Answered: How to Take Off Makeup Without Makeup Wipes

Melissa Mondesir
Jun 7, 2019
3 min read

Updated: May 31

We’ve all had those nights when we get home from a night out and are just too exhausted to remove our makeup for the night. Sound familiar?

You can be forgiven for that one night, but it can’t become a habit. Sleeping with makeup is bad for your skin for a number of reasons. First, when you don’t wash your face at night, your day’s makeup and all the environmental pollutants will get trapped inside the skin — and over time, this can result in premature aging. Even the most sensitive, organic and all-natural makeup is not good to leave on your skin for a full night. Moreover, prolonged wearing of makeup also can clog pores, resulting in bad acne and blackhead breakouts.

Sleeping With Makeup Clogs Your Pores

In fact, according to Dr. Eric Schweiger, founder of the Clear Clinic, and Dr. Erin Gilbert, an NYC-based dermatologist, sleeping in makeup is “one of the biggest mistakes” a woman can make where her skin is concerned. “During the day you accumulate a lot of oxidative stress,” says Dr. Gilbert. “When you sleep in your makeup you are not giving your skin a chance to recover from those insults, which can lead to premature aging.” Schweiger concurs, noting that “free radicals from the environment (often in the form of pollution) remain on the skin when you do not clean your face properly at night

Makeup Wipes Are Not The Answer

The obvious answer to getting makeup off is cleansing wipes, but these wipes don’t effectively clean the skin.

Shocker, I know.

There are so many women who love, love, love these wipes. They are just so convenient. The problem with them is that when you use wipes, you falsely think you’ve cleaned their skin with one wipe, but instead, all you’ve really does is smear debris, bacteria oil, and makeup across the face. It’s like applying cleanser to your face and then not washing it off. The “cleaning and rinsing” action actually removes makeup. No substitute.

Don’t panic, though (and don’t go to bed without removing your makeup first): Make wipes are not all that bad. Keep your makeup wipes for things like touch-ups, travel, and when you might need to freshen up your foundation or remove eyeliner or mascara smudges is fine. They should be agents of convenience, not a necessity. But, if you are going to be using wipes, make sure to avoid the nasty ingredients by investing in a product like Koh Gen Do’s cleansing spa water cloths.

There are plenty of ways to take makeup off without using makeup wipes. Read on for five of our favorite alternatives for taking makeup off without makeup wipes—all of which you likely already have on hand in your kitchen cabinet.