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Do You Really Need to Do a Triple Cleanse?

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Triple cleanses are all the rage in Korea. You start with a tissue and wipe off dirt and loose debris from your skin. Next, you apply an oil-based cleanser, which will help to dissolve and remove oils. And, lastly, you apply a foaming cleanser, which should remove any oil-repellant debris from your skin.

Truthfully, this seems more like a ploy to sell more products than a legit tool in your skincare arsenal. Here’s why.

Most Products Aren’t Solely Oil or Water

Pre-2010’s, nearly all cleansers weren’t oil-based or water-based. Instead, most were combinations called emulsions.

Emulsions can be oil suspended in water or aqueous phase (o/w) or water suspended in oil (w/o). There are also more complex systems out there, such as oil in water in oil (o/w/o).

The idea behind needing to “oil cleanse” and then “foam cleanse” is, then, ultimately silly. Take, for instance, the [easyazon_link identifier=”B002DHNAM8″ locale=”US” tag=”cosmeticswiki-20″]Ole Henriksen Foaming Red Tea Cleanser[/easyazon_link]. Look at the ingredients (below), and you will find that this has oil suspended in water, meaning that it should be able to dissolve both water and oil-based dirt and debris:

Water (Aqua), Sodium Methvl Cocovl Taurate, Cocamidopropvl Betaine, PPG-5-Ceteth-20, Cocamidopropvl PG-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, PEG-8 Dimethicone (and) PEG-B Ricinoleate, Limonene, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Peel Extract (and) Citrus Aurantium Dulcie (Orange) Peel Extract (and) Citrus Tangerina (Tangerine) Extract (and) Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Ascorbic Acid, Citric Acid, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin (and) Water (and) Larrea Divaricata Extract, Glycerin (and) Water (and) Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Glycerin (and) Water (and) Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Seed Extract, Calcium Ascorbate, Aspathalus Linearis Leaf Extract, Butvrosoermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Ribes Nigrium Seed Oil (Black Current Seed Oil), Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Oil, Boraoo Officinalis Seed Oil, Linum Usitatissimum (Linseed) Seed Oil

Conversely, the [easyazon_link identifier=”B01J4BECRM” locale=”US” tag=”cosmeticswiki-20″]Ole Henriksen On The Go Cleanser[/easyazon_link], which might at first glance appear to be an oil, also has water as its primary ingredient, meaning water is of the highest concentration:

Water (Aqua, Eau), Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Decyl Glucoside, Glycerin, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, PEG-150 Distearate, Sorbitol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Tocopheryl Acetate, Thioctic Acid, Calcium Ascorbate, Ascorbic Acid, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water, Ulmus Fulva Bark Extract, Macrocystis Pyrifera Extract, Yucca Schidigera Leaf/Root/Stem Extract, Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Polysorbate 20, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Annatto, Fragrance (Parfum)

How Do Emulsions Work?

Emulsions work because of emulsifiers. Think of emulsifiers as the peacemakers. They have parts that are essentially water-loving and oil-loving, all regions on the same molecule. Through the use of emulsifiers, you can combine, say, water and sweet almond oil into the same cleanser without them separating into layers.

There are also both natural and synthetic emulsifiers. They are, for the most part, perfectly healthy and occur in many food products, both natural and otherwise. In addition, emulsifiers are why you can have a cleanser that gets rid of oil and water-based dirt and debris at the same time.

Bottom Line

As much as I would love to get in great with Korean skincare companies and tell you to use a triple cleanse morning and night, it’s honestly not necessary. This is why I’m featuring the Ole Henriksen products so prominently: Not once have I seen the brand try to tell you to use its wipes, oil, and foam together, and yet all are really solid antioxidant-rich cleansers that are great for use on their own! I personally love the [easyazon_link identifier=”B0041K91FK” locale=”US” tag=”cosmeticswiki-20″]Ole Henriksen Truth Cleansing Wipes[/easyazon_link] the most: they’re quick, easy, and smell delightful, like fresh oranges. Plus on nights I’m super tired, I know I can at least get a dose of vitamin C on my skin before I doze off. Win win I tell you, win win.

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Nicki Zevola is the founder and editor-in-chief of FutureDerm.com. Named one of the top 30 beauty bloggers in the world by Konector.com since 2009, Nicki

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