You might have heard that foaming cleansers are bad for your skin for ages. Although this is somewhat true, this notion isn’t anywhere near the whole story. Bad experiences are often due to a cleanser’s formulation or the ingredients, not the foam.
Traditional surfactant sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is the major ingredient due to which people believe that the foaming cleansers are not good for use and strips away the natural oils from the skin aggressively. In fact, it is such a harsh surfactant that scientists used the SLS in their experiment in order to purposely rupture the skin barrier.
The extremely high pH causes the skin to become dull, dry and dehydrated. Leaves the skin feel dry and squeaky after using. In addition, it strips away the natural oils of the skin. The pH of the skin surges towards alkaline balance. In addition, the microbiome of the skin is compromised. The risk of itching, dryness and flakiness increases.
In order to overcome the same issue, scientists have improvised the formulation. The real problem is not the foam formula, instead the real culprit is the ingredients and the pH of the formulations.
In addition are the heavy fragrances that are sometimes incorporated in the formulation. These tend to increase the sensitivity of the skin making it more prone to redness, irritation and sensitivity.
Modern formulations are pH balanced and the surfactants that are used are milder and are often derived naturally. The formulation incorporated with these surfactants tend to produce a rich amount of which is capable of removing the dirt and buildup effectively without compromising the skin barrier. This leaves a fresh and hydrated feeling after wash. Also they are made free from fragrance that further help reducing the sensitivity and irritation.
The plant derived surfactants are being vastly used in the modern foaming face washes thus making them safe to use and making them free from causing any type of unwanted reactions.
The Modern Cleansers Are Better Than The Old Foaming Cleanser In The Following Ways
. Keep the normal skin pH protected and balanced.
. Performs the cleansing action without stripping away the natural oils from the skin.
. Being derived from the plant, they usually are biodegradable and hence are safe for the environment too.
Understanding The Modern Foaming Cleanser Formulation
The modern day cleansers also known as foaming cleansers being formed are usually made by mixing a primary surfactant with a milder secondary surfactant to reduce harshness. This method also helps to restore the skin’s natural lipid barrier and prevents dryness. Preventing the cleansing associated with priority.
These formulations are also infused with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin and aloe vera. A quality pH-balancing cleanser along with naturally derived ingredients leaves the skin clean without actually drying out.
The whole formulation includes a primary surfactant, secondary surfactant, pH balancers and botanical extracts or actives to target a specific type of skin issue. Hence the modern day formulation ensures deep cleaning without disrupting the skin barrier additionally preserving the natural microbiome of the skin.
Let’s Understand The Mechanism Of Foam Cleansers
Foams are basically a byproduct of the chemical reaction occurring between the surfactant and water. The micelle formation causes the action associated with the cleansing. It comprises a hydrophilic head and a lipophilic tail. The lipophilic tail tends to get attached with the oil and dirt while the hydrophilic head remains suspended in the air or toward the water.
Thus capturing the dirt and excess sebum. They get washed out when splashed with lukewarm water. Rich foam or lather doesn’t really mean good cleansing action, instead they must be able to perform the cleansing action without using harsh surfactants and cleaning efficiently without stripping away the skin’s natural oil.
Let’s Look Deep In Surfactants
The old school formulations of the foaming face cleansers usually consisted of harsh surfactants such as, Sodium Lauryl sulfate(SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate(SLES) that aggressively strip off the natural oils from the skin leaving the skin feeling dry and tight after washing. They directly targeted the stratum corneum layer of the skin, dissolving the natural oils and lipids of the skin and causing irritation.
The modern day gentle face cleansers on the other employ plant derived surfactants that are non-ionic or amphoteric in nature. For example, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Decyl Glucoside and Cocamidopropyl Betaine. These facilitate removing the dirt from the skin without interfering with the natural skin barrier.
The modern day face cleansers usually and very importantly include hydrating agents such as hyaluronic acid, glycerine and squalene etc which are responsible for maintaining and retaining the skin hydration. Likewise addition of ceramides is also adopted that would facilitate and maintain the skin’s natural lipid barrier.
Summary
Face cleansers are the base of any skin care regimen. It is the bridge between environmental pollution and the skin care regimen. Choosing a good face cleanser should be a very important task where one must pay proper amount of attention towards the formulation type, the ingredients, the pH and the skin type they bear.
So that they receive best benefit from the formulation without actually compromising with the skin barrier and the natural skin microbiome. The argument which stated that the foam based face cleanser formulations caused irritation and dryness for ages is now not a myth. Since the modern day face cleansers are formulated in a completely new way.
The previous formulation used to include harsh surfactants in their formula that would strip away the natural oils from the skin and disrupt the skin barrier very badly. Which is not a case anymore in the modern day formulations. It includes plant derived mild surfactant that would clean the skin efficiently without stripping away the natural oils.
In addition they are loaded with hydrating agents such as hyaluronic acid, glycerine and squalene that replenish the skin’s hydration. In addition to it the formulations are pH balanced. They align with the skin’s natural pH which is slightly acidic in nature. Therefore these changes make the modern day foam cleansers the best out of rest and safe to use. They clean the skin without stripping away the natural oils and disrupting the skin barrier.
