Cleansing is the basic skincare step that everyone follows. Healthy skin can be achieved by effective cleansing and using the right method for cleansing. Cleansing helps in removing the impurities from the skin like dust, oil and dead skin cells. There are various products used for cleansing and traditional soaps remain the most commonly used cleansing product.
It has been used for generations for body cleansing and even face. But modern skincare has evolved now and targeted cleansing products have been developed that not only removes the dirt but also helps in specified skin concerns. One such approach is face wash for oily skin. They are meant specifically for dealing with acne concerns of the face.
Both traditional soaps and face cleansers are meant for the purpose of skin cleansing but one is meant for overall regular cleaning only while the other is meant for the purpose of targeted cleansing.
Salicylic acid cleanser is one such product meant for targeted cleaning purposes for acne.
Why does skin cleansing become necessary?
During the day our skin gets accumulated with dirt, dust, sweat, and what not. If these impurities keep sitting on the surface of the skin they can lead to clogged pores, acne, itching and even dull skin. So to prevent further skin problems cleansing is a must.
A cleansing routine helps in removing the dirt and other impurities from the skin, unclogs the pores, removes the makeup and skincare product deposit and promotes a clean and impurity free skin. It helps in achieving a smooth skin. But if you want a targeted cleansing then you require specific ingredients and cleansers.
What are traditional soaps?
Traditional soaps are prepared by the method of saponification where oils or fats are combined with an alkali. These kinds of soaps are prepared for the purpose of removing surface impurities and give a general cleansing effect. They are meant for surface cleansing and not targeted cleansing.
While these soaps are effective in cleansing the impurities, sometimes they can leave the skin dry and under moisturized. Also they can trigger acne prone skin due to harsh cleansing.
What is a salicylic acid cleanser?
A salicylic acid cleanser is a beta hydroxy acid exfoliant which performs chemical exfoliation. This is a deep cleansing agent that can dive deep into the pores and cleanse because of its oil-soluble structure that can cross the oil barriers of the skin and go deep into the pores. Salicylic acid clears the pores from within and exfoliates the dead skin cells by dissolving the glue bonds between dead skin cells. They are not harsh exfoliants or scrubbers as they perform chemical exfoliation and perform by going deep into skin.
Salicylic acid cleanser has a targeted approach for acne and pore cleansing actions. It helps in achieving a clean and smooth skin.
The difference between traditional soaps and salicylic acid cleanser
- Deep pore cleansing: The major difference between a traditional soap and salicylic acid cleanser is the target approach. Traditional soaps are good for surface cleansing and used mostly for cleaning dirt, makeup residue and other surface impurities whereas salicylic acid one has deep cleansing ability where it goes deep into the pores and clears the impurities from within the pores.
- Oil clearance: Traditional soaps are surface cleanser so they can clear the surface oil and sometimes they completely clear out the sebum leaving the skin dry and strip natural moisture of the skin. Whereas salicylic acid does not completely clear out the oil and has balanced cleansing ability. It clears the oil from the pores without exfoliating harshly.
- Gentleness on skin: Traditional soaps have generally a higher pH and leans towards alkaline formulations so can be causing dryness in some skin types. Also they can be harsh on skin due to scrubbing. The salicylic acid cleansers are gentle on the skin and have a balanced approach. They perform chemical exfoliation which does not strip the skin’s barrier.
- Unclogging pores: Traditional soaps perform surface cleansing only that does not help in unclogging the pores at all. Whereas salicylic acid can dive deep into the pores and unclog them by loosening the bonds of dead skin cells and removing other impurities as well.
- Acne friendly: Traditional soaps are not used for the purpose of acne clearance as they lack active ingredients and also they do not unclog the pores so are not suitable for acne prone skin. On the other hand salicylic acid is specialized for acne prone skin because of its ability to unclog the pores.
Last thoughts
Traditional soaps are effectively used for cleansing purposes but for the surface concerns and regular cleansing they are the best. Whereas when dealing with problems like acne and clogged pores they become ineffective. Salicylic acid cleanser is ideal in such cases as it is a known anti acne agent and unclogs the pores. Traditional soaps are good for overall body cleansing and not for face acne concerns. Here salicylic acid becomes beneficial.
