Over the last 35 years, synthetic detergents have becomeincreasingly important as skin cleansing agents. With thevast range of soaps and synthetic cleansers availablenowadays, doctors and pharmacists are expectedto advise onhow to cleanse normal as well as diseased skins. Soundadvice must include knowledge of the nature, composition,and action of the available surfactants and cleanserpreparations, the physiology and pathophysiology of the skinsurface, the microbial ecology ofthe skin, and the factorsthat control the skin flora. Much of this knowledge is theresult of recent research. Health care professionals must befamiliar, not only with the benefits, but also with thepossible adverse effects of synthetic detergents on thehuman skin (roughness, water loss, etc.) and on theenvironment. This monograph draws upon the expertise ofnumerous scientists to present a comprehensive view of thesubject.