Double-cleansing refers to the practice of using two different facial cleansers, back-to-back. The first cleanser is some type of makeup remover that will melt off makeup or water-resistant sunscreen, like an oil-based cleanser or a micellar water. And the second type is a water-based face wash to cleanse the skin.

This is not a new practice (it has long been a part of Korean beauty routines), but whether or not it’s necessary is a topic of debate. Some say double-cleansing is an essential step, while others say it’s a waste of time.

To find out who should double-cleanse and how, we spoke to a dermatologist, an esthetician, and a cosmetic chemist. The reality is that nobody needs to double-cleanse, but there are a few good reasons to consider it.

If you’re someone who wears water-resistant sunscreen or waterproof makeup, you may want to think about double-cleansing. That’s because those products can be difficult to remove using only a face cleanser, and really scrubbing your face when you wash it can cause irritation for some people.

A micellar water or an oil-based cleanser will target the oils in makeup and sunscreen, and it will bind them, cosmetic chemist Shuting Hu said. “When water is added, the emulsifiers in the cleanser lift away all the dissolved oils gently,” and then that dissolved makeup and sunscreen washes down the drain.

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When you do this first cleanse, you’re not harshly scrubbing your face to get off that daily residue. Plus, many makeup removers are designed with eye-makeup removal in mind, and they can be less irritating to the eyes than some traditional face cleansers.

A micellar water, like the Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micellar Water, is good if you want a makeup remover that never feels greasy. But if you want something that you can massage into the skin with your hands, go with a cleansing balm or an oil cleanser. A bi-phase cleanser, such as E.L.F. Skin’s Holy Hydration E.L.F. Off Makeup Remover, is somewhere in between: It’s an oil-and-water blend that you shake to combine before using, and it has a silky-yet-not-greasy feel. (No matter which type you choose, we’ve already done the rigorous testing for you in our guide to the best makeup removers.)

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It’s important to use a facial cleanser to do a second cleanse because it will remove any residual oil and dirt on the skin. Starting your skin-care routine with a clean slate can also be seen as a prep step for subsequent products, esthetician Sofie Pavitt said in an interview. Those could include retinol products, exfoliants, or vitamin C serums, to name a few. All you need is a water-based cleanser, like the Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser. (If Vanicream is too gentle, or you’re looking for something that feels more luxurious, we have seven other recommendations here for different skin types.)

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If you have acne, you may have heard of double-cleansing as a way to get rid of blackheads and shrink the appearance of pores. Yet “whether or not it provides some sort of pore refining benefit is yet to be seen,” dermatologist Angelo Landriscina said.

The reality is that double-cleansing removes makeup, SPF, and daily grime from the face, but there’s not enough meaningful research to support major improvements in acne. So if adding an extra step to your routine is going to deter you from washing your face at all, don’t worry about it. It’s more important to wash your face daily than to get too deep in the weeds over the methodology.

To cleanse with micellar, just splash the liquid on a cotton round and rub gently on the skin and eyelids. Hannah Frye and Aubrey Patti/NYT Wirecutter

To use an oil cleanser, dash some oil in the hand and rub directly onto dry skin, massaging gently. Hannah Frye and Aubrey Patti/NYT Wirecutter


The left side of my face was cleansed with face wash alone, while the right side was double-cleansed using micellar water. You can see the residual waterproof eyeliner on the left eye that the face cleanser couldn’t remove. Hannah Frye/NYT Wirecutter

Double-cleansing is needed just once a day, in the evening after a full day of wearing makeup and/or sunscreen. And though it sounds like some fancy branding, double-cleansing couldn’t be easier in practice. It’s an easy way to ensure that your face is thoroughly washed, without having to aggressively scrub at your skin and eyes to remove stubborn makeup.

That being said, double-cleansing is ultimately just another way to wash your face.

But if you wake up in the morning with yesterday’s eyeliner smudged across your face, do your skin a favor and give double-cleansing a try. It probably won’t change your life, but it could change your routine for the better.

This article was edited by Hannah Rimm and Maxine Builder.