AHA vs. BHA vs PHA: What's the Difference?
There are three categories when it comes to chemical exfoliants--alpha hydroxy acids (AHA), beta hydroxy acids (BHA), & poly hydroxy acids (PHA). I prefer chemical exfoliants over physical exfoliants, specifically for my face, because there is less trauma done to the skin, such as micro-tears. Depending on the chemical exfoliant you use, they work by chemically dissolving dead skin cells on the surface of your skin &/or penetrating deep into your pores to clear out white/blackheads & control sebum production. Molecular sizes vary as well so irritation may or may not occur depending on which type you use in your routine. I've created a table for you to view to get a better understanding of the different categories:
Personally, I use a mix of AHAs & BHAs in both my face & body routines as someone with a combination-oily skin type. For my face, I use Naturium's BHA 2% salicylic acid liquid exfoliant. Although this product definitely markets being primarily a BHA exfoliant, it contains a ton of bioactive fruit acids (AHAs) as well! I find that my pores are now unclogged & have 'reduced' in size, there's improvement in texture, & my sebum is now more well-controlled since adding this product into my routine. It's mildly viscous & because the formula contains encapsulated salicylic acid, it penetrates at a much slower rate, thus is non-irritating to the skin. Truly an all-time fave in my routine!
As someone with Keratosis Pilaris (read about my experience here in another blog post), I find that the Nécessaire body exfoliator is a perfect mix of AHAs, BHAs, & even physical exfoliants. Yes, you heard that right. I enjoy using a physical exfoliant only on my body because the skin on my body is not as delicate as the skin on my face. It contains bamboo charcoal, glycolic acid, & even salicylic acid to exfoliate, soften, & renew the skin. This is a product that I absolutely love using because it's delivered the results I always wanted for my KP, which is smoother, baby soft skin.
FYI, chemical exfoliants can appear in many different products, such as cleanser, toner, serum, moisturizer, etc., so definitely think about what form you'd like yours to be in. For example, if you have super sensitive skin, using a cleanser with a low concentration AHA might be better for you because you're able to wash off the product quickly. What you choose all depends on your skin type & what your skin can handle. If you follow me on IG & watched my stories last night, you may have seen me add a couple new exfoliants to my rotation. I added in Ren's AHA Body Serum & SkinFix's Glycolic Renewing Scrub. Crossing my fingers that these two body chemical exfoliants will work wonders & help reduce the amount of bumps & texture I have on my arms caused by my KP.
That is it for today's blog post, you guys! Be sure to check out some other great chemical exfoliants on the market right now below. You just might find something that's been missing in your routine.
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