We’ve all joked about sleeping in our makeup. Even the best of us have been too tired to take off our face before bed, and woke up the next morning with last night’s eyeliner smudged everywhere.

But here’s the deal—this lapse in your beauty regimen is terrible for your skin. Your face isn’t built to handle makeup caked on it for hours on end, and skipping the makeup remover for even one night can have dire consequences for the looks and overall health of your skin. Here’s why you should always take off your makeup before tucking in.

What’s the Big Deal?

Simply put, leaving makeup on overnight wreaks havoc on your face in a number of ways.

If you sleep in your makeup, especially if you wear foundation or concealer, you’ll probably wake up to a cluster of acne on your cheeks, forehead or chin. Practically all skin makeup is comedogenic—that is, it causes acne—and leaving it on your skin overnight is just begging for clogged pores and painful breakouts.

Even if you don’t break out easily, leaving your makeup on overnight can leave your skin looking dull and poorly hydrated. According to celebrity dermatologist Dr. Annie Chiu, when makeup, oils and dead skin cells are left on your skin and your pillow mats them down all night, the “natural turnover” of the outer layer of skin is interrupted. A wipe down with makeup remover followed by a regular face wash is a simple way to keep your face looking fresh, no matter how much makeup you had on it the night before.

Skipping the makeup remover every once in a while might not be the end of the world, but doing it often can do irreversible damage. Makeup is a kind of free radical, or pollutant, and when it’s pressed up against your skin all night, it oxidizes and damages your skin’s natural barrier, which causes premature aging. Makeup remover can save you a whole lot of wrinkles.

In one of the worst-case scenarios, sleeping in your makeup can give you an infection. Your eyes, having mucous membranes, are especially vulnerable to infection and are often the most heavily made-up part of the face. Eyeshadow, mascara, eyeliner, and lash glue can all build up around your eyes and attract bacteria. Infections can also happen when foundation irritates an acne breakout, or when bacteria gets into an irritated hair follicle in your eyebrows. Taking off your makeup thoroughly can spare you from a trip to the doctor and a round of antibiotics.

How to Use Makeup Remover

Hopefully I’ve sold you by now on the importance of taking off your makeup, but wait—there are some tips and tricks to help you get the most out of your makeup remover.

Generally, there are two basic types of makeup remover: oil-based and water-based. Oil-based types are good for removing waterproof makeup, so if you like to wear super stubborn products, this might be the best route for you. But, oil-based makeup remover has been known to clog pores, and if your skin type is oily, you don’t need any more oil than you’ve already got. If that’s the case, look for an oil-free remover or micellar water. These might not cleanse quite as aggressively as the oil-based types, but they’re a little gentler on your skin biome.

Lots of people make the mistake of scrubbing around their eyes way too roughly when taking off their makeup. But be gentle! The skin around your eyes is the thinnest on your face, and beating up on it can cause irritation, not to mention wrinkles. Just soak a cotton pad in your makeup remover and dab away your eye makeup instead.

Speaking of eyes, don’t neglect the corners! Lots of makeup builds up around the inner and outer corners of the eyelids, which is a recipe for irritation and infection. To get into those little creases, use the corner of your cotton pad or a Q-tip and swab away the buildup.

And of course, after you’ve taken all your makeup off, don’t neglect the rest of your skincare routine. Makeup remover can disrupt your skin’s natural barrier. Follow up with a wash, toner and moisturizer to leave your skin balanced, clean and moisturized for the night.

Now that you’re primed on what makeup remover can do for you, why not check out what we have to offer here at Keshoume? Japanese makeup remover is among the best—you might just find the perfect thing to wash the day off with.