The Glossier Solution Exfoliating Skin Perfector has been with me through cold harsh winter days as well as dry heat days. This review comes about after having used this exfoliator for the past 10 months.
Glossier Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA/ BHA/ PHA Face Exfoliator Toner Review
The Glossier Solution contains AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid) first thing on the list, and then BHA (Beta Hydroxy Acid) being the 2nd, followed by PHA (Polyhydroxy Acid). Since acids are chemical exfoliants, knowing how each acid can benefit or harm our skin is critical before use.
I’ve done some research on some face exfoliators (solutions type as in tonic & toners) and noticed that they come widely different in acid constituents and the sequence in which they were listed aggregating to the final exfoliating products. And since I have combination to oily skin, I’ve looked into the 3 logical aspects of how these acids can affect me – oil solubility, the skin issues they’re targetting, and the percentage of these acids constituting these face exfoliating solutions.
The Best Thing About Glossier Solution Face Exfoliator: Great for Oily Combination Skin
The press pump dispenser mechanism fits the size of my round cotton pad – which is great because when I dispense the product, the cotton pad gets soaked just nice in that one pump. This is not only sanitary but provide so much convenience to anyone’s skincare routine. However the best thing about the Glossier Solution is that it is a face exfolitator for my oily combination skin. (And speaking of routine, do check out my video on the best face wash routine for oily and combination skin.)
The Glossier Solution contains 10% of AHA blend – being commonly Glycolic Acid and Lactic Acid in the market, and are found in a few of the best face exfoliators for dry and sensitive skin as they are water-soluble and do not strip off the natural oils from our skin. Glycolic acid improves skin glow from the dullness usually found in drier skin by removing the dead skin cells from the outermost layer of our skin. Likewise for Lactic Acid, it is also water-soluble and targets at our topmost dermis layer. This makes Lactic Acid an ideal ingredient in reducing hyperpigmention and age spots, so that newer skin cells beneath can come into play during the renewal process.
BHA, on the other hand, is Salicylic Acid. As Salicylic Acid is oil-soluble, it works best in face exfoliators for genetically oily skin types and also oily skins due to dehydration. As such, Salicylic Acid is often being used to target at acne-prone skin and breakouts. It has the ability to penetrate deeper into our pores than what AHAs can do, thereby unclogging them to prevent excess keratin from building up around our follicles.
So coming back to my oily combination skin, I do not have acne breakout as often as I did many years before (thanks to my cystic hormonal acne treatment with Kiehl’s!), but my skin does get triggered easily by sweets and alcohols, even very occasionally. When I eat junk food consecutively for a couple of days, pimples start breaking out the next day; especially on post-festive binge days. Glossier’s low 0.5% of salicylic acid works pretty safe on me, it doesn’t sting like what people say (and I do have slightly sensitive skin) and it takes me just 2 to 3 consecutive daily use to subdue budding pimples, and quicken the process of healing the already bloomed ones. I like that it browns redness around the affected follicle wall fast, and heals with no lingering patches. I used to work with products that reduce inflammation but don’t lighten the scarred spots. Salicylic Acid works by detaching our outermost skin cells, therefore, unclogging pores and regulating sebum production. Salicylic Acid is after all the only active ingredient in this product, having it at only 0.5% means it is not a acne treatment pe se, but a decongestant and an anti-inflammatory agent. It is perhaps due to the low dose of Salicylic Acid that it doesn’t irritate the crap out of my skin and on top of that, has great oil control. I do not find the 10% AHA blend drying out or making my skin more sensitive to the Sun either; maybe Glossier just knew how to find the perfect balancing formula between the acids. But on a safer note, do always use exfoliators only in your night routine to avoid any unnecessary sun damages.
The Glossier Solution has helped my skin in lightening my freckles too. I spent most part of October in heated California and Nevada; even though it was fall weather, their cloudless skies were still able to let the UV rays get the better of me. I’m not really a sunscreen wearer (they often itch me), but I do wear caps and shades. I returned to Singapore with darker age spots and more in fact; granted my skin recovers from the tan rather quickly, look at how the Glossier Solution has helped in the photos above in just a span of 10 days with alternate-day use.