How to Choose the Right Cleanser for Every Skin Type
From the Desk of Dr. Loretta Ciraldo, MD, FAAD
One of the questions I'm asked most often is, "How important is the cleanser?" After more than 40 years in dermatology, my answer is always the same: it is one of the most important steps in any skincare regimen. The right cleanser doesn't simply remove makeup and impurities — it prepares the skin for everything that follows.
Over the years, I've learned that a few simple cleansing habits can significantly improve patient outcomes, regardless of the products they're using.
My Cleansing Recommendations
Rinse Thoroughly
Throughout my training and clinical practice, I advised patients to rinse their cleanser with at least 10 splashes of tepid water. There's good science behind this recommendation. As the skin becomes thoroughly hydrated during cleansing, the outermost layer of the skin (the stratum corneum) temporarily expands, allowing leave-on products to absorb more effectively.
Bottom line: Encourage patients to rinse thoroughly with tepid water to optimize the performance of the rest of their skincare regimen.
Cleanse Morning and Evening
Years ago, when traditional soap was the primary cleansing option, washing only at night was often recommended because soap's highly alkaline pH could leave skin dry and irritated. Today's advanced, soap-free cleansers have changed that. I recommend cleansing morning and evening to remove oil, environmental pollutants, sunscreen, makeup, and other impurities that accumulate throughout the day.
Most importantly, select a cleanser based on your patient's skin concerns—not simply their skin type. A patient with acne or dull, rough skin will benefit from a different cleanser than someone with dry skin, post-procedure skin, or skin using retinoids or alpha hydroxy acids.
Choosing the Right Cosmedical Cleanser
Each cleanser in the Cosmedical collection was formulated with a specific purpose. Matching the cleanser to your patient's needs is one of the easiest ways to improve compliance and treatment outcomes.
Lavender Creamy Cleanser
Best for dry, sensitive, and redness-prone skin
Lavender Creamy Cleanser is a wipe-off cleanser that applies like a creamy lotion to the skin. Allowing it to remain on the skin for two minutes or more before wiping away helps plump the skin's surface through its hydrating ingredients. I especially recommend this cleanser for patients with dry skin, redness, rosacea, winter skin, and for those living in areas with hard water, which is rich in calcium and can contribute to skin dryness.
Chamomile Facial Cleanser
Best everyday cleanser for most skin types
Chamomile Facial Cleanser is our best-selling cleanser because it addresses two important aspects of skin health. First, its high concentration of glycerin, a natural component of the skin's Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF), helps plump, soften, and hydrate the skin after cleansing. Second, it incorporates brown algae, which helps absorb PM2.5 pollution particles. These microscopic pollutants are small enough to penetrate deeper layers of the skin, where they contribute to free radical damage associated with lines, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, rough texture, and redness. For the majority of your patients, this will be the cleanser of choice.
Refining BHA Cleanser
Best for blemish-prone, dull, and uneven skin
Refining BHA Cleanser stands alone in the skincare marketplace as a significantly hydrating salicylic acid cleanser. Its oat amino acid-based surfactant helps hydrate the skin while removing debris. The 2% salicylic acid penetrates deeply into pores to help improve blemish-prone skin, minimize pore appearance, remove excess surface pigment associated with melasma and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and gently slough away dead skin cells to improve dull skin.
Brightening Green Tea Cleanser
Best for hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone
Brightening Green Tea Cleanser is formulated as a twice-daily exfoliating, hydrating, antioxidant cleanser.It features 5% lactic acid, the only alpha hydroxy acid that both exfoliates by removing dead skin cells and helps hydrate because it is an important component of the skin's Natural Moisturizing Factor.
Green Tea Extract helps lessen new breakouts while supporting the resolution of existing blemishes. Active levels of niacinamide and allantoin visibly reduce redness and calm skin irritation. I have frequently recommended this cleanser for patients with post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, melasma, acne patients experiencing post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and women taking oral contraceptives who are more prone to both breakouts and melasma.
The Right Cleanser Sets the Stage
One lesson has remained constant throughout my career: when patients begin with the right cleanser, every step that follows performs better. Whether your goal is calming sensitive skin, improving blemish-prone skin, addressing hyperpigmentation, or supporting healthy skin, selecting the appropriate cleanser creates the foundation for better patient compliance and better results.
I encourage you to view cleansers not simply as the first step in a regimen, but as one of the most important opportunities to personalize your recommendations and elevate your patients' skincare experience.
— Loretta Ciraldo, MD, FAAD
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose the right cleanser for my patients?
Select a cleanser based on your patient's primary skin concern rather than skin type alone. Dry or sensitive skin benefits from hydrating cleansers, while acne-prone or congested skin often benefits from an exfoliating cleanser. Patients with hyperpigmentation or uneven skin tone may benefit from a brightening cleanser.
Should patients cleanse once or twice a day?
For most patients, I recommend cleansing morning and evening using a soap-free cleanser appropriate for their skin concerns.
Why is cleanser selection so important?
The right cleanser prepares the skin for the products that follow, supports the skin barrier, and helps address concerns such as dryness, acne, redness, or hyperpigmentation before treatment products are even applied.
