At a Glance
A cleanser removes oil, sweat, dirt, makeup and sunscreen. That is the whole job. It does not treat acne, shrink pores, or deliver much of anything to the skin — it is rinsed off in under a minute.
Cleanser choice does matter at the extremes. Alkaline bar soap makes acne and dryness worse. A mild, non-soap wash does not. Beyond that, the differences between good cleansers are small.
