AHAs are the gold standard of anti aging ingredients.
Best known for exfoliating your skin, Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) improves your skin tone and texture - reducing the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and pigmentation.
Making your skin feel smoother - and leaving it looking brighter, clearer and younger.
AHAs are the key to amazing, glowing skin.
Here’s everything you need to know.
AHAs are one of the best skincare ingredients for improving your skin.
Primarily used as an exfoliator, Alpha Hydroxy Acids also help:
- give you smoother skin
- eliminate ingrown hairs
- prevent acne breakouts
- promote collagen production to make your skin firmer
- brighten your complexion
- reduce lines and wrinkles
- correct discoloration
and ...
- allow your moisturizer to absorb easily, keeping your skin well hydrated.
Using AHAs also increases blood circulation to your face, bringing nutrients to the skin’s surface and encouraging cell renewal.
The result is brighter, glowing skin.
What are AHAs?
Alpha Hydroxy Acids are acid compounds that can be naturally occurring or synthetic. And are most often derived from plant-based sources.
They can be included in a range of different products: from face washes and toners to moisturisers and serums.
There are several different types of AHA, but the ones most commonly used in skincare products are:
- glycolic acid (from sugar cane)
- lactic acid (from lactose)
- citric acid (from citrus fruits)
- malic acid (derived from fruits)
- tartaric acid (derived from grapes)
They all act as chemical exfoliants on your skin, but what makes each different is the size of their molecules and their potency. Basically the smaller the molecule the deeper it can penetrate your skin, and the more effective it is.
However this is not always a good thing!
Increased efficiency is offset by an increase in redness and irritation.
So the type of AHA you use, the level of concentration and the product it is used in are very important.
More on that below. But first…
What do AHAs do for your skin?
Their power to exfoliate is what makes AHAs so good at improving your skin. And it’s the source of all the other benefits that AHAs offer.
Exfoliation: The basics
Your skin naturally sheds dead skin cells every 30 days or so to make room for new, healthy cells.
But sometimes the old cells don’t shed completely – resulting in dry, flaky skin that looks dull.
Exfoliation stops this by speeding up the process and removing the dead skin cells from the surface of your skin.
Now you can use an exfoliating facial scrub for this, but we wouldn’t recommend it!
The rough particles in abrasive scrub exfoliators can easily damage your skin barrier - leading to redness, inflammation, and breakouts. Along with hyperpigmentation, especially if you have black or darker-toned skin.
AHAs work in a more uniform way. They gently ‘unglue’ and dissolve the dead skin cells – rather than rubbing them away like a scrub would.
So they leave your skin looking smooth and glowing (not red and angry!).
And AHA’s are also powerful antioxidants – which stimulate your skin’s natural collagen production and repair any environmental damage to your skin – including sun damage.
As well as minimizing dark spots and discoloration caused by acne scars.
Because AHAs promote skin cell turnover they help your skin to have a more even tone.
So while the main function of AHAs is to exfoliate, they offer so many more skin benefits too.
How to Use AHAs to Improve Your Skin
When choosing how to include an AHA in your skincare routine you have to think about:
- which AHA to use
- the level of concentration, and
- the type of product it is used in
Which AHA is strongest?
The most widely used Alpha Hydroxy Acids are Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, Citric Acid and Malic Acid.
Of these, Glycolic Acid has the smallest molecules and so can penetrate your skin more deeply. Making it the most powerful exfoliant of the AHAs.
However this can come at a cost, leaving some types of skin irritated and red.
Lactic acid is a larger molecule and is a much better choice. It can gently exfoliate without irritating your skin.
In a comparative study of AHAs, both glycolic and lactic acids were found to be the most effective. With Lactic Acid having the advantage that it was more moisturizing.
We’ve got more on the benefits of Lactic Acid here:
And when it comes to the type of products available…
Are AHAs best in leave-on or rinse-off products?
The longer a product containing an AHA stays on your skin, the more impact it will have. But that can lead to irritation and redness.
We believe it’s much better for your skin to use an AHA in a gentler way – with a wash-off cleanser.
Our Daily Face Wash gently exfoliates and brightens your skin with Lactic Acid, and calms and moisturizes with Glycerin and Aloe Vera.
Best Exfoliating Face Wash with AHA
$31.00
How to Use AHAs Safely
Exfoliating Daily Face Wash is gentle but effective and is perfectly safe to be used every day - even if you have sensitive skin.
But there are a few things to bear in mind when using higher concentrations of AHAs, especially those in leave-on products like serums.
The first is sun protection.
AHAs can make your skin more sensitive to the sun’s UV rays. So you need to be extra careful about applying sunscreen every day – even on cloudy days - and re-applying it every two hours.
The second is to make sure you reduce your risk of irritation.
You need to be diligent in finding the right concentration of AHA. A concentration that is too high can lead to irritation and inflamed skin.
Everybody’s skin is different and can re4act in different ways, so start slowly.
If you’ve never used AHAs before, you may experience minor temporary side effects to start with – tingling and itching - while your skin adjusts to the product.
The Cleveland Clinic recommends using leave-on AHA products every other day to start with. As your skin gets used to them, you can start using them every day.
FAQ’s
What is an AHA?
Alpha-hydroxy acids (or AHAs) - such as glycolic, lactic and citric acid – are natural exfoliants. They work by gently ‘ungluing’ the bonds holding dull and dead skin cells to your skin’s surface.
What does Alpha Hydroxy Acid do to your skin?
AHA’s gently ‘unglue’ and dissolve dead skin cells. This leaves your face feeling smooth and looking brighter, clearer and younger.
Regularly exfoliating with AHA’s means:
- Fewer breakouts
- Smoother skin texture
- No ingrown hairs
- Brighter, glowing skin
and ...
- It allows your moisturizer to absorb easily, keeping your skin well hydrated
It also increases blood circulation to your face, bringing nutrients to the skin’s surface and encouraging cell renewal.
What’s the difference between AHAs and BHAs?
Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) – like glycolic, lactic and citric acids - are water soluble.
Whereas Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHAs) – like salicylic Acid - are soluble in oil. This means it can penetrate deep into the pores, removing dead skin cells and excess sebum.
As a rule, AHAs are best for anti-aging, brightening and smoothing your skin. While BHAs are better for acne-prone skin.
Which AHA is strongest?
The most widely used Alpha Hydroxy Acids are Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, Citric Acid and Malic Acid.
Of these, Glycolic Acid has the smallest molecules and so can penetrate your skin more deeply. Making it the most powerful exfoliant of the AHAs.
However this can come at a cost - leaving some types of skin irritated and red.
Lactic acid is a larger molecule and is a much better choice. It can gently exfoliate without irritating your skin.
The Takeaway
More than just a great exfoliator, Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) are the gold standard of anti aging ingredients.
Improving your skin tone and texture, and reducing the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and pigmentation.
Making your skin feel smoother - and leaving it looking brighter, clearer and younger.
They’re the key to amazing, glowing skin.
And the best way to use an AHA is in a rinse-off face cleanser like our Daily Face Wash.
It gently exfoliates and brightens your skin with Lactic Acid, and calms and moisturizes with Glycerin and Aloe Vera.
We’ve got more on exfoliation here:
- Your Ultimate Guide to Exfoliation: FAQ's
- How to exfoliate sensitive skin: Gently does it!
- Best Way to Exfoliate Darker Skin
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