Soaps, shampoos, and detergents.

In clinical dermatology, few questions are asked more commonly than “What is the best way for me to clean my skin or hair?” The modern dermatologist needs to be familiar with the physiologic action of cleansing products available on the market. This familiarity should include chemical composition, application, cosmetic benefits, and safety, as well as potential hazards. This knowledge must be acquired from objective, independent, peer-reviewed scientific literature, and not from promotional sheets or biased, pseudoscientific articles that are distributed in great quantity by the cosmetic companies, which have heavily vested commercial interests. It is our hope that this chapter will be such an objective and evenhanded source of information for guiding practicing dermatologists.