SHOULD YOU WASH YOUR
FACE IN THE MORNING?

Smiling woman applying gentle skincare products to her face

Publish Date: February 27, 2026

 
Lately, a new wave of advice has surfaced across social media. Skincare influencers (often referred to as skinfluencers) and beauty writers are asking: should you really wash your face in the morning?

While some advocate for skipping a morning cleanse to preserve your skin's natural oils, others insist it’s essential for maintaining a healthy complexion. So, what’s the best approach for sensitive skin?

We believe that a thoughtful morning routine supports skin to feel balanced, hydrated, and comfortable all day. With over 40 years of expertise in the science of ceramide care and sensitive skin, we advocate for gentle, effective cleansing that respects your skin barrier and protects essential ceramides to maintain hydration.

The history of morning face washing

The idea that you must wash your face every morning is ingrained in many skincare routines. Rooted in decades of ever-changing beauty advice, the ‘wash your face twice a day’ mantra has become the standard.

In J-beauty, a morning cleanse goes beyond the practical step of simply washing away surface buildup. It’s treated as a purposeful ritual that prioritises starting the day with skin that feels clean, fresh, balanced and ready for the day ahead.

Do I need to cleanse my face in the morning?

During sleep, your skin isn't exposed to makeup, SPF, or pollution. Instead, it's working hard to repair and regenerate.

Cleansing your skin in the morning is an important step in maintaining a healthy, balanced moisture barrier - even if you double cleansed thoroughly the night before. While your skin isn’t exposed to makeup or SPF overnight, it is still active while you sleep.

During the night, your skin:

• Produces oil and sweat: These natural processes help regulate and protect the skin, but cleansing in the morning removes excess buildup so skin feels fresh and balanced.

• Sheds dead skin cells: Overnight renewal can leave behind debris on the skin’s surface, which cleansing helps gently remove.

• Collects bacteria and impurities: Your pillowcase and surrounding environment can transfer bacteria and particles onto your skin.

• Retains residue from night time skincare: Cleansing removes leftover product residue so your morning skincare can absorb effectively and perform at its best.

Using a gentle, barrier-supportive cleanser in the morning helps refresh your skin without stripping essential moisture. This is especially important for dry or sensitive skin, as harsh cleansing can weaken the skin barrier and increase irritation.

Choosing a cleanser designed to respect and support the skin’s natural ceramide levels - such as those formulated specifically for dry, sensitive skin - helps ensure your skin feels clean, comfortable, and properly prepared for the day ahead.

Woman washing her face with cool water

What happens if you over-cleanse sensitive skin?

In Japanese skincare, cleansing is about caring for the skin gently every day. When skin is cleansed excessively, too vigorously, or with harsh formulations, it can disrupt the skin’s delicate moisture barrier, leading to increased dryness, tightness, or even sensitivity and flaking.

This protective barrier relies on essential lipids, including ceramides, to help retain moisture and protect the skin against external irritants. When ceramide levels are depleted skin can lose hydration and become more prone to irritation.

That’s why choosing a gentle cleanser that cleans effectively while helping to retain ceramides is so important, especially for dry, sensitive skin. With the right formulation, cleansing doesn’t compromise the skin barrier - it supports it.

Signs your skin barrier may be weakened:

● Tightness or taut feeling after cleansing: This is a common sign your skin’s natural moisture barrier may have been disrupted.

● Increased dryness or flakiness: Over-cleansing can deplete your ceramide levels, which are essential for maintaining hydration.

● Shiny but dehydrated skin: When transepidermal water loss (TEWL) is increased due to barrier disruption, the skin may increase oil production as a protective response. This can result in skin that appears shiny but feels dehydrated, especially in oily and combination skin types with more active sebaceous glands.

● Irritation, redness, or stinging: These are typical reactions of sensitive skin when the barrier is compromised by harsh or excessive cleansing.

● Rough texture and makeup not sitting evenly on the skin: A weakened moisture barrier can leave skin feeling uneven, dry, or coarse. This rough texture can also prevent makeup and skincare from applying smoothly or sitting evenly, affecting the overall finish and absorption of products such as moisturisers and serums.
● Sensitivity to products: A compromised moisture barrier allows irritants to penetrate more easily, making skin more reactive - even to products that were previously well tolerated.

Woman warming a cream between the palms of her hands

Building a gentle cleansing morning routine

Your skin shouldn’t feel squeaky clean, dry, or tight after a morning face wash. A gentle yet thorough cleanse should leave skin feeling refreshed, soft, and comfortable.

For your morning routine, we recommend starting the day with our Hydrating Makeup Cleanser. With a silky, milky texture, this gentle cleanser effectively removes overnight impurities while nourishing and soothing skin. It's ideal for dry, sensitive skin, helping to both preserve and replenish the skin’s natural ceramides, leaving skin to feel soft, hydrated and calm.

For people who prefer a light lather first thing, our Foaming Facial Wash offers a soft, gentle cleanse with its creamy, cloud-like texture. This pH-balanced formula cleanses skin while preserving your skin's hydration. Designed with sensitive skin in mind, it helps maintain skin comfort.

If your skin type leans towards oily but is still sensitive, try our Oil Control Foaming Facial Wash. It uses an airy, soft foam formula to wash away and combat excess sebum while being gentle enough for sensitive skin types.

Graphic showing the benefits using using Curel's Hydrating Makeup Cleanser

Don’t skip your evening cleanse

Even if you opt for a minimal skincare routine, cleansing plays an important role for both morning and night. A gentle morning cleanse helps refresh the skin, while cleansing thoroughly at night is essential to remove the day’s buildup of makeup, sunscreen, dirt, and oil/sebum. This is where double cleansing comes in.

Begin with our Makeup Cleansing Oil or Makeup Cleansing Gel to melt away makeup, impurities and SPF. Then, follow with your chosen gentle foaming cleanser to ensure your skin is fresh, clean, and ready for double moisturising.

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