific skin concerns, from dullness to signs of congestion and visible shine. It can also provide a base for healthier-looking skin overall. Some of the key benefits you may experience after finding the ideal cleanser for your skin include:

Improved Skin Texture and Tone

Regular cleansing helps penetrate pores and keep them unclogged, reducing pore visibility and the appearance of blemishes, redness, and comedones. This can improve the look of skin clarity and texture while balancing the skin tone and boosting radiance.

Better Moisture Balance

While soaps can strip the skin and make it feel tight and dry, high-quality cleansing formulations help support the skin’s natural moisture barrier to maintain hydration. This leaves the skin feeling softer and smoother after each use.

Enhanced Benefits From Other Skincare Products

Clean skin is more receptive to other skincare products, allowing treatments, serums, and moisturizers to absorb more effectively. By preparing the skin with a cleanser that aligns with your skin type, you’re setting the stage for the next steps in your regimen.

To get the most out of your skin cleanser, thoughtfully integrate it into your daily regimen. Here are some tips:

Use Morning and Night

Cleansing is the Prep stage of your skincare regimen. You can begin your AM and PM routines with a cleanser to remove makeup, excess oil, and daily surface impurities while preparing your skin to receive active ingredients.

Be Gentle With Your Application

Start by dispensing the cleanser into your hands. Using slow, circular motions, gently massage the cleanser onto wet or dry skin, depending on the type of cleanser.

Avoid scrubbing and always patch test any product before full use to prevent irritation. When in doubt, check the usage details for the safest way to apply your cleanser.

Follow with Toner, Targeted Treatments, and Moisturizer

After cleansing (Prep), consider using a toner for additional exfoliation, hydration, and barrier support. A toner can help remove any remaining traces of makeup or dirt and dissolve the bonds that hold dead skin cells together, revealing smoother, more radiant skin.

Next is the Treat stage, where you can address specific skin concerns using targeted formulations. This is followed by the Seal stage, where a moisturizers can lock in the benefits of your treatments and support the skin barrier.

If you’re unsure what your skincare regimen should look like, use our Regimen Builder to select a suite of formulations customized to your skin concerns.

Toners help to gently exfoliate, smooth out textural irregularities, and prepare your skin for additional products like serums and moisturizers. A great option is our Saccharomyces Ferment 30% Milky Toner. This gentle, exfoliating toner contains 30% saccharomyces ferment—a yeast-derived ingredient that hydrates and smooths uneven texture. It also includes 3% fermented N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) to boost radiance and gently exfoliate the skin's surface.

A moisturizer seals the hydration and benefits from your previous steps, boosting your skin’s natural moisture barrier. Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA is an excellent choice. It combines natural ingredients like amino acids, fatty acids, triglycerides, ceramides, and hyaluronic acid to provide long-lasting moisture without feeling greasy.

Cleansing might sound like a basic step. In reality, it’s foundational for achieving and maintaining healthy-looking skin. The right cleanser is a powerful tool that goes beyond cleaning to nurture and protect your skin while targeting your most prominent skin concerns.

Use our Regimen Builder to design a custom skincare plan, including the most effective cleanser for your unique skin type and concerns.