AHA is alphahydroxy acid & BHA is betahydroxy acid used mostly for cosmetic reason to improve skin appearance. They are water soluble acids made from sugary fruits.
AHA include five organic acids: glycolic acid – found in sugar cane, citric acid – found in citric fruits, malic acid – found in apples, tartaric acid – found in grapes, lactic acid – found in sour milk & tomato juice.
BHA is found in butter, meats, cereal, baked potato. BHA is betahydroxy acid and that includes salicylic acid.
What does AHA do to the skin?
AHAcids basically help in peeling the superficial layer of skin so that new cells regenerate fast, that in return make skin smooth and pigment free. The amount of exfoliation depends on type of AHA to be used as different AHA has different exfoliation power, more AHA in a product means more exfoliation as in micro enzyme, as in Micro enzyme peel serum.
BHAs on the other hand goes deeper into the pores to remove dead skin layers and excess sebum. Salicylic acid which is BHA, is the most common ingredient in many acne care products.
Most commonly used hydroxy acids are:
glycolic acid, lactic acid & salicylic acid.
How AHA & BHA works for skin?
They both work as exfoliants but in different ways:
AHA basically reduces the concentration of calcium ions in skin that enhances the shedding of skin cells at a superficial level. BHA also causes skin peeling but it acts as an antibacterial agent also, that is why it is less irritating to skin and this property makes it an appropriate ingredient for acne products. AHA is more powerful exfoliation and is better for repairing damaged skin and improving the effects of aging.
TIP- Both AHA & BHA induced collagen production, so they help in providing the appearance of photoaged SPF 50 – 100 sunblock skin application is must whenever a person wants to use AHA & BHA ingredient products.
