Smoother Skin Is A Shower Away: Meet The Smoother Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Body Wash

THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT…
OVERALL CLINICAL DATA ON SPECIFIC INGREDIENT(S) & HOW THEY FUNCTION:

Textured skin, a common body concern, stems from a number of factors such as Keratosis Pilaris (KP), ingrown hairs or “razor bumps”, and dry skin. KP, commonly called “chicken skin,” is the buildup of keratin protein that plugs the hair follicles leading to small hard bumps typically found on the backs of the arms and thighs. These bumps can be red or inflamed depending on the severity. Ingrown hairs occur when hair does not grow straight out of the hair follicle and instead grows sideways or back into the skin causing irritating bumps and sometimes pustules. This can be caused by a lack of exfoliation where dead skin has built up and blocked the path of the growth of the hair. Much of textured skin can be resolved through exfoliation and skin acidification. Skin acidification is the process of applying products that are formulated to a pH similar to that of healthy skin or slightly lower than the pH of healthy skin which then enhances bio-processes such as cell turnover and helps with skin’s innate immunity and microbiome.¹ Using products of an acidic pH also reduces body odor which makes sense as the skin’s antimicrobial properties are optimal at an acidic pH.² Normalizing desquamation via skin acidification can aid in smooth skin. Utilizing exfoliating ingredients is another way to smooth textured skin. Glycolic acid is the smallest of the alpha hydroxy acids enabling it to penetrate deeper in the skin, breaking down corneocyte or skin cell cohesion and softening the skin layers. This allows for removal of dead skin, keratin buildup (the cause of KP), and clogged hair follicles. It can both correct and prevent many types of textured skin. Exfoliating the top layers of the skin also helps your moisturizer work more efficiently.

Our new The Smoother Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Body Wash features 5% glycolic acid formulated at a pH of 4.25-4.75 to smooth and renew the skin. It also features lactic, malic, pyruvic, and tartaric acids to resurface rough and bumpy texture. This opaque cream has a very dynamic lather which leaves skin feeling soft, smooth and silky. Biomimetic red algae helps skin retain moisture while our coacervate technology uniformly coats the skin for enhanced skin conditioning. Our skin is primarily negatively charged and to get conditioning in a rinse off product you typically need to use cationic or positively charged ingredients that are attracted to the skin, similar to a magnet. Spherical coacervate droplets are formed when cationic polymers interact with the anionic or negatively charged surfactants in cleansers. The nonpolar or uncharged parts of the polymer orient toward the inside of the droplet encasing insoluble materials within while the cationic and charged parts of the polymer orient outward toward the surfactants. This is a liquid-liquid phase separation based on polarity that allows for deposition of certain ingredients on the skin in a rinse-off product. In the shower, these complexes get diluted and the anionic surfactants wash away leaving the cationic polymers behind to adhere to the skin, depositing what was inside the coacervate as well. The Smoother Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Body Wash leaves skin softer and smoother addressing issues like KP while being gentle enough to act as a facial cleanser as well. To further smooth and improve body skin suppleness, follow up The Smoother Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Body Wash with our Bio-Lipid Restoring Body Lotion.

DISCLAIMER:

Lab Journals are intended to help educate on specific ingredients and skin care topics. Our articles are written to be informative and informational.
Please note any Naturium products with referenced ingredients are formulated for Cosmetic Use Only and NOT intended as replacements for physician pharmaceutical product recommendations.