An Acid That Might Bite Back

Alarm awake another day
Put the body wash in play
Focus, stretch to morning cleanse
Squish the pump. Squirt away
 

Bubble lather aims to clean
Gentle soothing grapefruit sheen
Promising a glow skin shine
Is danger lurking? Quite unseen?

Ready now to face the day!
Although quite polluted.
Sad to say

Our skin often feels it could use a little help. This typical morning cleansing ritual described above would not occur if you truly knew what you were doing. Body washes are in. They smell great. Affordable. Functional. What more should one ask for?

How about asking for a cleanser that does not contain so many unwanted toxins?

While not all body washes contain salicylic acid, some do. Salicylic acid. AKA: The pimple destroyer. Salicylic acid is listed under the medicinal ingredients on a label, separate from the others. But do read both listings. The rest are generally not desirable either. 

Salicylic acid goes deep into the skin and does work for targeting acne, blackheads, whiteheads, all the nasties.  This is why it is popular. 

But there is danger involved. Let’s look at one product that does contain salicylic acid. For exfoliating and cleansing. I couldn’t resist the name. ‘Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial’.  

Clever, creative marketing. ‘Drunk Elephant’ conjures an image. T.L.C. is most nurturing. Sukari means sugar which is addictively delicious.  Sukari also rhymes with Safari where we again can visualize the drunken elephant. ‘Babyfacial’ rings of softness, soothing and safety.  

But ‘Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial’ is, thankfully, not for babies. It is for us. It contains salicylic acid. At the time of this writing the cost was $140 CDN on Amazon. A rather expensive and toxic adventure, no? Apparently, not even allowed to be sold in Canada as it is too strong. Kudos Canada. But online seems to work.

The name might get you. The cost may not be an issue. But perhaps the risk should be. Dermatologists do give warning when prescribing salicylic acid medications. If you decide you want to try salicylic acid, make sure you are under some guidance. While known for acne, it is also a powerful exfoliator. For some, maybe too powerful.

There are side effects of this acid, albeit NOT all that common. They can include redness, skin burning and peeling, Infections can occur. If you already have skin sensitivity, e.g. rosacea or if pregnant, it is advised to stay away from this medication. 

Advertisements may suggest to use only dermatologist approved products. This advertisement addition is not all that reassuring. (See Is This Product Dermatologist tested?)

If you check Salicylic acid functions on SkinCharisma you will see it is known for many tasks.

Skin Conditioning, Masking, Fragrance, Hair Conditioning, Antidandruff Agent, Antiacne Agent, Denaturant, Preservative, Exfoliant, Keratolytic, Corn/Callus/Wart Remover

Manufactures are warned to be careful in their preparations, but what if they aren’t? If you decide to go this acid route, I would avoid buying any salicylic acid products online that you have not tried before. The Mayo clinic has several warnings and cautions against overdosing.  Since our skin absorbs everything, we can overdose. 

There are alternatives to having better skin. If you are looking for cleansers, use pure natural soaps.  If you exfoliate, you might like to try our Manitouka scrub.  All are FREE of all the bad stuff.