Nonfiction

Clean: The New Science of Skin and the Beauty of Doing Less

Clean: The New Science of Skin and the Beauty of Doing Less

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-08-27 08:52:23
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：James Hamblin
  • ISBN：0525538321
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Summary

Named a Best Book of 2020 by NPR and Vanity Fair

One of Smithsonian's Ten Best Science Books of 2020

"A searching and vital explication of germ theory， social norms， and what the modern era is really doing to our bodies and our psyches。" --Vanity Fair

A preventative medicine physician and staff writer for The Atlantic explains the surprising and unintended effects of our hygiene practices in this informative and entertaining introduction to the new science of skin microbes and probiotics。

Keeping skin healthy is a booming industry， and yet it seems like almost no one agrees on what actually works。 Confusing messages from health authorities and ineffective treatments have left many people desperate for reliable solutions。 An enormous alternative industry is filling the void， selling products that are often of questionable safety and totally unknown effectiveness。

In Clean， doctor and journalist James Hamblin explores how we got here， examining the science and culture of how we care for our skin today。 He talks to dermatologists， microbiologists， allergists， immunologists， aestheticians， bar-soap enthusiasts， venture capitalists， Amish people， theologians， and straight-up scam artists， trying to figure out what it really means to be clean。 He even experiments with giving up showers entirely， and discovers that he is not alone。

Along the way， he realizes that most of our standards of cleanliness are less related to health than most people think。 A major part of the picture has been missing: a little-known ecosystem known as the skin microbiome--the trillions of microbes that live on our skin and in our pores。 These microbes are not dangerous; they're more like an outer layer of skin that no one knew we had， and they influence everything from acne， eczema， and dry skin， to how we smell。 The new goal of skin care will be to cultivate a healthy biome--and to embrace the meaning of "clean" in the natural sense。 This can mean doing much less， saving time， money， energy， water， and plastic bottles in the process。

Lucid， accessible， and deeply researched， Clean explores the ongoing， radical change in the way we think about our skin， introducing readers to the emerging science that will be at the forefront of health and wellness conversations in coming years。

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Reviews

Susan ，

I found this book fascinating and disturbing at times， particularly driving home the huge gap between the wealthy elites spending hundreds of dollars on a jar of face cream， while young women in various impoverished countries leave tampons in all day because there are no restrooms in their schools。I was also disturbed to learn of the lack of regulation for cosmetics and how far behind the US is in this compared to the EU。 Am glad I've never been one to wear makeup！The author talks about changing I found this book fascinating and disturbing at times， particularly driving home the huge gap between the wealthy elites spending hundreds of dollars on a jar of face cream， while young women in various impoverished countries leave tampons in all day because there are no restrooms in their schools。I was also disturbed to learn of the lack of regulation for cosmetics and how far behind the US is in this compared to the EU。 Am glad I've never been one to wear makeup！The author talks about changing his own practices， rarely showering and just wetting his hair rather than shampooing。 I've been on board with not showering daily for many years， may try doing it even less after reading this book， and just cleaning the "bits" daily。I'll be following the author's writing and will also check out his podcast。 。。。more

Christi McGinley ，

A thoroughly entertaining read that is more than about why we shower （or not）。 It covers many aspects of what we think of today as clean from supplements， food， soap， and more。

David ，

Describes the history of and current state of beauty companies but lacks any real scientific investigation into the practices of washing and hygiene。

Duncan Whyte ，

The healthiest sense of being clean is doing less is more unless that you do too little。 Not too surprising of a finding。 Pretty scary summary of the lack of safety （not to mention efficacy） of beauty products。 There's a fine line between the marketing of beauty products that claim health benefits and the available prescription drugs。 Even products that were proven to be harmful were not recalled by the FDA。 It's a space needing some more regulations， especially considering the influence that be The healthiest sense of being clean is doing less is more unless that you do too little。 Not too surprising of a finding。 Pretty scary summary of the lack of safety （not to mention efficacy） of beauty products。 There's a fine line between the marketing of beauty products that claim health benefits and the available prescription drugs。 Even products that were proven to be harmful were not recalled by the FDA。 It's a space needing some more regulations， especially considering the influence that beauty products exert on people。 Lots of interesting history and recent science about the microbiome of our skin。 I wonder if people will still socially accept me if I completely go off showering。。。 all in the name of being clean， of course。 Might be a hard sell？ 。。。more

