Do you need to double-cleanse?

Cleansing is always a stress for our skin. As we remove the dirt, sunscreen, sweat or sebum, we also inevitably remove some of the skin's protective lipid layer and interfere with the surface's pH. Even contact with a plain water has some of this effect and can lead to irritation of the most sensitive skin.

The more cleansing steps you take, the higher the risk you'll disrupt your skin's barrier. So think twice before falling for the double-cleanse hype.

If you feel that you need an extra step to remove make-up, limit it to the area that needs it - for example, eyes or lips only. If you can remove the make-up and sunscreen with one gentle product, it is almost certainly be better for your skin than two cleansing steps. At the same time, if you feel that you need to use a "harsher" cleanser to get the job done in one step, two separate cleanses, each with a gentler product, would be still a better choice.