Why Your Facial Cleanser Matters More Than You Realise

Cleansers aren't the first things that come to mind when you think about your skincare routine often, actives and serums hog the limelight. But what you're washing your face with can be more important than you think

- Amanda Leo 

Let’s face it, washing your face isn’t the most exciting part of a skincare routine. Yes, it’s an essential part of maintaining skin health, but choosing a cleanser just wasn’t something that I really paid attention to (even though I am aggressively picky with anything else I use on my acne-prone skin).

Until I started getting breakouts and clogged pores that just didn’t seem to go away — think whiteheads that kept surfacing in the same spot over and over again and clogged comedones that stubbornly remained under the skin.

When chemical and physical exfoliation showed no results, I started to wonder whether my facial wash was the cause of my problems. But the concept of a cleanser (that’s supposed to clean, right?) contributing to my breakouts seemed counterintuitive. Just like the rest of our skincare routines, Dr Rachel Ho, medical director of La Clinic, says that using products that are unsuitable for the individual’s skin type can wreak havoc on the complexion.