Salicylic Acid

Science of Beauty: Salicylic Acid the Collagen-Promoting Acne-Treating BHA

July 16, 2019 · 6 Comments

Salicylic Acid is effective for teenage, cystic, and adult acne. It is preferred for mature skin because it does not excessively dry skin that’s already showing signs of aging. BONUS: Salicylic kick starts collagen production and skin rejuvenation

INGREDIENT PROFILE: Salicylic Acid

Salicylic Acid is a bHA (beta hydroxy acid). BHAs work from the bottom of a pore up. Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHAs) work from the top layer of the skin down.

Pairing a bHA such as Salicylic Acid with an aHA like Mandelic Acid is clinically proven to be highly successful in acne treatment. (1) Salicylic Acid is also proven effective as a chemical peel agent for various skin issues. (2)

What SALICYLIC ACID does

Salicylic Acid is a natural bHA that comes from White Willow Bark.

Salicylic Acid is a natural bHA from White Willow Bark.

Salicylic Acid purges clogged pores without excess drying the skin surface. Salicylic Acid does not cause the dryness or Benzoyl Peroxide or Retinol, but overtreatment can lead to irritation.

Salicylic Acid also helps build collagen to heal acne scars and improve skincare texture. Collagen production is a nice perk of acne treatment.

Salicylic acid works better when paired with another peeling agent. A combination of salicylic and mandelic acids was shown to be especially effective on moderate acne. (3).

Favorite Products Using Salicylic Acid

Peter Thomas Roth Acne Clear Invisible Dots are tiny clear band-aid like dots embedded with Salicylic acid
Neutralyze Exfoliating Pads combine Salicylic with Mandelic and Nitric Oxide to clean pores fast.
Clinique Acne Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel is highly effective on adult cystic acne when used as a pre-emptive or spot treatment.
The Exposed Skincare line uses salicylic in two ways within their product range. Great for adult cystic acne.
The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution is a gentle but effective pre-emptive acne treatment

QUESTIONS?
Comments?

Clinique Acne Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel has Salicylic Acid

Clinique Acne Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel contains Salicylic Acid

Know a salicylic acid product that should be on this list? Tell us!

Have any questions about Salicylic Acid?

The Style Chicks are here to answer them.

References

Garg VK, Sinha S, Sarkar R. Glycolic acid peels versus salicylic-mandelic acid peels in active acne vulgaris and post-acne scarring and hyperpigmentation: A comparative study. Dermatol Surg 2009;35:59-65.
Kessler E, Flanagan K, Chia C, Rogers C, Glaser DA. Comparison of alpha- and beta-hydroxy acid chemical peels in the treatment of mild to moderately severe facial acne vulgaris. Dermatol Surg 2008;34:45-50.
Bari AU, Tolerance and safety of superficial chemical peeling with salicylic acid in various facial dermatoses. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol. 2005 Mar-Apr;71(2):87-90.

Skincare: InstaNatural Cleansing Acne Face Wash

October 7, 2016 · Leave a Comment

I have never tried an InstaNatural product that I didn’t like, and InstaNatural Cleansing Acne Face Wash is no exception.

InstaNatural Cleansing Acne Face Wash has 2% Salicylic Acid and Vitamin E. This means that your acne will be pummelled, but your skin won’t get irritated.

Salicylic Acid is a potent agent in fighting acne. One of my favorite spot treatments is 1% Salicylic Acid, so I know how powerful it can be to reduce acne. Regular washing with Salicylic Acid reduces current acne, prevents new acne from forming, tightening pores, and giving your skin a beautiful glow.

A couple of weeks ago I had a hormonal breakout the day before I went to a formal non-profit event (where I ended up in hundreds of pictures, of course.) I tried all of my standard acne treatments, and nothing worked. It’s practically like the acne derived strength from the treatments. I received this cleanser a few days later, and my skin was immediately improved: first the redness went away after two washes, then the pimples shrunk, and then the inflammation under the skin rose to the surface and disappeared. This last part is what makes Salicylic Acid as amazing: it travels deep into the skin. This was deep, painful acne. I considered getting a cortisone shot from my derm, but given how deep under the skin the blemishes was, I was worried that I would end up with a divet on my skin, so I opted instead to (unsuccessfully) cover the spots with concealer for my event. If I had the cleanser a few days sooner, the inflammation under the skin would have already risen and dissipated, and my skin would have been clear!

It is also amazing for getting rid of whiteheads and blackheads. I had a few whiteheads that dried out and came off within 48 hours, and some small blackheads that disappeared within 72 hours. I love products like this that work quickly; it makes it so much easier to stick with them! And I definitely will stick with this cleanser to prevent future breakouts!

