Is double cleansing necessary? When cleansing twice actually makes sense

ROUTINE

What is double cleansing and how does it work?

Double cleansing is an evening cleanse in two short steps: first a cleansing oil or cleansing balm on dry skin, then a mild water-based cleanser. The idea behind it is simple. Make-up, waterproof mascara and many sunscreens are designed to cling to the skin and repel water. A water-based cleanser on its own struggles to get at these oil-soluble layers, so you end up rubbing for longer and harder. An oil, on the other hand, dissolves them with very little pressure, on the principle that like dissolves like. The second step has a different job: it takes away oil residue, sweat and dust, so that your skin is left clean for serum and cream. The method became popular mainly through Korean skincare. If you want to know what the 10-step Korean routine does and doesn’t do, and which of its steps genuinely pull their weight, you will find that there. This article is only about cleansing, and about when a second round actually achieves something.

1. Apply the cleansing oil or balm with dry hands to a dry face and spread it with light pressure.
2. Do not rub the eye area: let the oil sit on your lashes for a moment, then gently stroke it downwards.
3. Add a little lukewarm water until the oil turns milky, then rinse thoroughly.
4. Briefly massage in a mild cleanser with damp hands and rinse it off.
5. Pat your skin dry rather than rubbing it, and apply your skincare straight away.

When does double cleansing make sense, and when is one step enough?

Double cleansing makes sense when your skin is wearing something that is meant to stay put: foundation, concealer, waterproof mascara or water-resistant sunscreen. On every other evening, one step is enough. What matters is not your skin type but what you put on during the day. A day cream without sun protection, a little powder or a light sunscreen for an ordinary office day can usually be removed with a single mild cleanser. If you cleanse twice on days like these anyway, you are washing off something that was already gone after the first round. So it is a question to answer afresh each evening, not once and for all. For the basics – how often to cleanse, gel or milk, water temperature – it is worth reading the article on what kind of cleanser your skin really needs. The table below only shows when the second step comes in.

Do you need to double cleanse to remove sunscreen at night?

No, not every sunscreen needs two cleansing steps in the evening, but water-resistant and very long-wearing formulas often do. Sunscreen is meant to stay on your skin, even through sweat and water. Film formers and oily ingredients make sure of that, and a water-based cleanser on its own is slow to dissolve them. With mineral filters you can sometimes see this for yourself: a faint white residue is left along the hairline or around the sides of the nose. A simple test helps you decide. If, after a mild cleanser, water still beads on your skin as you rinse, or your skin feels smooth and slightly coated, there is still sunscreen on it. That is when the oil step makes sense – not a second, more vigorous round with the same cleanser. A light everyday sunscreen, by contrast, usually comes off in one step. Which SPF suits everyday life and how much sunscreen you need is a separate question, covered in the article on sunscreen for your face if your skincare has no SPF. All that matters here is that you get all of it off again in the evening without putting your skin under strain.

Can double cleansing dry out your skin?

Yes, double cleansing can dry out your skin, but usually not because of the oil. The more common culprit is a second step that is too harsh, too long or too frequent. A review in Dermatologic Therapy describes how harsh surfactants in cleansers can damage the skin’s proteins and lipids, leading to tightness, dryness, barrier damage, irritation and even itching. The same paper names pH as an additional factor: cleansers with a neutral or slightly acidic pH, close to the natural value of the outermost layer of skin, the stratum corneum, are potentially less damaging. A review in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology classes synthetic detergents, known as syndets, as less damaging to the barrier than alkaline soaps. In practice, that means three things: the second cleanser should be mild, it only needs a few seconds on your skin, and it should only be used on evenings when it genuinely has something to do. If your skin regularly feels tight after washing, it is worth reading up on where tight skin after washing comes from. If it also stings and reacts to lots of things, it helps to know how to recognise a damaged skin barrier.

The honest answer, then, is that less cleansing tends to leave the barrier in peace. Whatever lipids are lost during washing are topped up afterwards by your skincare. With The Duo of serum and cream, that means The Essential provides hyaluronic acid in three molecular sizes and niacinamide, among other things, followed by The Shield with ceramide NP, squalane and jojoba oil. The cleanse beforehand only has to get your skin clean, not do the caring as well.

Does cleansing oil clog pores?

A cleansing oil with an emulsifier does not usually clog pores, because it rinses off completely with water. That is exactly what sets a cleansing oil apart from a pure plant oil from your kitchen cupboard. Cleansing oils and most cleansing balms contain emulsifiers. As soon as water is added, the mixture turns milky, and the oil, together with the dissolved make-up, combines with the water and runs off. A pure oil without an emulsifier does not do this. It stays on your skin as a film, and to get rid of it you need either a face cloth – which means more rubbing again – or a stronger second step. If a cleansing oil does not turn milky when you rinse it and leaves a greasy residue behind, that suggests it contains too little emulsifier or none at all. Whether individual oils are considered pore-clogging, and how reliable the well-known scales are, is covered in the article on which oils really are comedogenic. What matters here is this: an oil that is on your skin only briefly and is then rinsed off completely is a different situation from an oil left on overnight. If you have inflamed spots that last for weeks or leave scars, that is a matter for a dermatologist, not a question of how you cleanse.

Is double cleansing suitable for mature and sensitive skin?

Yes, double cleansing can suit mature and sensitive skin well, as long as both steps are mild and you only do it on evenings when there is something to remove. The main benefit is less rubbing. A study in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology looked at 35 women with mild atopic dermatitis on the face who used a cleansing oil with high cleansing power instead of their usual make-up remover for four weeks. The oil required less rubbing. Over that period, dryness, scaling, irritation, redness and itching decreased significantly, and transepidermal water loss fell. The authors suspect that many people with the condition rub too hard without realising it, because their cleansers are too weak. This is a small study of a single product over four weeks, but the direction makes sense: if you can remove make-up thoroughly without scrubbing, you spare sensitive skin. Mature skin is often drier, so a mild second step – or, on light days, none at all – is particularly worthwhile here. If you have rosacea, eczema or persistent redness, a dermatologist is the right person to see; cleansing can only play a supporting role.

Frequently asked questions