Most Americans view soap as essential to bathing as water. The daily grind confronts us with dirt, germs, and sweat, and a soapy shower provides the simple, pleasurable antidote. Uncontroversial though soap may seem, some people are very troubled by your sudsy lather: dermatologists. “If you talk to most dermatologists, probably none of them use actual soap, except on their hands,” says Dr. Erin Chen, herself a dermatologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. Here’s what Chen and four other experts say about avoiding soap, healthier substitutes, and tips to make sure your cleaning rituals aren’t accidentally undermining your skin health. The many downsides of soap Soap rubs skin the wrong way for several reasons. It “contains many ingredients that just don’t do well for the skin,” says Dr. Anthony Rossi, a dermatologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Soap combines fats or oils with sodium hydroxide (in the case of soap bars) or potassium hydroxide (for liquid soap). These ingredients are very effective at breaking down dirt—too effective, in that they cause irritation and damage to the lipids that keep the skin strong and hydrated, Rossi says. A study in healthy volunteers showed that washing with soap disrupts the skin barrier, and the more times soap was applied and rinsed while cleaning, the more disruption occurred. Such affronts lead to dry skin, sensitivity, and increased risk of infection, says the study’s author, David Voegeli, an immuno-pharmacologist and nursing professor at the University of Winchester in England. Restoring a city’s charm Branded Content Restoring a city’s charm By China Daily The study also showed that soap changed the skin’s acidity. This happens because soap has a lower acidity level than the skin, and the mismatch upsets the skin’s pH balance. Soap may be especially problematic if it’s not rinsed off thoroughly, which is more likely with bar soap than the liquid variety. “The residue just stays there and disrupts the pH balance for longer,” Voegeli says. Read More: 12 Weird Symptoms Dermatologists Say You Should Never Ignore Changing the pH level has a domino effect because “pH is also really important for the skin’s microbial defense,” Rossi says. A related problem is that soap’s chemicals clear out the bacteria from our skin. Nice as that may sound, many such bacteria are actually key to protecting skin health. Many soaps contain yet more chemicals that have nothing to do with cleaning and everything to do with creating a fragrant facade of cleanliness. These fragrance chemicals, while psychologically pleasing, can lead to irritation and allergies. “You would never tolerate perfume or scent in your eye drops,” says Dr. Rachel Nazarian, a dermatologist at Mt. Sinai Hospital. “Why do we disrespect the skin by putting all of this flowery, fluffy garbage in soap?
