Gentle, moisturizing soaps, facial cleansers, and body washes can help you care for your skin barrier when you have psoriasis.
Your skin’s barrier serves a crucial role — it protects you from environmental damage, infection from microbes, and helps regulate hydration, among other essential functions — so maintaining its integrity is key, especially when you have psoriasis.
“Psoriasis skin is characterized by impaired barrier function,” says Kseniya Kobets, MD, the director of cosmetic dermatology at Montefiore Einstein Advanced Care in Elmsford, New York. “It’s also more prone to water loss through the skin, which makes it more likely to become irritated, dry out, and crack.”
According to Dr. Kobets, the best cleansers for psoriasis are:
- Gentle
- Moisturizing
- Fragrance-free
These three qualities help support skin barrier function and prevent irritation due to dryness, Kobets says. With the right cleanser, you can help reduce flares, and keep your skin smoother and more comfortable.
Synthetic Detergent (Syndet) Bars and Liquid Cleansers
Synthetic detergent, or syndet, bars and liquid cleansers — both body and face washes — are commonly marketed as safe for sensitive skin, and they can typically be used with psoriasis. They have a lower pH than traditional alkaline soaps, which means they’re less likely to throw the skin’s naturally slightly acidic pH level out of balance.
Keeping the skin’s pH stable helps preserve the skin barrier and may prevent irritation.
Kobets says using syndets can improve skin hydration, reduce flaking, and decrease itching.
Look for these cleanser ingredients when you’re dealing with psoriasis:
- Ceramides
- Glycerol (also called glycerin)
- Petrolatum (also called petroleum jelly)
- Paraffin
- Urea
- Hyaluronic acid
“Ceramides have been shown to improve the appearance of the skin as well as helping with itching and improving cracks in the skin,” says Kobets.
She says that ingredients like petrolatum, paraffin, glycerol, and urea will help with dryness, flaking, and itching as well.
Hyaluronic acid is often found in formulations made for psoriasis. This is because it may reduce symptoms by hydrating skin, repairing the skin barrier, and reducing inflammation.
Colloidal Oatmeal Cleansers
Colloidal oatmeal soaps, facial cleansers, and body washes are another option to soothe psoriasis. Colloidal oatmeal’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties can calm skin and prevent cellular damage.
“Oat-derived ingredients have also been shown to be helpful for mild to moderate psoriasis,” Kobets says.
“Some of these components include oat flour, oat oil, and oat extract.” You can also look for natural oils, like olive or coconut. These soothing ingredients can ease dryness, itching, and scaling.
Coconut oil, however, is comedogenic — known to clog pores — so if you have acne-prone skin, ask your dermatologist before you try it.
Goat’s Milk Soap
Goat’s milk soap is another natural option to soothe skin that’s irritated from psoriasis. Kobets notes that evidence of its efficacy in psoriasis is limited, though.
Goat milk is rich in fatty acids and vitamins that can nourish the skin. Plus, it contains lactic acid, which provides mild, nonirritating exfoliation.
Kobets says that goat milk also naturally contains the bioactive compounds lactoferrin and lysozyme, which have antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory effects. These compounds may even help regulate the immune response in people with psoriasis.
“We do not have good clinical trials that support the use of goat milk soaps in psoriasis at this time,” Kobets says.
She recommends goat milk over cow’s milk, as it’s less likely to contain allergens. “I [also] typically recommend avoiding fragrance and other additives in the products due to the risk of increased irritation,” Kobets says.