Natcat ，

Not quite what I expected。 I was hoping to learn more about the author's journey to the world of no soap and deodorant。 Instead， I learned a lot about the history of soap and about the microbiome。 Some of the content is fascinating and the author's style is generally engaging。 However， the book felt like a collection of disjointed essays under a common theme。 My main takeaways: It's probably more healthy to wash less （except for our hands and anus）; city life limits our exposure to immunity-boos Not quite what I expected。 I was hoping to learn more about the author's journey to the world of no soap and deodorant。 Instead， I learned a lot about the history of soap and about the microbiome。 Some of the content is fascinating and the author's style is generally engaging。 However， the book felt like a collection of disjointed essays under a common theme。 My main takeaways: It's probably more healthy to wash less （except for our hands and anus）; city life limits our exposure to immunity-boosting bacteria; most skincare is a waste of time and money; soap is a miracle of marketing。 。。。more

Flesha ，

This is a broad overview on cleanliness and our changing vision of what that looks like。 Many topics are touched upon in this book: antibacterial products， the history of soap， the skin as a microbiome， hygiene practices， the beauty and cosmetics industry vs pharmaceutical industry， city planning and health。 Each of these topics could be developed into a book。 This is a good introduction and fun to read。

Robin A Taliesin ，

A Provocative ReadThis book was interesting both from a historical perspective and from a current one。 It presents alternate thoughts and approaches to one’s active definition of cleanliness。

Lindsay ，

I’m very surprised to find that this has been one of my favorite books in quite some time。 Fascinating look at hygiene， microbiomes， and the history of cleanliness。 Learned a great deal in an enjoyable read。

Annie ，

made me think - which is really all i ask of a book。 was it the best， probably not， but definitely changed my thinking on a few things！

Cereal ，

This was a great book with some fascinating findings。takeaways:--aside from thoroughly washing our hands， most of our hygiene practices are unnecessary and even harmful。 washing the poop off your butt with a wet piece of toilet paper obviates the need to shower--antimicrobial soap is bad for everyday use because it kills off good bacteria in our skin microbiome--we need to expose ourselves to dirt to train our immune systems to respond to the right things--the best thing you can do for acne is g This was a great book with some fascinating findings。takeaways:--aside from thoroughly washing our hands， most of our hygiene practices are unnecessary and even harmful。 washing the poop off your butt with a wet piece of toilet paper obviates the need to shower--antimicrobial soap is bad for everyday use because it kills off good bacteria in our skin microbiome--we need to expose ourselves to dirt to train our immune systems to respond to the right things--the best thing you can do for acne is get more sleep & reduce your stress--skincare products don't require FDA approval， unlike drugs。 so there's a lotta bad or untested stuff in a lotta products--the skincare industry is good at manufacturing need; they make us feel insecure about our skin so they can make a profit--cleanliness， or good skin health， comes from access to open air， nature/dirt， strong social ties， not being stressed/sleep deprived all of the time。 the booming skincare industry is an individualist non-solution to systemic inequalities 。。。more

Randi ，

Definitely worth the listen！ I was skeptical for the first quarter or so of the book， and I remain a little skeptical of some parts， but overall the book was fascinating and even funny。

Fr。 Daniel Carr ，

Given the context of the pandemic， I was intrigued by this book's title and premise。 How clean is too clean？I remember hearing a lecture when I attended the PA Governor's School for Health Care in 2001。 The lecture explains that， when we use too many bacteria-destroying substances or devices， we are creating an environment that results in "super-bacteria" that are immune to the means we have of fighting against bacteria。 An interesting premise， given the current world climate about cleanliness， Given the context of the pandemic， I was intrigued by this book's title and premise。 How clean is too clean？I remember hearing a lecture when I attended the PA Governor's School for Health Care in 2001。 The lecture explains that， when we use too many bacteria-destroying substances or devices， we are creating an environment that results in "super-bacteria" that are immune to the means we have of fighting against bacteria。 An interesting premise， given the current world climate about cleanliness， sanitation， and the safety connected with it。As flashy and modern as this book's introduction and premise are， the points and results are surprisingly sensible。 It does a great job of showing our obsession with looking young and healthy， our naivete when looking for products that will accomplish this， the immense amount of money in this industry， and the frequent lack of oversight and science behind the marketing claims。 It also does not simply refuse the sensibility in cleanliness （ex: washing hands， bathing， etc。）I tend to be a very simple person， and it doesn't surprise me that the body can not only survive but thrive in an environment with fewer care products。 I don't intend to use less soap or deodorant moving forward， but I will certainly be more careful with what products I use and purchase。An interesting read， but not necessarily recommended。 。。。more

