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Jeremy user profile picture

Jeremy

Oily/Sensitive

16 February, 2021

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Did you know salicylic acid is not a BHA?

Just a fun fact for all my fellow science nerds out there, but from a chemist's perspective, salicylic acid is not a true beta-hydroxy acid. Every chemist that I worked with knew this, but we all sorta just accepted that this is how the cosmetics industry markets it. BHAs are low molecular weight organic acids having an -OH group at the β site relative to the -COOH group (i.e. β-hydroxybutanoic acid). Salicylic acid is a derivative of benzoic acid which exhibits different behaviour from a BHA. It's actually considered an aromatic hydroxy acid (AMA) 😝
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vivaciousvi user profile picture

vivaciousvi

Dry/Resilient

16 February, 2021

I actually learned about this yesterday from Dr. Shah and Dr. Maxfield! Mind blown!
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Jeremy user profile picture

Jeremy

Oily/Sensitive

16 February, 2021

Salicylic acid still works as marketed (antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-comedogenic). But it doesn't do what an actual BHA does. Salicylic acid is a classic example of a keratolytic, which causes peeling of the corneocytes – a layer and layer from the surface to the interior of the stratum corneum. AHA and BHA, in contrast, have an effect on the lower parts of the skin. Salicylic acid reduces the thickness of dermis, while other hydroxy acids stimulate the synthesis of dermis components and increase its thickness. BHAs are more similar to AHAs than to AMAs like salicylic acid. It's just that BHAs are expensive and hard to find commercially
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junsskin user profile picture

junsskin

Oily/Sensitive

16 February, 2021

we gotta listen to scientists more !!
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annaya user profile picture

annaya

Oily/Resilient

16 February, 2021

Yep, absolutely. But i don’t care about it enough to harp on it. Like, i hate it when a misconception is widely spread when it makes you feel or think differently about the product, like the whole “mineral filters reflect light” situation, because some people use it to claim such things like “chemical filters are not good for SOC”, which is complete (insert a bad word here). But the BHA-salicylic acid misconception doesn’t have any significance in the skincare space AND most companies also call their SA products a BHA product, so it’s only natural that we’ll still use the terminology to not confuse people 😉
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Jeremy user profile picture

Jeremy

Oily/Sensitive

16 February, 2021

I completely agree. It's just semantics. But it does irk me a bit as someone with an educational background in chemical engineering. Especially when these influencers speak so confidently about a product yet use such unscientific jargon
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pratistha user profile picture

pratistha

Oily/Resilient

16 February, 2021

Wut🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯
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Miss_LunaYee user profile picture

Miss_LunaYee

Oily/Sensitive

16 February, 2021

What's a BHA and which ingredient is a true BHA and what products have real BHA?
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Jeremy user profile picture

Jeremy

Oily/Sensitive

16 February, 2021

Salicylic acid is a keratolytic, which causes peeling of the corneocytes – a layer and layer from the surface to the interior of the stratum corneum. AHA and BHA, in contrast, have an effect on the lower parts of the skin. Salicylic acid reduces the thickness of dermis, while other hydroxy acids stimulate the synthesis of dermis components and increase its thickness. BHAs are more similar to AHAs than to AMAs like salicylic acid. It's just that BHAs are expensive and rarely commercially available. An actual BHA is β-hydroxybutanoic acid which can be sourced from urine
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