Hyphen Resurfacing 10% Aha Bha Pha Exfoliator With 20% Pineapple Extracts
Review
Hyphen’s resurfacing 10% aha bha pha is a good exfoliating serum.
Let me start the product review by briefly explaining what exfoliation is.
If we don’t exfoliate regularly, our skin becomes dull and dehydrated. It also adds loads of other complexities.
Exfoliation is a two-step process: cleaning the skin’s surface and cleaning the pores. One ingredient cannot do both. Some exfoliating products in the market clean the skin’s surface.
Some in the market clean the pores.
There are some like this product form Hyphen: they clean both the skin’s surface and the pores – they can do that because they have both sets of ingredients.
Having both ingredients does not necessarily make it superior to an exfoliating product that can only do one step.
The merits and demerits of an exfoliating product depend on what ingredients it has and what they do, not on whether it has both sets of ingredients. So, let me get into what this product has and what it can do.
AHAs and PHAs exfoliate by cleaning the skin’s surface. Old cells from the skin’s surface have to fall off regularly to make way for younger cells from the deeper layer of the skin. Often, some of these old cells don’t fall off. They are stubborn. They form chains between themselves and cling to each other.
AHAs and PHAs break the chains between these stubborn old cells and thus force them to fall off.
Though the mechanism of AHAs and PHAs work is the same, PHAs have less exfoliating power than AHAs. However, the benefit of PHAs is that they are much gentler on the skin.
AHAs in this product are glycolic acid and lactic acid. PHA in this product is gluconolactone.
BHAs, on the other hand, don’t work on the skin’s surface. They clean pores, which are small openings on the skin’s surface. Inside pores, a lot of junk gets accumulated. This junk leads to blackheads, whiteheads, pimples and, in some cases, acne. BHAs work like an ice cream scoop and clean out the pores.
BHA in this product is salicylic acid.
In addition to this, it has pineapple extract. Pineapple contains bromelain, which has good exfoliating properties. This ingredient is an enzyme exfoliator. Enzyme exfoliators are gentle on the skin and work similarly to AHAs, cleaning the skin’s surface.
Now, let’s get to some essential factors to be aware of…
It uses 10% of AHAs, BHAs, and PHAs. I wish they had given individual percentages; that would have kept things simple in analyzing the product. In the absence of individual percentages, let’s do some guesswork: Salicylic acid is listed just before Centella Asiatica (circa). The product’s label says cica is at 2%. So, salicylic acid is either 2% or a bit above that. 2% salicylic acid is enough to do what it needs to do effectively. Anything above 2% can be harsh on the skin. I will assume it is 2%, as the manufacturer would have mentioned otherwise, as more than 2% would put it on the irritating side.
This product has the right amount of BHA to clean the pores and a good mix of AHAs, PHAs, and enzyme exfoliators to clean the skin’s surface. Together, these will exfoliate the skin well.
Exfoliation can irritate and dry the skin a bit. Hyphen has used ingredients like cica and allantoin to compensate for this. These calm and soothe the skin. The product also has some hydrating ingredients, plus AHAs and PHAs themselves are a bit hydrating the skin.
They don’t have any nasty ingredients like fragrance and denatured alcohol.
This is a good exfoliating serum.
Some important points to remember if you are considering this product:
~ It can be harsh on the skin. If you have sensitive skin, this product can be strong for you.
~ If your skin is dehydrated, wait until it returns to its normal state before using this product.
~ Don’t leave the product for over a minute, even if your skin is not sensitive. This is a strong exfoliant, so more than a minute longer can irritate the skin.
The product’s marketing mentions the outcomes of studies it has done and quotes various percentages. Ignore all these numbers. Take the studies the manufacturers have done on their products with a pinch of salt. If you are considering this purchase, base your decision on what the product can actually do, not on those percentages.
If you are allergic to pineapple, this product is not for you.
How to use the product?
Cleanse your face.
Add this serum.
Leave it on only for a minute. First time, maybe even a bit less.
Rinse it off.
Your skin will now be tender. If you have a calming (anti-inflammatory) serum, use that. Alternatively, you can also use a good hydrating serum. If you don’t have any serum, apply a moisturiser.
Use this in the night time. Next day, remember your sunscreen!!
Ingredient 1 – Aqua
Function: Solvent
It helps in dissolving other ingredients in the product.
Dissolved ingredients can spread better on the skin.
Ingredient 2 – Ananas Comosus (Pineapple) Extract
Function: Exfoliant
It has ingredients in it that can exfoliate the skin.
Ingredient 3 – Triethanolamine
Function: pH adjuster
The pH level refers to how acidic or alkaline a product is. A pH adjuster adjusts the pH level of the product to be compatible with the skin’s pH.
This ingredient if used in higher concentrations can be irritating to the skin.
Ingredient 4 – Gluconolactone
Function: Chemical Exfoliant, Humectant
It belongs to a class of chemical exfoliants called PHAs (poly hydroxy acids). It is gentle and less irritating on the skin than other types of chemical exfoliants. It gets rid of dead old cells from the surface of this skin. These are the cells that are supposed to fall off on their own but don’t. This ingredient is also a humectant. It attracts hydration and brings it to the surface of the skin.
Ingredient 5 – Glycolic Acid
Function: Chemical Exfoliant, Humectant
It belongs to a class of chemical exfoliants called AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids). It gets rid of dead old cells from the surface of this skin. These are the cells that are supposed to fall off on their own but don’t. These stubborn old cells hold on to each other and give skin a dull look. Glycolic acid breaks the bonds between these stubborn cells and thus forces them to fall of. It is the smallest of all AHAs used in skincare – because of its small size, it can penetrate a bit deeper into the skin. So it is more effective in its exfoliating function. It can also be a bit irritating for sensitive skin if used in large concentrations. Large concentrations can also be irritating for darker skin-toned people.
This ingredient is also a humectant. It attracts hydration and brings it to the surface of the skin.
Ingredient 6 – Propanediol
Function: Humectant, Emollient, Solvent, Texture enhancer
When applied to the skin’s surface, it draws water molecules from the atmosphere to the skin and thus hydrates the skin. It also forms a thin surface on the skin’s surface and helps to retain the hydration (reduces the evaporation of hydration into the atmosphere).
It helps in dissolving other ingredients in the product.
It enhances the texture of the product.
Ingredient 7 – Pentylene Glycol
Function: Solvent, Humectant
It helps in dissolving other ingredients.
Dissolved ingredients can spread and penetrate better.
They attract water to themselves and keep skin hydrated, plump, and firm.
Ingredient 8 – 1,2-Hexanediol
Function: Humectant, Preservative
It attracts and binds to water molecules, thus keeping skin hydrated. It helps in preserving the product.
Ingredient 9 – Salicylic Acid
Function: Chemical Exfoliant
It penetrates deeper into the skin, mixes with black and whiteheads, and scoops them out.
Salicylic acid reaches the pores in the skin and removes old cells, dirt, hair and excess oil that are stuck there. Pores are small openings in the skin, and by effectively cleansing them, you can prevent breakouts such as blackheads, whiteheads, pimples, and acne.
Reduces the redness and irritation that can come with cysts and pimples (anti-inflammatory).
It can be a little drying.
It belongs to a class of chemical exfoliants called BHAs (beta hydroxy acids)
Ingredient 10 – Centella Asiatica Extract
Function: Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant
It calms and soothes the skin. Repairs damage to the skin.
