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ОглавлениеSKINCARE DECODED • 38 CLEANSERS • 39
Cleanser Tip : Know Your Surfactants
For your staple cleansers, gel and cream, products can range from “So gentle—
is it really cleansing?” to “Holy moly, my skin actually squeaks!” Other than
going off of the often unreliable marketing claims, you should learn to quickly
decode that ingredient list! Finding your surfactant BFF can save you a lot of
heartache on your cleanser journey. This is why you have us, right? Here’s a list
of super-common surfactants to get started:
The Skinny
Classic SoapSulfatesCoco BetaineOther Gentle Surfactants
Who It’s Not For How to Spot One
Who It’s For
Great cleansing power,
but comes with a very
high pH that can be too
stripping.
Low pH, but still has
lots of foam and great
cleansing power.
The most common
gentle surfactant.
Skin friendly, good
cleansing power,
decent foam.
Tried all the most
common ones but still
haven’t found your true
love? Try some of the
surfactants here.
Both normal and
oily skin.
Almost all skin types.
All skin types looking for
a more gentle option.
Those with sensitive
skin or chronic dryness.
Dry, sensitive skin
and people with SC
conditions such as
eczema.
Those sensitized by
sulfate surfactants. If
youʼre not sure, look for
extra dryness
postcleansing.
Ironically, this can be
an allergen for some.
Those who enjoy a
good, luxurious foam.
Surfactants in this
category are usually low
to no foam.
Sodium hydroxide or
potassium hydroxide
will be high up on the
ingredient lists. These
are chemicals that turn
fatty acids into soap!
SLS (sodium lauryl
sulfate) and SLES (sodium
laureth sulfate) are the
two main surfactants in
this category. SLES is the
more skin-friendly option
of the two.
The official name of this
surfactant is “cocoam-
idopropyl betaine,” but
sometimes we chemists
get lazy and will call it “coco
betaine” for short.
SCI (sodium cocoyl
isethionate), glucosides
(coco glucoside, lauryl
glucosides),
cocoamphoacetates,
and amino acids are
common ingredients
in this category. They
usually come together in
a bundle deal!
