Pure Peel AHA Solution
Highlights
Key Ingredients
Skim through
Ingredient name | what-it-does | irr., com. | ID-Rating |
---|---|---|---|
Aqua (Water) | solvent | ||
Glycolic Acid | exfoliant, buffering | superstar | |
Propylene Glycol | moisturizer/humectant, solvent | 0, 0 | |
Propanediol | solvent, moisturizer/humectant | ||
Pentylene Glycol | solvent, moisturizer/humectant | ||
Mandelic Acid | exfoliant, antimicrobial/antibacterial | goodie | |
Tartaric Acid | buffering, exfoliant | ||
Sodium Hydroxide | buffering | ||
Hydroxyacetophenone | antioxidant |
Face D Pure Peel AHA SolutionIngredients explained
Good old water, aka H2O. The most common skincare ingredient of all. You can usually find it right in the very first spot of the ingredient list, meaning it’s the biggest thing out of all the stuff that makes up the product.
It’s mainly a solvent for ingredients that do not like to dissolve in oils but rather in water.
Once inside the skin, it hydrates, but not from the outside - putting pure water on the skin (hello long baths!) is drying.
One more thing: the water used in cosmetics is purified and deionized (it means that almost all of the mineral ions inside it is removed). Like this, the products can stay more stable over time.
- It’s the most researched AHA with the most proven skin benefits
- It gently lifts off dead skin cells to reveal newer, fresher, smoother skin
- It can help skin’s own collagen production that results in firmer, younger skin
- It can fade brown spots caused by sun damage or PIH
- Choose a product where you know the concentration and pH value because these two greatly influence effectiveness
- Don’t forget to use your sunscreen (in any case but especially so next to an AHA product)
- Slight stinging or burning with a stronger AHA product is normal
- If your skin is very sensitive, rosacea prone choose rather a BHA or PHA product
- It's a helper ingredient that improves the freeze-thaw stability of products
- It's also a solvent, humectant and to some extent a penetration enhancer
- It has a bad reputation among natural cosmetics advocates but cosmetic scientists and toxicology experts do not agree (read more in the geeky details section)
Propanediol is a natural alternative for the often used and often bad-mouthed propylene glycol. It's produced sustainably from corn sugar and it's Ecocert approved.
It's quite a multi-tasker: can be used to improve skin moisturization, as a solvent, to boost preservative efficacy or to influence the sensory properties of the end formula.
A multi-functional, silky feeling helper ingredient that can do quite many things. It's used as an emulsion stabilizer, solvent and a broad spectrum antimicrobial. According to manufacturer info, it's also a moisturizer and helps to make the product feel great on the skin. It works synergistically with preservatives and helps to improve water-resistance of sunscreens.
- Mandelic acid is an AHA that comes from bitter almond
- It can gently lift off dead surface skin cells and make the skin more smooth and even
- It has antibacterial properties
- It’s promising against acne and post inflammatory hyperpigmentation
- It’s light sensitive, so choose a product with opaque packaging
The unfancy name for it is lye. It’s a solid white stuff that’s very alkaline and used in small amounts to adjust the pH of the product and make it just right.
For example, in case of AHA or BHA exfoliants, the right pH is super-duper important, and pH adjusters like sodium hydroxide are needed.
BTW, lye is not something new. It was already used by ancient Egyptians to help oil and fat magically turn into something else. Can you guess what? Yes, it’s soap. It still often shows up in the ingredient list of soaps and other cleansers.
Sodium hydroxide in itself is a potent skin irritant, but once it's reacted (as it is usually in skin care products, like exfoliants) it is totally harmless.
A handy multifunctional ingredient that works as a preservative booster, as well as an antioxidant and soothing agent.
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what‑it‑does | solvent |
what‑it‑does | exfoliant | buffering |
what‑it‑does | moisturizer/humectant | solvent |
irritancy, com. | 0, 0 |
what‑it‑does | solvent | moisturizer/humectant |
what‑it‑does | solvent | moisturizer/humectant |
what‑it‑does | exfoliant | antimicrobial/antibacterial |
what‑it‑does | buffering | exfoliant |
what‑it‑does | buffering |
what‑it‑does | antioxidant |