Book Review: Clean

Clean: The New Science of Skin by James Hamblin


The author of this book is a doctor who became famous for appearing in an article in which he admitted to not showering, and when he does shower, eschewing soap. I was intrigued by the premise and not quite sure what to expect. I love pop science, especially with first-hand research, but I also didn’t really want to read a diatribe by someone unhinged.

Fortunately, it turns out to be almost entirely the former. This is not a manifesto about the virtues of not-showering. Indeed, Hamblin doesn’t even recommend it, necessarily. It’s more about the history of soap, the proliferation of the skincare industry in this unregulated modern free-for-all, and a layman’s guide to the skin microbiome and how much we don’t know about how it works.

I found this book interesting and recommend it for people who are skeptical of marketing




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