Here's what really happens when you don't do a good job cleaning your face

So you know that a cleanser is a cornerstone of any skincare routine.

But if you're like most of the rest of us, you probably aren't as meticulous when it comes to picking a cleanser as, say, a targeted product such as a serum or a mask-you choose one suited for your skin type, but likely won't scrutinise the ingredients list.

After all, what you need is just one that effectively gets the grime, sweat, makeup and dead cells off skin without stripping it of its natural oils … right? Well, not quite.

While cleansers serve their namesake function, they also present an opportunity to reap additional benefits from specific ingredients that help improve your skin's appearance.

Which means that it's high time you relook the way you shop for one.

Virginie Couturaud, Parfums Christian Dior's Scientific Communication Director, gives the deets on what really happens when you don't do a good job cleaning your face, and shares more about Dior's latest offering.

Cleansing is a daily must that has been drummed into us. But what actually happens when the skin is not properly cleansed?

(Well, your complexion can take on a lacklustre appearance and your skin can look older.)

While pollution particles are imperceptible to the naked eye, they often result in a dull and lustreless complexion.

The real danger, though, is the fact that they will accelerate skin ageing, as they stimulate the production of free radicals and subject skin to oxidative stress.

An accumulation of these oxidative attacks affects the DNA of skin cells, subjecting them to damage.

Over time, this can give rise to premature signs of ageing such as wrinkles and pigmentation.

Which is why the most important thing to do when cleansing is to make sure that all traces of makeup and air pollutants are thoroughly removed.

Dior recently launched the La Mousse OFF/ON cleanser, which affords purifying benefits on top of performing its basic duties. What inspired it?

It was inspired by Fashion Week, where some models walk up to five or six shows a day with a full face of makeup.

This can take a huge toll on the skin, which can grow weary from the exhaustion of travel and exposure to the elements.

For Peter Philips, Creative and Image Director of Christian Dior makeup, the most important skincare step is undoubtedly makeup removal and cleansing, which must be both thorough and respectful to the skin.

Peter and the models needed something that went beyond cleansing; something effective yet extremely skin-caring. And so the La Mousse OFF/ON cleanser was born in the Dior laboratories and adapted to all skin types.

It's designed to be an effective cleanser that is also gentle on the skin. The foaming action helps to eliminate impurities and heavy metals, thereby detoxifying the skin.

The formula, meanwhile, works to help [strengthen] the skin's natural barrier function, so that your skin can (better) protect itself from urban pollutants.

Water lily lies at the heart of the La Mousse OFF/ON – what makes it an ideal ingredient to incorporate into a cleanser?

Water lilies are one of the most resilient flowers, and Dior took interest in studying this flower because of its strength and adaptability.

During the flowering season, it closes at night to preserve its nutrients and opens in the day, rising pure.

The water lily also has unique phytochemistry: It is able to eliminate heavy metals from water, thus detoxing it.

Our extract of the water lily has the ability to remove heavy metals from the skin and purify it from pollutants.

The extract has also been tested to strengthen the barrier function of the skin so that it can be more resilient against environmental pollutants.

This article was first published in Harper's Bazaar Singapore.