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Is Your Cleanser Hurting Your Skin Barrier?

Is Your Cleanser Hurting Your Skin Barrier?

Our skin responds differently every day to internal and external factors. Have you ever felt tightness after washing, experienced breakouts despite cleansing thoroughly, or struggled with persistent dryness? 

 

These are often signs of a weakened skin barrier, the result of using unsuitable cleansers that disrupts your skin's natural pH level and strips away natural oils, leaving skin vulnerable in bad conditions (e.g. irritation, inflammation and dehydration).

 

Why Not All Cleansers Work The Same For Your Skin

Suitable products will support your skin barrier, while unsuitable products could have an adverse effect.
Each of them varies in:

  • Types of texture (gel, cream, foam, oil and syndet)
  • Active ingredients
  • pH level
  • Targeted skin concerns

 

Our skin barrier’s pH level lays around a slightly acidic pH of 4.5 to 5.5. Hence, when a product contains active ingredients that’s too harsh on the skin or pH level that’s too alkaline, this can weaken the skin barrier, especially in humid climates and if you have sensitive skin. Understanding this connection brings a step toward choosing products that support your skin type.

 

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Suitable Cleanser

 


Types of Cleansers and Their Benefits

For Dry, Sensitive, Eczema-prone or Compromised Skin

 

If you’re getting a “tight” or "squeaky clean” feeling after every wash, it’s actually a warning sign that your skin’s moisture and natural oil have been stripped away by these harsh cleansers.

 

Designed to break this cycle, our Dermally Hydrating Barrier Wash is a pH balanced formula that works to prevent dryness and irritation, making it a gentle and reliable choice for daily use on both face and body.

 

The key to lasting comfort is a thoughtful blend of skin-loving actives. Panthenol and Vitamin E combine together to help your skin recover from daily environmental stress by supporting skin barrier repair and providing antioxidant protection. Meanwhile, Saccharide Isomerate pairs with Glycerin to pull moisture deep into the skin for long-lasting hydration, leaving your skin feeling calm, soft and resilient over time. 

 

For Oily, Acne-Prone, Body Acne or Clogged Pores

 

Dealing with breakouts often feels like a battle, but the secret to clear skin doesn’t have to be difficult. Try out our Dermally Acne Face & Body Wash that contains actives targeted for acne care, ensuring your skin feels refreshed and calm while providing gentle cleansing and skin recovery. 


To achieve such results, we’ve powered our formula with a blend of beneficial actives, such as Salicylic Acid to unclog your pores, reduce excessive sebum and exfoliate dead skin cells, paired with Tea Tree Oil to provide essential antibacterial support. We’ve paired CICA (Centella Asiatica) complex and Panthenol to allow the actives to work effectively and lock in moisture while keeping your skin feeling calm. 


For Babies and Toddlers of All Skin Types

 

Babies and toddlers tend to lose moisture far more rapidly due to their skin barrier being thinner and more delicate than adults, making it prone to dryness and irritation. Our Baby Daily Gentle Wash offers a mild and non-irritating formula that preserves the natural skin barrier. 

 

Formulated for newborns, our wash is powered with the most comforting ingredients you could find, such as Star Anise and Allantoin provide natural soothing properties to calm and soften skin, whereas Squalane mimics the skin’s natural oils to support and reinforce the skin’s moisture barrier, along with Vitamin E, our antioxidant protection ingredient to protect baby’s skin from environmental stresses. Our Baby Daily Gentle Wash is more than just a cleanser, it’s also a way to ensure that even the most delicate skin stays resilient, soft and hydrated all the time, allowing them to enjoy every moment of their bath time.

 

Common Mistakes When Choosing A Cleanser

Your skincare should be your skin’s best friend and not its biggest rival. When we choose our cleanser based on the wrong criteria, no matter how potent your actives or how rich your toner and moisturizers are, they’re unable to perform their best on a skin barrier that has been compromised. Let's stop this cycle and dive into some of the most common mistakes you might be making.

  • Choosing a body wash based on only texture, rather than the ingredients
  • Picking a body wash that does not match your skin type
  • Using an adult cleanser on babies
  • Ignoring skin irritation and tightness after every shower
  • Switching to different cleansers too frequently

 

Once we move past the common mistakes above, let’s check out how our skin behaves in less than five minutes after we’ve patted it dry from washing. One of the most simple ways to know is when your skin feels gentle and leaves your skin in a state of equilibrium. Your skin should feel:

  • Clean but not tight
  • Calm with no signs of redness and irritation
  • Skin is in a balance state that’s neither oily nor dry

 

If you ever feel that your skin is consistently itchy, tighter and more inflamed after washing, it’s a clear signal that the skin barrier (your first line of defence) is being attacked by pathogens. Reassessing skincare products is crucial to restoring your skin barrier and ensuring the next step of skincare products works effectively altogether.

 

Why Our Choice On Cleansers Matters More Than You Think

With hundreds of bottles promising everything from “glowing skin” to “pore-shrinking miracles”, it’s definitely tempting to grab whatever is on sale at that moment, or selecting products based on how it smells, rather than what your skin needs. However, beneath all the fantasy bubbles, cleansing, the first step in our skincare routine, influences & makes the most difference in our routine.

 

|  One step can make all the difference

 

Most of us rush through the cleansing step, treating it like a house chore, when in reality it will determine how well your other skincare products (e.g. serums and sunscreen) will perform. Acquiring the right wash doesn’t just help cleanse your skin, it also helps prepare a healthier skin barrier, hence the pH level of your wash matters more than you think.

 

While it’s easy to view cleansers and body washes as a “wash-off” product, where their presence doesn’t really matter as they won’t stay on the skin for long, the wrong pH level or harsh ingredients can cause damage to your skin that takes up to weeks or even months for your skin to repair.

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