Facial cleanser gel, cleansing foam and makeup remover

Gel, foam, milk or bar: choosing the texture of your cleanser

Facial cleanser gel and cleansing foam

A facial cleanser gel is worked onto damp skin, foams lightly and rinses clean. It is the reference texture for skin that shines in the T-zone or shows blemishes: G.M. Collin Puractive+ Cleansing Gel, Yon-Ka Essentials Cleansing Gel, Esthederm Osmoclean Purifying Cleansing Gel and Vivier HEXAM Hypoallergenic Cleansing Gel cover that need, from the most purifying to the most tolerant.

A cleansing foam delivers the same service more gently, since the product arrives already emulsified and calls for less friction. Valmont Bubble Falls Balancing Cleansing Foam and Esthederm Osmoclean Purifying Cleansing Foam suit normal to combination skin that finds gel a little drying in winter. If your skin reacts easily, the sensitive skin collection gathers the best-tolerated formulas.

Face soap and gentle facial cleanser

Face soap carries a bad reputation that really belongs to traditional alkaline soap: its high pH weakens the hydrolipidic film and leaves that tight feeling. Today's syndet bars and superfatted soaps work at a pH close to the skin's own and no longer pose that problem, provided they are kept for normal skin.

A gentle facial cleanser is still the safest daily choice. Swiss Line Cell Shock Age Intelligence Gentle Face and Eye Cleanser, iS Clinical Cleansing Complex Cream and Aquafolia Sève Apaisante Cleanser clean without aggressive surfactants, which matters especially for dry skin or mature skin whose skin barrier repairs more slowly.

Oil, balm or micellar water: which makeup remover to choose

Makeup and sun protection do not dissolve in water. It takes an oily body or a micellar agent to lift them, and that is exactly what the first step of the evening cleanse does.

Cleansing oil and cleansing balm

A cleansing oil is applied to dry skin with dry hands, massaged for around thirty seconds, then turns milky on contact with water before being rinsed. It removes foundation, mascara and sunscreen in a single step, without rubbing the eye area. G.M. Collin Phytoderm Cleansing Oil, Esthederm Osmoclean Micellar Cleansing Oil and Babor HY-OL Cleanser work on that principle.

A cleansing balm is the same chemistry in a solid texture that melts in the palm: richer, more enveloping, better suited to uncomfortable skin and stubborn makeup. Swiss Line Cell Shock The Collagen Cleansing Balm and Esthederm Osmoclean Micellar Cleansing Jelly-in-Oil illustrate this family well.

Micellar water and bi-phase eye makeup remover

Micellar water removes light makeup without mandatory rinsing: handy for travel, after a workout or for a touch-up. Payot offers several versions in the Nue line (Micellar Cleansing Water for Face and Eyes, Micellar Cleansing Milk), and Esthederm offers Osmoclean Physiological Micellar Cleansing Water. Our estheticians nevertheless recommend rinsing afterward: surfactants left on the skin end up irritating it.

A bi-phase makeup remover combines an oil phase and a water phase that you shake before use. It is the only genuinely effective solution on waterproof mascara or long-wear lipstick. Payot Nue Bi-Phase Eye and Lip Makeup Remover and Swiss Line Water Shock Bi-Phase Eye and Lip Makeup Remover are applied on a cotton pad pressed against the eyelid for a few seconds, never rubbing skin that is four times thinner than the skin on the face. The eye care collection takes over once makeup is off.

Double cleansing: why the treatment room works in two steps

At the institute, no esthetician begins a treatment with a single product. She first dissolves the oil with an oil, a balm or a milk, then cleanses with a water-based formula. That is double cleansing: the only method that leaves skin genuinely clean without stripping it.

In the morning, one cleanser is enough, often a gel or a foam. In the evening, the two steps are justified as soon as there is makeup or sunscreen involved. Once the skin is clean, the toner rebalances the pH, the serum acts, the cream seals. Add a weekly scrub and a mask when skin looks tired. Our article on adding vitamin C, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide to your routine covers the order of the steps that follow.

The cleanser brands we use in the treatment room

Babor and its Doctor Babor line cover clinical cleansing, from HY-OL to the acid cleansing lotion. Payot builds its Nue range around makeup removal. Esthederm makes Osmoclean its physiological signature. Valmont, Swiss Line and Cellcosmet hold the Swiss luxury segment, with Fluid Falls Cleansing Milk and Gentle Cleansing Milk. G.M. Collin, Yon-Ka, iS Clinical and Vivier hold the institute and medical-grade side, while Jack Black simplifies the men's routine.

Frequently asked questions about facial cleansing

Do you really need both a makeup remover and a cleanser, or is one enough?

In the morning, one product is enough. In the evening, as soon as there is makeup or sunscreen, both steps are justified: the oil or balm dissolves the oily layer, then the gel or foam cleanses the skin itself. Without makeup and without sun exposure, a good gentle facial cleanser used alone remains acceptable.

Are makeup remover wipes a good solution?

They get you through a trip or a workout, nothing more. Makeup wipes lift the colour but leave the surfactants and preservatives they are soaked in on the skin, and using them means rubbing, which the eye area tolerates poorly. Micellar water followed by a rinse, or a cleansing oil, does the job far better.

Can you use soap on your face?

Yes, if it is a syndet bar or a superfatted soap with a pH close to the skin's own, and if your skin is normal or on the oily side. Avoid classic alkaline soaps, whose high pH leaves skin tight and weakens the skin barrier. In cases of dryness, rosacea or sensitivity, a cleansing milk or cream remains preferable.

Which cleansing oil for oily or acne-prone skin?

Modern cleansing oils are formulated to rinse away completely and leave no occlusive film. They therefore suit oily skin and acne-prone skin, provided they are followed by a gel cleanser. Double cleansing removes oxidized sebum better than a foaming cleanser used alone, and it is often what brings the number of blackheads down.