Cleanse without a squeak

Human skin is a complex ecosystem, and one needs to be aware that any disruption in the microbiome can create irritation, inflammation, dry, itchy skin, dermatitis, and even worsen already existing skin conditions. That is why each skin care routine step, including cleansing, is something worth giving a thought, to understand the mechanism of action and consequences.
Skin Cleansing
Cleansing requires a delicate balance between skin hygene and skin barrier damage. The act of cleansing is a complex interaction (physical and chemical) between water, cleanser, and the skin. Skin cleansers can affect microbial communities by changing their environment. During cleansing, surfactant structures called micelles are created. Micelles are able to surround oily substances such as dirt, skin lipids, sebum and remove from the surface by washing off. Unfortunately, surfactants cannot distinguish between them and will remove anything that has lipophilic (oily) properties, including precious skin barrier lipids. A lot of currently in use surfactants also bind to skin proteins and damage the outer skin cells and enzymes. That, in turn, hugely affects the skin’s moisture-holding capability.
Barrier Damage
Barrier damage is also influenced by cleanser pH. For example, soap has a typically high pH (10–12), causing skin proteins to swell, which allows deeper penetration into the skin, resulting in irritation and itching. When the excess water evaporates, it leads to tightness and dryness because the soap binding reduces the ability of skin proteins to hold water. With excessive drying of the skin comes overcompensation by the oil glands and more oil on the surface.
Cleansers can disrupt the skin surface, which in turn disturbs the environment where the good bacteria thrive. When that happens, there is an imbalance in the microbial community composition that characterizes several skin disorders, such as eczema, allergies, or acne.
About Cleansing
Most commonly used surfactants cause skin irritation; no wonder they have become widely used as model irritants in the investigation of skin reactions! Some examples of those surfactants are SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate), SLES (Sodium Laureth Sulfate), Sodium C14-C16 Olefin Sulfonate, and others. They are cost-effective, so they would be the no. 1 choice for most cleansers. The most skin friendly cleansing agents include glucosides (Lauryl Glucoside, Decyl Glucoside, Coco Glucoside) but most of all, amino acid and peptide-derived surfactants such as: Glycinates, Glutamates, Alaninates, Argininates, plant amino acids derivatives (such as Lauryl Oat Amino Acids, Cocoyl Wheat Amino Acids, Cocoyl Apple Amino Acids)
Good Cleanser Is
- Based on skin microbiome friendly surfactants such as glucosides, amino acids and peptides derivatives.
- Based on mild, gentle surfactants with low irritation potential.
- pH balanced to around 5.0
- With skin conditioning ingredients (moisturisers, NMF components).
- With refatting ingredients to replenish the skin barrier (plant oils).