In support of cleansing – the overlooked skin care step

Cleansing is a key part of a skin care routine, but this essential step often gets overlooked in favour of more novel products, such as moisturisers and colour cosmetics. However, according to Alchemy Ingredients, this is the most important step of a skin care regime in order to prepare the skin as a blank canvas.

Removing dirt and grease by cleaning skin is an ancient ritual dating back to prehistoric times. The first ‘soap’ was made from ash and animal fat; the Romans built luxurious baths where cleansing could take place as a social communal activity. The first commercial soap bar was marketed by Pears in the UK in 1884 and synthetic surfactants became mainstream in the 1940s. Since then, ever more sophisticated ingredients have become available with consumers often looking for mildness coupled with care for the environment, which presents formulators with new challenges.

BAR CLEANSERS – NOT JUST SOAP

Traditionally this category consists mainly of soap, in the form of the sodium salt of a vegetable oil fatty acid, e.g. sodium palm kernelate or sodium cocoate. Often glycerine, a by-product of the manufacturing process, is left in the product for additional moisturising claims. Unfortunately, the resulting blend often has a high pH which can lead to skin irritation and can also dry the skin, even if it is effective at removing grease and dirt. Retail brands such as Lush have made soap popular again with its novelty products and have also introduced a new type of cleansing bar based on oils and butters. These bars melt at skin temperature to produce an oil, which can be removed using a hot cloth. Ingredients such as sugar esters or saponins can also be added to this type of formulation to make the oil easier to remove.

Other types of bar cleanser include those with solid synthetic surfactants – a classic example is Unilever’s Dove bar, which uses the isethionates in combination with a traditional soap base to bring the pH down and provide mildness. Sugar esters could be added to this type of bar to improve mildness and provide natural foam boosting. One of the main advantages of the bar format is little plastic packaging, together with no water in the formulation. The products are also highly concentrated and ideal for travelling.

FOAMING CLEANSERS

This sector remains popular due to ease of use and the fact that foam is seen as evidence that a product is working. For facial cleansers, mildness and foam type are important. A dense, creamy foam is most desired, often obtained by using non-SLES detergents such as the isethionates, sulfosuccinates and glutamates. Foam boosters such as quillaja saponins or sugar esters can be a useful addition due to their mildness and production of a creamy foam that lasts longer on the skin. Quillaja saponins in particular have been used by South American people for centuries and leave the skin moisturised as well as cleansed.

Another product format in this category is the mousse pump; this is where a liquid surfactant blend is dispensed through a non-aerosol aerating pump to produce a dense mousse. Suitable ingredients for this format include mild surfactants such as sulfosuccinates, together with foam boosters such as protein and saponins.

Cleansing will continue to be a product sector where innovation and performance are key

GEL-TO-MILK CLEANSERS

Also known as melting gel cleansers, there are now a number of these on the market. They are a credible alternative to the traditional bar and foaming type of cleanser. High in oil, gel to milk cleansers are applied as a thick, often transparent gel and massaged over the face to remove waterproof makeup. When water is applied, the product transforms into a milk and is rinsed away.

The advantage of these type of products is that they are based on oil, which dissolves waterproof makeup effectively, with an additional moisturising and nourishing benefit. The products are usually 100% natural and do not contain preservatives due to the low level of water in the formulation.

The production of moisturising milk during the process leaves the skin feeling soft, not tight, and some consumers report a visible benefit of using this type of non-foaming cleanser over time.

The ingredients used to design these cleansers are often based on sucrose esters or polyglycerol esters, which can create transparent formulations using a range of oils, including natural vegetable oils. Products can either be put into a jar or a tube depending on the final viscosity.

BALM CLEANSERS

The function of a balm is to soothe and moisturise, and this type of cleanser will often have a translucent or opaque appearance to convey a rich feel. Normally created with natural oils and waxes, these will melt onto the face to give an oily residue that can be removed with a cloth or with warm water.

Certain ingredients such as Polyglycerol esters, Sucrose Esters and Saponins can be added to the product to make it more rinseable.

FACIAL OIL CLEANSERS

There are several types of oil-based liquid cleansers on the market with waterproof makeup-removing claims.

The first type is a straightforward oil blend, which works by simply dissolving makeup and is removed using a cloth or cotton wool. The second type will have an appearance of a transparent oil but is in fact a microemulsion with added water and/or glycerine. There are several advantages of this type of product.

Firstly, it is easily removed with water because it’s an emulsion, which turns to milk giving a transforming effect. Secondly, it will often remove makeup, dirt and grease more effectively because emulsifiers are present in the formulation as well as a combination of oil- and watersoluble ingredients. A further advantage of the liquid format is that it can be packaged into a pump for easy dispensing and to reduce wastage.

MICELLAR WATER

A relatively new and trendy cleansing concept, micellar waters consist of a surfactant dissolved in a pH-controlled water base and are normally transparent and have a low viscosity.

The term ‘micellar’ refers to the fact that detergents arrange themselves in tiny spherical particles in water, with the hydrophilic part of the molecule facing outwards. When applied to a cloth or cotton wool, they will dissolve makeup effectively by trapping material within the hydrophobic core of the micelle.

Many types of surfactant can be used, however the milder detergents such as isethionates, sulfosuccinates, amphodiacetates, glutamates and glycinates are popular. If a completely natural product is preferred, saponins and sucrose esters can be used, both of which are COSMOS natural approved.

CLEANSING MILK

If a more traditional or classic product is preferred, a cleansing milk is a good option. This has the dual benefit of moisturising while removing makeup. As the formulations are usually oil-in-water emulsions, both oil-and-water soluble products can be removed easily.

Cleansing milks do not normally need to be rinsed off; the residue can act as a moisturiser, leaving a light barrier on the skin. Oils capable of removing makeup such as alkanes, hydrocarbons, or esters are often included. If a more natural product is required then vegetable oils can be used, along with natural emulsifiers such as sugar esters or polyglycerol esters.

DOUBLE CLEANSING

This system originated in South Korea, where multiple cleansing rituals are a norm and up to 10 steps can be carried out in a single session. Double cleansing combines several steps in two sequentially used products.

The first step is normally an oil-based cleanser such as a facial cleansing oil, gelto-milk or rich cream cleanser. Here the aim is to remove waterproof makeup and moisturise the skin, getting it ready for the next step.

In the second step, the product is usually water based and can take the form of a liquid or gel toner with astringent ingredients such as witch hazel, or a water-based mask with exfoliating ingredients such as charcoal or clay. This step removes any residue of oil and makeup left on the skin from step one, and ensures the skin is completely free of dirt and excess grease. Packaging for these products can be very inventive, with separate chambers for the two different formulations. Many of these products will be sold as a set and are popular within the premium market.

THE FORMULATION CHALLENGE

Cleansing will continue to be a product sector where innovation and performance are key. As waterproof and self-tanning makeup becomes more effective, cleansers must also be able to remove these products. This presents a challenge for the formulator, particularly when vegetable-based products and concern for the environment are factored into the equation. Ingredients used in facial skin care must also be suitable for sensitive skin, making options such as sucrose esters, saponins and polyglycerol esters a good choice as they have a high degree of mildness.

The South African agent for Alchemy Ingredients is Carst & Walker. •