Effective Exfoliating Ingredients

Exfoliation not only removes dull, dry surface cells that have already lost the free radical battle, but also has been shown to slightly stimulate the skin’s natural regenerative abilities to produce new collagen and elastin thereby thickening the skin.

Notable exfoliation ingredients include: AHAs like glycolic, lactic, tartaric, malic, alpha-hydroxyethanoic or alpha-hydroxycaprylic acid and sugar cane extract; BHAs such as salicylic acid (less irritating than AHAs and also used to treat acne), beta-hydroxybutanoic acid, tropic acid, and trethocanoic acid. One of the most effective ingredients of exfoliation is glycolic acid (also known as AHA, Alpha Hydroxy Acid). Used in combination with salicylic acid (another powerful exfoliating ingredient), it works by dissolving bonds between cells for easier and more effective cleansing. Once these bonds are loosened, dirt and dead cells can be more easily cleared away. Glycolic acid also encourages the production of new cells for a healthy appearance and skin tone.

Many exfoliating product take it a step further by introducing a physical agent along with these biological exfoliators. These particles provide an additional level of cleansing by physically buffing away dirt on your skin’s surface. Look for products that contain particles that are small or in bead-form, so they won’t dig into your pores and cause redness, swelling and irritation. The ideal result is to gently remove skin’s impurities; not roughly sand them away.

Prescription topical skin drug, tretinoin (a.k.a. retinoic acid) creams like Retin-A or Renova (Retin-A in a moisturizing base for dry skin) are also have exfoliating effect in addition to its other anti-aging benefits.