I will try my best to explain what AHA, BHA, and PHA are in the easiest way for you to differentiate. And now, I’m going to expect for you guys to not be bothered if my explanation isn’t very detailed since I don’t want this blog to be too long and boring. It is not my point for people to get bored and leave before knowing what I want to explain (and look, I’ve been talking way too much out of topic now). There are way more detailed explanation and articles out there that is very informative and I want you to read them if you need more explanation about these. Ok, let’s start explaining this topic :D.

So, what are AHA, BHA and PHA?

AHA, BHA and PHA are acids that will help exfoliate your skin to have a smooth surface and brightens up. For quite sometimes, people love to use chemical exfoliation as a way to exfoliate their skin rather than using physical exfoliation. Why? It is because sometimes physical exfoliations can lead to micro-tear and we don’t want any of that on our face. Please do not worry since micro-tear only can be seen under a microscope and look like a rough surface (so, it doesn’t sound that extreme like how they’re called, but still need to be avoided). You can get micro-tear from large particles of scrub, usually made from fruit pits and nut shells. But there are also many other physical exfoliators that have smaller particles that is a safer option but have less effect than the chemical one. So, that’s the reason why people usually choose chemical exfoliation than the physical one.

That’s enough explanation about types of exfoliator for now, so let’s move on to what they truly are for ^^.

AHA

AHA stands for Alpha Hydroxy Acids which derived from sugar cane, milk, and other natural resources. Many of them usually called fruit acids since they can be found from fruits (like Apple, Lemon, Strawberries and etc.). Ingredients that have AHA in them are Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, Citric Acid, Tartaric Acid, Malic Acid, and Mandelic Acid. But the most popular ingredients that usually used by companies are Glycolic Acid (from sugar cane) and Lactic Acid (from milk).

They are made of small molecules so it helps on penetrating the skin better. They are also water-soluble and this help absorption of moisture so much better than the other acids. Hence why they are great for dry skin since they will help moisturize your skin better. But, the downside is AHA only works on outer skin since they can’t penetrate oil and won’t be that effective for oily skin.

BHA

Which is why we have the other acid that will solve that problem and it’s BHA. BHA stands for Beta Hydroxy Acids which only have one ingredients that contain them and that is Salicylic Acid. This acid is an ingredient that derived from Aspirin and Willow Bark which is why they have anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and soothing effects. BHA is oil-soluble which suits people who have acne-prone and oily skin since it can penetrate oil that usually clumps your pore and that’s why they can also help on reducing blackheads, whiteheads, and excess oil production. And I’ve also read this somewhere that pregnant women should consult their doctor if they want to use BHA since they derived from Aspirin which is not a good option to do. They are slightly better for sensitive skin since AHA can be irritating for skin (causing redness and make your face burns for a while). If you’d like to try to put PHA onto your skincare regime, look out for Gluconolactone and Lactobionic acid on the labels.

PHA

PHA stands for Poly Hydroxystearic Acid which have the same benefits like AHA but more gentle on the skin. It has larger molecules than AHA and that’s why PHA cannot penetrate deep into the skin like how AHA does. But since PHA cannot penetrate deep into the skin, it is less likely to cause irritation and makes it a safer option for people who have super sensitive skin. It is said that it can holds up more moisture for almost 10 times better than AHA.

So, what are the benefits and the concerns of using AHA, BHA and PHA for chemical exfoliator?

Please note that some of the information under this section will repeat the information above since I will explain further on what makes them different and what is their benefit to each type of skin more detailed.

AHA

If you have aging, dry and sun-damaged skin, it would be preferable to use AHA. And since it is a water-soluble acid, it will give this boost for your skin to absorb more moisture and make it more hydrated. But, it is not an oil-soluble and cannot penetrate through oil and that’s why BHA came into work. And please be careful for using AHA in your skincare routine since it is made up from these tiny molecules that even though helping to penetrate skin deeply, it is more likely to irritate skin than the other acids (sensitive skin is not preferred for using this type of acid).

