Exfoliation can be divided into physical and chemical exfoliation.
Physical exfoliation can take many forms, including exfoliating brushes/gloves, coffee scrubs, and specialised devices.
This article is dedicated to chemical exfoliants. These can broadly be divided into alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), beta hydroxy acids (BHAs), or poly hydroxy acids (PHAs).
AHA
AHAs are water soluble and so act primarily superficially, on the surface of the skin. Examples of AHAs are lactic acid, glycolic acid, and citric acid.
Our top rated AHAs are the COSRX AHA Whitehead Power Liquid (Olive Young)(Style Korean)(Althea)(Beautynet Korean)(Jolse), The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + HA 2%, and the KraveBeauty Kale-Lalu-yAHA. These are comparatively mild exfoliants but we find that they remain effective, not just in removing dead skin and debris, but also in helping to fade postinflammatory hyperpigmentation and pigmentation over time. We found that we had to be patient and use these consistently (3-4 times a week) for at least 6 months to see results.
These are all leave-on exfoliants, rather than ones that you wash off before applying the rest of your skincare. Be sure to apply leave-on chemical exfoliants after cleansing and before toners and moisturisers so that they are better absorbed into the skin.
By the way…some of the skincare we recommend are available on iHerb, which we use to buy a lot of our organic skincare. You can use our code AEJ0519 at checkout to get 5% off.
BHA
Unlike AHAs, BHAs are lipid soluble. They work on both the skin surface and can penetrate into the pores. Examples of BHAs include salicyclic acid and tropic acid.
In general, we like AHAs more than BHAs, even though the latter can penetrate deeper into the skin. This is because BHAs, being more moisture-stripping, can be overly harsh unless you have oily skin or you have trouble in minimizing your pores.
PHA
PHAs (e.g. gluconolactone, lactobionic acid) are gentler than AHAs but have even less penetration than AHAs because the molecular size of PHAs is greater. We are currently on the lookout for an organic PHA to recommend, and we’ll let you know once we do! Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to find out.
Make sure to only apply one AHA, BHA, PHA, or other acid at any one time, in order to avoid irritating your skin. Also avoid applying AHAs and BHAs with skincare containing peptides, since the low pH of acids will interfere with peptides.
Also make sure to limit the use of these chemical exfoliators to 1-2 times a week. And skipping this step in the morning is preferable. While this is not a hard and fast rule, we prefer to not sensitise newly exfoliated skin through exposure to UV radiation.
Other precautions to take are to patch test first, or to only “spot exfoliate” in parts of your face that really need it. If you are using leave-on exfoliant, but it is causing skin irritation, treat it as as a wash-off exfoliant and rinse it off within 5 minutes until your skin gets used to it.
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P.S…this is probably obvious, but the information presented doesn’t constitute medical advice - always check with your own doctor!