Before sleeveless dress season this year, I read an article about using Salicylic Acid wash on underarms. It serves two purposes: first, because it kills bacteria, it keeps you fresh all day. Second, it brightens an abused area of skin (by waxing, shaving, etc.). I tried it with a cleanser I had that a small amount of Salicylic Acid in it at the time and was impressed, but I am thrilled to see the difference that InstaNatural Cleansing Acne Face Wash has on the area. You don’t think of underarms as an area that shows age, but once you see an improvement like you get from this cleanser, you will be amazed!

InstaNatural Cleansing Acne Face Wash has a very light sweet orange scent which is lovely but doesn’t remain on your skin after you wash the lather off. It washes off clean, which I like because some acne washes leave a residue behind that mixes with the moisturizer applied after, and you end up with a weird sticky residue. This cleanser just leaves your skin clean and bright. Instanatural also has a Salicylic Moisturizer (Instanatural Acne Moisturizer, available on Amazon). I haven’t tried it, but I am dying to after using InstaNatural Cleansing Acne Face Wash!

Find InstaNatural Cleansing Acne Face Wash here.

InstaNatural Cleansing Acne Face Wash

I received this item free for my honest and unbiased testing and review purposes. If you have any questions about my experience with it, leave it in the comments section below, and Iâ€™ll do my best to answer it!

Product Review: Citrus Clear Grapefruit Acne Spot Treatment

June 1, 2015 · Leave a Comment

This week we’ll be talking about some great skincare products that we received for review from Citrus Clear, an amazing all-natural brand.

I love when a product defies expectations. Such is the case with Citrus Clear’s Grapefruit Acne Spot Treatment. All of the products that Citrus Clear sent us are amazing, but the Acne Spot Treatment blew me – and my hormonal acne – away.

Here is my history with acne: through my teens and twenties, I managed to keep acne at bay. Little did I know that when I got into my thirties, I would start getting a couple of blemishes each month. You know that commercial where Tina Fey jokes she has the chin of an 18 year old? Kind of like that. After trying various products (drugstore, high end, prescription, homeopathic, and everything in between), I was pretty happy with Clinique’s Acne Solutions Clearing Gel. It takes pimples down, but slowly.

Enter Citrus Clear Grapefruit Acne Spot Treatment.

The morning I received my samples from Citrus Clear, my mother sat me down and I assumed something was very, very wrong. Then she said that I should make an appointment with my derm to get a cortisone injection in the two new pimples I had. Apparently it was a very serious matter. (of note: I had no special events coming up in the timing.) So I figured I’d call the dermatologist later in the day.

Then I applied the Citrus Clear Grapefruit Acne Spot Treatment. One pimple was flat in an hour, and no longer red in two hours. It was gone by the end of the day. A long term cystic acne spot was reduced my at least 50% in a day and has stayed flat after a few days of application, and I can only feel a fraction of it under my skin now. And I don’t have to cover either spot with concealer.

Needless to say, I did not make that dermatologist appointment after all.

Ingredients

So given the lack of a genie in a bottle (or 1oz tube in this case) granting me a clear-skin wish, how does this great stuff work? Check out the ingredient list:

Organic Herbs, Organic Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Aloe Vera), Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel), Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), Green Tea & Lime, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vitamin C), Hydroxyethyl Cellulose, Carrageenan Gum, Wildcrafted Melissa Officinalis (Lemon Balm), Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit Seed Extract), Citrus Aurantium (Orange Hydrosol), Citrus Limon (Lemon Essential Oil), Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime Essential Oil), Citrus Reticulata (Mandarin Essential Oil), Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange Peel Extract), Wildcrafted Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea Extract), Wildcrafted Salix Lucida (Salicylic Acid), Colloidal Silver, Eugenia Caryophyllata (Clove Essential Oil), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Ethyl Hexyl Glycerin

So it is absolutely packed with ingredients to soothe inflammation while sacking the blemish. Salicylic Acid does wonders to bring down acne quickly, Vitamin C is amazing for skin, Aloe Vera and Green Tea soothe the skin, as does Vitamin E. And notice how you actually know all the ingredients in that list? I like that.

I plan on stockpiling these tubes, and at $12 each, keeping one at home, in your purse, and at the office is more than affordable. I really am thrilled to find a product that works quickly and effectively. And it smells amazing – a true grapefruit scent, with the slightest peach hint to it (probably because the secondary note is green tea.) Because if you have to be broken out, it’s nice to be smelling a scent that makes you happy and peppy!

Find the amazing Citrus Clear Grapefruit Acne Spot Treatment at CitrusClear.com for $12.