Considered the most important part of skincare throughout Asia, cleansing (more specifically, the double cleanse) has become a beauty ritual synonymous with and unique to Korean and Asian beauty routines, resulting in the development of highly specialized products and methodologies. This is a topic we discuss all the time, from why double cleansing is effective to how to double cleanse. Even our team member Katie is a self-professed “serious double cleanser for life” ever since this tiny change in her routine helped to clear up her acne!

Here’s a quick TL;DR recap on double cleansing: the first oil cleanser dissolves oil-based makeup products and sweat while the second foaming cleanser removes all the residual oils, for a fresh and clean face!

In the next ten minutes (which is approximately how long it takes to read this post), we’ll cover what to look for in a double cleansing routine so that you can choose the best routine for your skin and rest easy at night with a squeaky clean face.

Beginning with the oil cleanser, there are two main factors that go into choosing the best oil cleanser: if there are mineral oils in the cleanser and how well it emulsifies with water.

Part of our curation process involves looking for clean formulations that won’t irritate or harm skin, and when it comes to finding oil cleansers, we always look to see if there are any mineral oils in the ingredient lists. Mineral oils (which also hide under the alias of paraffin oil) have gained a reputation of being bad guys in skincare. Created as by-product of gasoline production, mineral oils when not properly purified can contain contaminants that can be detrimental to overall health. Additionally, mineral oils are comedogenic, meaning they could potentially clog your pores – isn’t that the opposite of what a cleansing routine should do?

Emulsification sounds like a big and scary word, but essentially it comes down to how well the oil cleanser washes off. Oil cleansers are formulated with emulsifiers in order for the oil to mix with water and completely rinsed off. One of our tester panelists, Nancy, said the transformation of the oil cleanser into a milky liquid was like a “cool science experiment” – and we agree! It’s a good way to tell how well the oil has been removed.

Our recommendation:
The new Blossom Jeju Camellia Soombi Cleansing Oil has got all the things that make oil cleansers so great – it’s free of mineral oils, easily melts away your makeup, and emulsifies into a milky liquid that slides right off. As a bonus, this cleanser literally has less than five ingredients, meaning it’s full of antioxidant-rich Camellia oil and almost nothing else! Give yourself a facial massage at night while cleansing for a bright and clean face in the morning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXZJp9d2c1Q

For the foaming cleanser, look for a SLS-free and pH-balanced cleanser to make sure your skin stays calm and happy.

Sodium lauryl/laureth sulfates, otherwise known as SLS, are arguably the top skincare “baddies” to watch out for in an ingredient list. SLS helps your cleanser create that cloud-like, fluffy foam, but at the cost of irritating skin. Listed as a “moderate hazard” by the Environmental Working Group, SLS strips skin of its healthy level of oils, which increases irritation.

Surprisingly, skin’s natural pH level is slightly acidic. Think back to elementary school science and testing the pH of water, soap, and lemon juice. Water is considered neutral with a pH of ~7, soap is basic with a higher pH level, and lemon juice is acidic with a lower pH level. Skin is happiest at a pH around 5.5 (which is acidic!) to maintain a protective barrier to keep moisture in and bacteria out. A pH-balanced cleanser is one that matches and maintains skin’s optimal pH level of 5.5.

Our recommendation:
They say that “birds of a feather flock together,” and that’s true of Blossom Jeju’s Pink Camellia Cleanser. Perfectly matched with its oil cleanser counterpart, this pink cleanser is in fact SLS-free and pH-balanced, placing it among the best of the best foaming cleansers that we have to offer.

Our double cleansing OTP

For a limited time, bring home both of the Blossom Jeju cleansers together in a set (they’re bonded and don’t like to be separated). Just type in the code DOUBLECLEANSE at checkout to get the set for $60 (originally $68)!

Get your glow on,
The Glow Recipe Team