Which cleanser strips the skin of its natural oils and is the most damaging on the skin?

• A. Facial Cleansing Milks
• B. Facial Foaming Cleansers
• C. Rosewater Toner
• D. Pseudo Folliculitis

Answer: (B)

Cleansers differ in how much they remove the skin’s natural oils. Foaming cleansers use strong surfactants that create lots of lather to lift oil and dirt, but that same action can strip away the skin’s sebum and disrupt the barrier. The result is drier, tighter, sometimes irritated skin, which is why foaming cleansers are the most likely to be damaging to the skin’s natural oils. By contrast, cleansing milks are creamy and milder, designed to cleanse without stripping oils; a rosewater toner is typically hydrating and soothing rather than a cleanser; and pseudo folliculitis is a skin condition, not a cleansing product.