PHA or Polyhydroxy Acids: Ingredient of the week + benefits and uses

PHA-you may have encountered this ingredient in one of your products and maybe, in one of my skin care reviews on the blog. PHA or Polyhydroxy Acids is one of the rising ingredients in skin care because of its powerful anti-aging, exfoliating, and moisturizing benefits...while being gentle and suitable for sensitive skin. Le gasp!

Learn more about this new acid ingredient in skin care that's on the rise at the moment!

PHA or Polyhydroxy Acid is a type of derived- derived acid and a chemical exfoliant; it’s another acid family like AHA and BHA, but what makes it great is it’s exfoliating and at the same time, hydrating plus it’s ideal for sensitive skin. PHA has been around and there are a lot of information about it on the Internet, but it’s starting to gain fame among consumers as a lot of mass market skin care brands have started to utilize and highlight this ingredient in products.

There are three types of acid under PHA: gluconolactone, lactobionic acid, and galactose. What makes it great for sensitive skin? Unlike AHA and BHA, PHA have larger molecular structure, therefore they cannot penetrate deep into the skin unlike AHA and BHA, which means less irritation most especially on sensitive skin. Even on normal skin types, AHA and BHA, if used regularly, can cause sensitivity and substituting with PHA will help the skin recover while still giving you that much needed exfoliation. Also, unlike some acids, PHA will not cause skin to become photosensitive.

PHA POLYHYDROXY BENEFITS:

- Anti- aging. Helps smooth out fine lines and wrinkles

- moisturizing

- exfoliates mostly on the surface level, which causes less irritation than AHA and BHA

- Can be combined with a lot of actives such as niacinamide, retinol, aha, and bha

PHA POLYHYDROXY SIDE EFFECTS:

- When used without supervision and combined with unstable acids like Vitamin C, it can cause minor skin problems.

PHA OTHER USES:

- mainly topical and in conjunction with skin care

- supplements

Now here are some products with PHAs that you can try:

1. OLE HENRIKSEN BANANA BRIGHT VITAMIN C RANGE

- has Vitamin C, PHA, and AHA. I mentioned above that Vitamin C is not recommended to be used with PHA, but this is referring to combining two separate products that have PHA and Vitamin C, respectively. If they're formulated together in one product, then it's most probably okay to use because the ingredients were stabilized to minimize risk of irritation.