Marya ，

The book isn't bad， it just isn't much of a book。 Rather， it read like a series of vignettes only marginally related。 The book isn't bad， it just isn't much of a book。 Rather， it read like a series of vignettes only marginally related。 。。。more

Laura ，

Interesting look into the history & world of soap。

Brigitte ，

Easy read and learned a lot of interesting facts！

Missy ，

One of the more life-changing books I’ve read in a long time。 Challenges notions of what it means to be clean and the public health consequences of unregulated marketing in the hygiene industry。

Moira Burke ，

Good survey of what we do and don’t know about our gut and skin microbiomes， how the personal care industry trains us to wash away protective layers with one product and replace them with another， and the horrifying lack of authority the FDA has over skin care products。 The author makes persuasive points about showering less frequently and using fewer soaps and disinfectants。

Anne ，

Really interesting look back at some of the history of hygiene and the marketing behind the industry。

Alex ，

3。5 stars， This is one of those books that I'm glad exists but actually the science to inform the pop-sci isn't really there yet， so it ends up a little dissatisfying （very much like Ed Yong's microbiome book from a few years ago）。 We don't know all that much about our skin microbiome， the skincare industry is woefully unregulated so there's not really data to report on， and there's only so much mileage you can get out of "actually， no， I don't wash my hair/face/body in a culturally normative wa 3。5 stars， This is one of those books that I'm glad exists but actually the science to inform the pop-sci isn't really there yet， so it ends up a little dissatisfying （very much like Ed Yong's microbiome book from a few years ago）。 We don't know all that much about our skin microbiome， the skincare industry is woefully unregulated so there's not really data to report on， and there's only so much mileage you can get out of "actually， no， I don't wash my hair/face/body in a culturally normative way。" So the most robust information here ends up being on the history of soap， which to be fair is pretty interesting， amongst vague chapters on the bizarre claims of the skin care industry， the fact that the CEO of Dr。 Bronner's is a Burner， and some cool but deeply inconclusive info about the skin microbiome and just how much we don't know about it。 Not sorry to have read it， but I what I really want is the second edition from 10-15 years in the future。 。。。more

Angela ，

Now I want to ditch all of my toxic skin care products。 Interesting read。 Could have done without the profanity。

Ella Raynor （The Cheerful Nihilist） ，

This book reads like a very long magazine article。 The author investigates the concept of--and reality of--being “clean，” jumping from one lead to the next， interspersed with musings about what he's learned along with a joke or two。The book won’t give you deep research into one very specific topic， but it does supply an intriguing look into the soap/skin care/hygiene industries， the emerging science of our skin biomes and healthy bacteria， and how knowledge and values of hygiene vs。 cleanliness This book reads like a very long magazine article。 The author investigates the concept of--and reality of--being “clean，” jumping from one lead to the next， interspersed with musings about what he's learned along with a joke or two。The book won’t give you deep research into one very specific topic， but it does supply an intriguing look into the soap/skin care/hygiene industries， the emerging science of our skin biomes and healthy bacteria， and how knowledge and values of hygiene vs。 cleanliness have changed over time。 Because the book has such a broad focus， readers might be disappointed with the topics that aren’t covered or too briefly mentioned; for example， if we’re talking about skin health and anti-aging industry promises， he probably shouldn’t have skipped over sun protection and skin cancer。 I especially wanted to hear more about economic and social privilege related to skin care choices， such as prejudice against Black hair or the shaming of women’s "vaginal odor。"However， this was a quick and enjoyable read， and I liked the author’s exploratory， relatively unbiased tone。 。。。more

Anita ，

I'm giving Hamblin 3。5 stars because I like his style and am intrigued by the subject matter， having several dermatologist friends who advocate a bit less scrubbing than we've been led to believe necessary 。 This started out strong， with the historical references on the evolution of mass cleanliness， because he is engaging - but it quickly devolved into an odd hit-or-miss collection of article-like chapters （which is not surprising， given that he writes a lot of magazine articles， especially for I'm giving Hamblin 3。5 stars because I like his style and am intrigued by the subject matter， having several dermatologist friends who advocate a bit less scrubbing than we've been led to believe necessary 。 This started out strong， with the historical references on the evolution of mass cleanliness， because he is engaging - but it quickly devolved into an odd hit-or-miss collection of article-like chapters （which is not surprising， given that he writes a lot of magazine articles， especially for Atlantic Monthly and I recognize the style）。 The subject matter is fascinating but， mid-book， it felt as if he was no longer fascinated by it so I wasn't， either。 It read a lot like That Guy at a cocktail party who's drafted some talking points on a subject in order to make himself seem interesting。 Given Hamblin's CV and his decent body of work， I expected better from him。 It's not a BAD read - just not as deep as I was hoping for。 。。。more

