> “Because, evolutionarily, why would we be so disgusting that we need constant cleaning? And constant moisturizing and/or de-oiling?”
I am highly sceptical of every argument starting with "evolutionarily". Many times it just doesn't make any sense. "Evolutionarily, why would we travel in cars? I have this friend who stopped travelling in cars and hasn't been sick ever since".
Not that the soap question is not interesting, but anecdotal evidences ("I know a guy who...") never convince me.
Only advantage of dry skin seems to be less smell, even when you sweat. And feet being dry rather than sticky.
But having more smell might be attractive due to pheromones.
I'm skeptical of this for several reasons, not the least of which is experience being around people who weren't bathing for a long time.
Every single time I read about this, it's the person adopting it who claims they don't smell. Not others around them.
Then there's the unspoken but critical exceptions, which seems par for the course in health social media now. The acquaintance doesn't use soap, with the asterisk (there's always an asterisk today) that he "does wash his hands with soap and, in the cases where there’s actual dirt or grime on him, will lather up." He doesn't use shampoo, but maybe in another asterisk he uses some other cleaner instead? Toward the end of the article the author mentions someone who doesn't use soap, with the asterisk that he means "everything but his armpits and crotch"... which seems significant especially given that lather is likely running elsewhere.
I do wonder if cleaning routines could change, to use gentler cleansers, or different strategies to moisturize and condition skin and hair. That would be a different and maybe more productive discussion.