The ESK blog

What’s the hype around PHAs?

09 June 2023

Dr Anne Thomson

So you have sensitive skin?

And you have been sworn off all exfoliants? You’re looking for a brightening serum, an acne serum or a gentle exfoliating serum that you can use on your ultra irritable skin?

You need PHA skincare.

PHAs have many of the benefits of AHAs, the most common facial exfoliator, but without the irritation. In fact they are powerful moisturising ingredients and are often added to face serums to calm down inflammation!

What are PHAs?

Polyhydroxy acids (PHAs) are modified AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids) that have become super popular in skincare because of their antioxidant, moisturising and exfoliating properties.

They improve the skin barrier function, help reduce pigmentation, help build collagen by inhibiting the enzymes that break it down, and combat acne. Yes, they do all of these at once!

PHAs provide similar effects of traditional AHAs without the typical side effects of irritation, redness, burning and stinging.

This is because they are large molecules so are absorbed into the skin very slowly.

What skin type are these ingredients best suited to?

The people who benefit most from PHA skincare are those looking for the benefits of exfoliating serums or facial exfoliants without irritation.

Because PHAs are gentle exfoliators, they can be used in the most sensitive of skin types including rosacea skin.

So if you’re looking for glowing results and skincare for sensitive skin, then PHAs are for you!

The most common PHA ingredients are Gluconolactone and Lactobionic Acid.

Are they in all our products currently or are they a brand new ingredient?

PHAs have been studied in skincare since the 1990s. But the evidence for them has been building more recently.

Currently we incorporate 1% Gluconolactone in our AHA serum, Smooth Serum.

But as with all things ESK, we are all about the evidence. And as the evidence for PHA’s have been improving, we have been working on incorporating them into other ESK products.

Is it ok to use PHA every day?

It is ok to use PHA every day, including and almost especially for sensitive or dehydrated skin.

References

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15002656/#:~:text=PHAs%20have%20been%20found%20to,be%20used%20after%20cosmetic%20procedures.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15002657/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19695482/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30270529/

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jocd.12485

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1473-2165.2006.00219.x

https://www.hindawi.com/journals/drp/2012/710893/

https://www.dovepress.com/applications-of-hydroxy-acids-classification-mechanisms-and-photoactiv-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-CCID

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3366450/