ACID REIGN
Throwing off their harsh-sounding reputation, acid formulations are snatching the spotlight thanks to their ability to gently exfoliate, hydrate and refine skin
“Introducing acids into your skincare regime helps to exfoliate and enhance the skin’s natural renewal cycle”
When it comes to your skin, the A-word (acid) is likely to incite one of two reactions: eye-watering disbelief or heart-eyed adulation.
If you’re wincing, you’re either more familiar with the kinder term AHAs (alpha-hydroxy acids) or perhaps you’ve experienced an earlier incarnation of the overzealous, irritating, salononly acid peel. Red, flaky faces are hard to forget.
But if you’re a flag-waving fan of lactic acid, glycolic acid and the like, you’ll likely wax lyrical about how a quick swipe of a doused cotton pad at night results in impressively clearer, softer and more luminous skin.
“Alpha-hydroxy acids come in many different shapes and sizes, with their main function being to dissolve the invisible glue-like substance that holds our skin cells together,” explains Amanda Sainthill, clinical educator for Advanced Skin Technology.
“Introducing them into your skincare regime helps to exfoliate and enhance the skin’s natural renewal cycle.”
Rather than topically scrubbing away build-up, the cleansers, serums and other treatment products gently loosen the bonds between dead skin cells, so they are easily removed.
“Depending what type you use, they can have additional benefits, such as improving dullness and hydration, assisting with brightening the skin, as well as smoothing and softening the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles,” Amanda explains.
It’s easy to put the reinvention of AHAs down to repackaging by youth-driven buzz-brands (Glossier, Drunk Elephant et al.) but it’s the willingness of these brands to drill down on exactly what ingredients are inside their products — rather than just using catch-all claims — that’s prompted wider enthusiasm for studying up on skincare and refining the effectiveness of an at-home regime.
Consider the recent elimination of microbeads from the exfoliating playing field and the story (and our skin) becomes even clearer.
According to Amanda, refined formulations are kinder, and wider uses mean the interest is deserved. “Acids are now a gentle, yet effective way to exfoliate the skin. Also, with the increasing popularity of vitamins and other skin-boosting ingredients such as peptides, users are noticing that in order to feed the skin with these amazing nutrients, we have to first rake away the dead cell build-up to expose a more refined skin.”
Another effective player is salicylic acid, which is used in a more targeted fashion to treat blemishes thanks to its ability to go deep, encouraging clogged pores to relinquish excess oil.