BHA

For you guys who have acne-prone and oily skin, BHA is an oil-soluble acid which makes it perfect since it can penetrate through oil. It will help removing those dirt and gunk inside your pores while helping reducing those nasty whiteheads, blackheads and your sebum production. Reducing sebum productions will also help on reducing those blockage of Sebaceous Gland duct which usually leads to acne as well. So, I really recommend for you guys who have acne problems to use BHA in your skincare regime. By the way, while it is said that BHA is less likely to irritate skin more than AHA, I found that some BHA skincare can also causing redness and the burns feeling as well just like how AHA did. Because of that, I really hope for you guys who have sensitive skin to be careful choosing skincare which have this type of acid as well. Another notes for you guys, using BHA will dry your skin, so don’t forget to moisturize your skin after exfoliating.

PHA

It is rare to see skincare that uses PHA as their ingredients since it isn’t that well-known (probably because PHA too late joining the AHA & BHA trends) in skincare world. PHA have the same benefits like AHA and also a water-soluble acid which really makes us wondering so what is the difference between PHA and the AHA then? PHA have larger molecules than AHA, that’s why it can’t penetrate deep into the skin like AHA but less likely to irritate skin than the other acids. “Well, if it said that it can’t penetrate deep into skin, why don’t we use AHA then since using PHA would be kind of pointless, right?” Maybe some of you will think about this. In some way yes, I think AHA from the bigger look would be more effective in exfoliating because of the small molecules. But, they said that PHA will gradually penetrates and will less likely to cause irritation. This is why it is a recommended acid for those who have super sensitive skin. It is also said that PHA can hold moisture almost 10 times better than AHA, so please try this if you have dry skin and cannot use any AHA products.

In some way, I think PHA truly is a remarkable acid that can substitute AHA. But, there’s still little products that have PHA in them so, I’m sorry guys if I can’t give any good recommendations for PHA skincare products :(.

What you need to know before using any AHA, BHA and PHA

These are all the ingredients that you, without any guidance of a dermatologist should not mix. But try to alternate the usage if you really need to use both of them. Maybe you can use AHA today and Retinol tomorrow. Please also note that this is important since it can cause irritation to your skin. So, here are the list :D.

AHA + BHA

It shouldn’t be used together actually since both of them are acids and over-exfoliate isn’t good for your skin. “Huh? So why are there so many companies creating products using both AHA and BHA in one product then?”. Okay, a dermatologist said that under a guidance of a dermatologist sometimes product that contains both of them can be used and create a good result. This doesn’t mean that you alone can combine different products of AHA and BHA and use both of them in one time. They are created for one purpose only and you didn’t know how much concentrate that you need for each AHA & BHA to be combined since miss-calculate formulas will only hurt your skin.

Retinol (Vitamin A) + Acids

Retinol is known for its anti-aging effect which reduces fine lines, wrinkles and hyperpigmentation. Sadly, it does exfoliate your skin and we don’t want to over-exfoliate our skin by adding acids.

Vitamin C + Acids

Same like Retinol, Vitamin C exfoliate your skin because of it's acidic properties. That's why we don’t want to mix them with the acids for the same reason (not over-exfoliate).

                           

Benzoyl Peroxide + Acids

Since Benzoyl exfoliate your skin like the other ingredients that I list above, it would be preferred to use them alternately when you use acids. Benzoyl Peroxides also can over dry your skin if combined with acids. 

Most of them have the same reason for why we shouldn't mix any of those ingredients to our acids. We shouldn't over-exfoliate and over-drying our skin since it will only irritating it more and more. 

And that's all ^^, are you still with me until this point of the blog? If you are, OMG! Thanks guys, I hope this post will help you who are new to AHA, BHA and PHA. And I’m very sorry if this gets too long and probably boring, but some of the information need to be shared so you guys would understand better. 

I’m going to write more post like this which will inform you guys too and not only reviewing products. So, if you guys have any critics or comments on how I write this informative post, please do comment below. Like maybe you think this is boring, too long or anything, please do tell me so since it will help me on improving better at the future. But, I’m sorry if some can’t be change since it is important for you to know, and you can skip to other section that interest you if you already know about it. Some people though, they want to know and it is unfair if I’m explaining it shortly and they didn’t get any information out of it. I hope you guys understand about this matter :D.

Thanks guys for reading this blog, I’m going to see you later at the next post. Have a good day everyone! Cheers!