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There's something oddly satisfying about sudsing up in the shower. A long session with an extra-lathery soap or cleanser sounds (and feels) like the epitome of clean, but in reality, the abundance of bubbles could be doing more harm to your sensitive skin than you realize because of one pesky ingredient: sodium laurel sulfate.
Sodium laurel sulfate is a type of surfactant, and it's what foams up and creates all those gratifying little bubbles. But it can also be irritating, especially to those with sensitive skin. See, your outer layer of skin is built sort of like bricks with mortar. The bricks are the skin cells and the mortar is the protective barrier. This type of surfactant slowly chips away at that protective layer, meaning some not-so-great things for those with sensitive skin skin, like irritation, inflammation, and worsening of acne or rosacea. But don't let all surfactants scare you. "The word 'surfactant' is like saying ice cream," says dermatologist Mona Gohara. "There are a lot of different kinds." But she recommends avoiding any cleansers with sodium laurel sulfate on the ingredient list, especially if your skin is sensitive or acne-prone.
Don't worry! We weren't going to tear down one of your products without giving you a better option to swap in. A good general rule is to look for these words on your cleanser bottle: neutral pH and non-soap. Dove Beauty Bar, CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser, and Fresh Soy Face Cleanser are great options. Now you'll just have to find some other way to satisfy that suds craving.
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