What are the advantages and disadvantages of soap-based and amino acid facial cleansers?

What are the differences between soap-based and amino acid facial cleansers, and what are their advantages and disadvantages? Which facial cleanser is better for washing your face?

The difference between soap-based and amino acid facial cleansers

With the development of the skin care industry, there are more and more types of facial cleansers. The most popular ones now are soap-based facial cleansers and amino acid facial cleansers. Many people have questions, what is the difference between soap-based facial cleansers and amino acid facial cleansers? Which one should I buy? Through this article, we will focus on understanding the differences between these two facial cleansers and what to pay attention to when purchasing.

Photo: Facial cleanser

1. Soap-based facial cleanser

Photo: Soap-based facial cleanser

1. What is a soap-based facial cleanser?

The main ingredients of soap-based facial cleansers are fatty acids + alkali. After saponification reaction, auxiliary ingredients such as fatty acid soap, polyols, emulsifiers, surfactants, and emollients are obtained.

If you don’t understand the principle above, we can also identify it through the ingredient list. Generally, as long as it says sodium XXX acid, potassium XXX acid, or XXX acid + sodium (potassium) hydroxide, it is a soap-based facial cleanser.

Figure: Soap-based facial cleanser ingredient list

2. Advantages of soap-based facial cleansers

It has strong cleaning ability and basically washes everything clean. Soap-based facial cleansers contain alkali and are alkaline in nature, so they have strong ability to remove fat and protein. For example, if you want to remove oil, using a soap-based facial cleanser will wash it very clean, which is very suitable for oily skin.

3. Disadvantages of Soap-Based Facial Cleansers

It is not gentle enough and is generally not suitable for sensitive skin. Due to its strong cleansing ability, if used frequently, it will easily cause over-cleansing, and the face will feel dry and tight after washing.

If used for a long time, it will not only remove the stratum corneum, but also damage the surface of the skin. It can also easily cause irritation to sensitive parts.

Figure: Soap-based facial cleansers are strong in cleaning