What is chemical exfoliation? What ingredients does it include?

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What is chemical exfoliation? What ingredients does it include? All will be answered in the article below!

Chemical exfoliation is recommended by many dermatologists because it has many good effects on the skin. Chemical exfoliation is a beauty method currently chosen by many people because of its most optimal effectiveness.

What is chemical exfoliation?

Chemical exfoliation is a method of removing the layer of cells that are no longer able to reproduce using typical acidic substances such as AHA and BHA. These ingredients will perform the task of breaking the bonds in skin cells, thereby creating holes to eliminate dead cells. Using chemical exfoliation will help make your skin brighter and smoother and your pores will also be more clear.

In chemical exfoliants, there will be many different types of acids. Therefore, it is necessary to learn about the ingredient list to minimize unwanted effects on the skin.

Compare chemical exfoliation and physical exfoliation

So what is the difference between chemical exfoliation and physical exfoliation? Join us to find out the advantages and disadvantages of each type of method!

1. Physical exfoliation

Advantage:

  • Benign ingredients, acid-free, suitable for almost all skin types.
  • Easy to do because it can take advantage of natural dead cells

Disadvantages

  • Physical exfoliation includes scrub particles of different sizes that can damage the skin, especially skin with acne problems.
  • It is possible to only remove dead cells on the surface, but it is difficult to completely remove all dead cells deep in the pores.
Compare chemical exfoliation and physical exfoliation
Compare chemical exfoliation and physical exfoliation

2. Chemical exfoliation

Advantage:

  • Chemical exfoliation breaks the chemical bonds between cells to remove dead skin without using physical effects, thus avoiding skin damage, especially for acne-prone skin.
  • Promotes new cell production and moisturizes the skin.
  • Can deeply remove stubborn dead cells easily.
  • Cleans better than physical exfoliation.

Disadvantages:

  • When using, pay attention to the concentration and pH of the product to avoid skin irritation.
  • Users must research carefully before using because acids in chemical exfoliants can cause increased skin sensitivity.

Ingredients of chemical exfoliation

Most of the ingredients in chemical exfoliants are acids but the concentrations will vary. Let’s learn about the types of acids commonly used in chemical exfoliation:

AHA (Alpha hydroxy acid)

AHA is a water-soluble acid that has the ability to peel off dead skin cells, making room for new, active cells, thereby improving the aging condition. Besides, AHA also helps increase skin moisture, prevent water drainage and limit damage caused by sunlight. Glycolic Acid (a form of AHA) stimulates collagen regeneration, plumping wrinkles.

AHA and BHA are important ingredients in chemical exfoliants
AHA and BHA are important ingredients in chemical exfoliants

BHA (Beta Hydroxy Acid)

BHA has the ability to dissolve in oil, going deep into the pores, thereby removing dead cells and sebum fibers, providing a deep cleansing effect of more than 90%. With its deep penetration ability combined with anti-inflammatory properties, BHA is used to treat blackheads and acne.

Among the BHA types, salicylic acid is the most commonly used. With sensitive or irritated skin, you should be careful with BHA ingredients because they can cause unwanted effects on the skin. To ensure skin safety, you should use a low concentration and frequency and then gradually increase.

Above is all the information about chemical exfoliation products. Hopefully through this article, you will understand better and then choose a product suitable for your skin.

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