What are AHA, BHA and PHA?
11:34:00 PMHi guys :D, How are you doing? For me, I have been doing
some research these days and finally I’m going to explain about what are AHA,
BHA and PHA to you today. It is a fun topic since there are so many hype
skincare that includes them for exfoliating your skin. And firstly, please note
that by no means I’m not a professional and dermatologist. So do not think that
what I explain to you guys will be 100% the same with your dermatologist even
though I’m already doing so many research about it. I’m also pretty sure that
you guys can research these by yourself honestly. But, if you haven’t known
already what are these guys for and didn’t want to read boring and hard vocabularies
article, well maybe you are right to come to my blog (LOL, probably :p). They
said I have a talent for “explaining” something to be easier to catch on for
others. By the way, if you don’t? Well sucks to be you trapped for reading my
blog XD. “Noo, I’m just joking guys! Relax :D”.
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
- Always be sure to use sun screen before going out after using any acid ingredients since your skin will be sensitive to any sun exposure.
- Do not apply those on your eyelids and your eye’s area since your skin is the thinnest and the most sensitive on those parts. We don’t want to thinning it more by applying acids.
- You shouldn’t use any AHA frequently since it will only cause irritation and breakouts. Use them once every other day or twice a week since it will work just fine. BHA on the other hand can be used every day, but not for all people since it can also cause irritation for sensitive people if used too much.
- You’ll need to find the suitable acid for your skin since it will have the opposite reaction when not used right. For examples it will make your skin dry, burns, have photosensitivity side effects, thinning of the skin, pigmentation and it will confuse your complexion condition.
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!
0 comments