Katie Long ，

A pretty quick read。 Really drives home the idea that making no decision always has consequences！ My favorite part was definitely the history of soap。 Will be interesting to see how the concepts in this book hold up in 20 years。 The lens pre-covid is fascinating。 I think the book might’ve changed a bit if he had had to factor in the purell we have all toted around for the last 16 months。 It also makes our initial covid response locking up the playgrounds seem even more bonkers。

Jason S ，

I picked this up because I liked Hamblin’s writing for the Atlantic， and this book did not disappoint。 Interesting anecdotes and data about the emerging science of the microbiomes on our skin。 A quick read with some interesting ideas in it。

Joan ，

Interesting facts and thoughts on personal hygiene。 At times， I had to leave this book as it was not a page turner for me。 I had to digest some of the information before moving forward。

Ameya Warde ，

This is fantastic and if you have skin， you should read it。 Whether you are inerested in your skins microbiome or have never thought about it before， you should read it。 If you are involved with skincare or makeup at all， you should REALLY read it。 Hamblin is a fantastic writer and his books are enjoyable， conversational reads， while delivering medical/sciencey info in an enjoyably millennial fashion （I saw as a millennial who reads health-science type books constantly and love being able to tel This is fantastic and if you have skin， you should read it。 Whether you are inerested in your skins microbiome or have never thought about it before， you should read it。 If you are involved with skincare or makeup at all， you should REALLY read it。 Hamblin is a fantastic writer and his books are enjoyable， conversational reads， while delivering medical/sciencey info in an enjoyably millennial fashion （I saw as a millennial who reads health-science type books constantly and love being able to tell that the writer is closer to my age and isn't a 60+ year old man for once！） 。。。more

Shelly ，

I wanted to like this more than I did。 It felt like a disconnected series of magazine articles more than a book， but I love the character of his writing。 It's so pleasant and easy to read！ I wanted to like this more than I did。 It felt like a disconnected series of magazine articles more than a book， but I love the character of his writing。 It's so pleasant and easy to read！ 。。。more

Andrea M ，

Neat book。 He started talking about Soap Operas and somehow we meandered our way to Farm Parks in Europe。

Sammy ，

I don't know why I thought this book would include more of the author's experience after he decided to stop showering。 I kept reading thinking he'd get into that。 If I had realized that it was a book about the history of soap， would I have read it？ Probably not。 Did I basically accidentally read this and learn some interesting things？ Yes。 So， I don't know， three stars？ I don't know why I thought this book would include more of the author's experience after he decided to stop showering。 I kept reading thinking he'd get into that。 If I had realized that it was a book about the history of soap， would I have read it？ Probably not。 Did I basically accidentally read this and learn some interesting things？ Yes。 So， I don't know， three stars？ 。。。more

Adam Irving ，

A fascinating journey through something we take for granted yet is so vital to every single one of us: our skin and how we clean it。 The author rides the fine line between introducing sometimes complex ideas or subjects in a way they can be understood without oversimplifying or falling down a proverbial rabbit hole of research and biology or history。 I was surprised by how broad a scope this book explored， and appreciated the learned but approachable voice of the author and the occasional light A fascinating journey through something we take for granted yet is so vital to every single one of us: our skin and how we clean it。 The author rides the fine line between introducing sometimes complex ideas or subjects in a way they can be understood without oversimplifying or falling down a proverbial rabbit hole of research and biology or history。 I was surprised by how broad a scope this book explored， and appreciated the learned but approachable voice of the author and the occasional light touch of humor。 A slight twinkle in the eye here and there， as it were。 Definitely a great introduction to the topic for those who are curious， as I was， and the notes in the back will provide a great road map for those wanting to pursue the subject further。 Even more timely on the back end of a pandemic than the front end！ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Clean: The New Science of Skin and the Beauty of Doing Less

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Clean: The New Science of Skin and the Beauty of Doing Less&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Clean: The New Science of Skin and the Beauty of Doing Less&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0