Chen Xuedong has not washed his face with water in 10 years, and yet has no acne

It is hard to imagine if someone has not washed their face in years. They may look like they need a trip to the dermatologist. However, this is not the case for Chinese actor Chen Xuedong, who propelled to fame with his role as Zhou Chongguang in the Tiny Times franchise.

The 31-year-old revealed his rather unconventional skincare routine in a recent episode of the Chinese variety show Mr. Housework. 

He said, “I have not washed my face with water in almost 10 years. I only use cleansing wipes or make-up remover, and after I’m done, I don’t need to use water to wash my face.” Chen’s co-star, Chinese pop idol Xu Jiaqi asked Chen if he at least used wet wipes and Chen said he does not, prompting her to exclaim, “That’s it? Then your skin is very good!”

Chen not only does not wash his face with water, but he also rarely brushes his teeth. He only flosses and uses mouthwash only, according to 8days.sg.

“I don’t know if the water is the problem, or if it’s ‘cos our bodies secrete a kind of oil that has a protective effect or something,” he mused, adding that he has many female celeb friends who have great hair despite not washing it often.

Nevertheless, Chen stresses that he is only sharing his own personal experiences and that his theories do not have any scientific basis. His facial regime works as he has “never gotten acne on [his] face”.

After hearing all this, Xu quipped, “Would it be better if you tried not taking a bath for 10 years?”

“Then I will have no friends!” was Chen’s hilarious response.

Predictably, not all netizens seem to agree with Chen’s unconventional self-care practices with some expressing their doubts about whether Chen is telling the truth or not.

“Does he not use water to wash his face when he’s showering or washing his hair? That’s just abnormal,” one remarked, while another scoffed, “Does he cover his face with plastic wrap when he’s showering?”

Chen himself eventually caught wind of the comments and issued some responses on his private Weibo account, saying, “There’s no point in nitpicking, I meant it literally. I don’t use water or facial foam to wash my face, I only use cleansing products, get [it]?”

“I have applied skincare products after removing my make-up and without washing my face with water for almost 10 years,” he continued. “My skin is not bad, in fact, it is very good.”

Some fans also came to his defence, pointing out that he was merely opening up about his own experiences and that it might not be suitable for everyone. /TISG