Chemical Peels: Explaining Buffering, pH levels and Free Acid Values

Buffering ? Free Acid Value ? pH Levels ?
What does it all mean to ME?

This page is going to be a lifesaver for you. We are going to explain why so many "seemingly similar" products on the market are actually very different. The differences usually stem from quality of ingredients, pH levels of ingredients, Free Acid Values of ingredients and what the ingredients are buffered to. You will come to see what makes Platinum Skin Care's products so very valuable and strong.

pH Levels

What is it? pH levels are vital to those who utilize acid-based products as well as other active topical products. Different ingredients thrive in certain pH levels. We are going to discuss how pH levels in acids work. pH is based on the factors of 10. Example: 10 X 10 X 10 =1000 or 10 to the 3rd power. It is a shorter way to state the strength of an acid. To simplify, each number in a pH value is 10X stronger than the previous pH level! Big difference between a product with a pH level of 2.0 vs. a product with a pH of 1.0 or 3.0!

1.0 is 10 times stronger than a pH of 2.0
2.0 is 10 times stronger than a pH of 3.0
etc...

How does pH level effect a peel. How does it work?

Your skin is made up of protein, water and other minor chemicals. Proteins are very complex chains of amino acids and they are very sensitive to the level of pH surrounding them. When the skin's proteins react with an acid in a low pH coagulation occurs. This is a non-reversible reaction where the proteins are basically destroyed (frosting is what you see when this process is happening). This is the actual goal of chemical peeling the skin. The acid destroys the existing tissues so that they can be replaced with new structures.

The peeling process: Chemical agents wound the skin. The healing of the wound is complex and while the previous tissues are being replaced they will actually generate tissues that feel and look better than before the wound.

1. Wound skin with a controlled burn.
2. Allow it to regenerate new skin during the healing process that will be structurally better than the previous tissues.

The lower the pH - the stronger the acid - the more coagulation you will get - thus the more new tissues.

Some common pH levels:

Pure 70% glycolic has a pH of 1.0
Vinegar has a pH of 3.0
Skin has an average pH of around 5.0
Water has a pH of 7.0
Baking soda has a pH of 8.0

Buffered vs. Non Buffered

Now that pH levels have been explained we can get to the buffering. Basically anytime the natural pH level of an ingredient or product is altered it is called "buffering". Buffering can either increase or decrease a pH level by utilizing chemicals. Buffered and non-buffered products can carry the same percentage of an active ingredient, but the strength of the ingredient will vary greatly. As we have already learned the higher the pH level the weaker the ingredient.

Let's use glycolic acid as an example. Our 70% glycolic has a pH of 0.6. That has been chemically altered to be lower than its natural pH of 1.0. This is to give it more action. Our 30% glycolic chemical peel has a pH level of 2.1. It has been chemically altered to give it a higher pH level. This is to give the at-home user a more safe peel to utilize. The reaction is slower and the coagulation is less than it would be if the peel were unbuffered. A leave-on product, such as our 15% Glycolic and Hyaluronic acid serum has a pH level of 3.4. *(note: you will find many chemical peels on the market with this same pH level). The 3.4pH will allow you to keep this on your skin without feeling a constant irritation - but still you will get the action of the acid.

Compounds and Free Acid Values

This brings me to "compounds" and Free Acid Values. This is an area where companies can mislead the public with their product's concentrations. You will find that we do not utilize compounds at Platinum Skin Care, only free acid values. Unfortunately, many companies, even larger ones, do use compounds to save money. Compounds are a mixture of ingredients that include the acid - not just the acid itself. Our acids are always listed with their Free Acid Values. Basically stating that means if our packaging states that there is 30% glycolic acid in a product, then our formulation has 30% glycolic acid! 30% is it's Free Acid Value.

A compound is a mixture of ingredients that contain acids but also water , alcohols, preservatives, etc... which all make up a portion of the "compound". So, their 30% glycolic "compound" is not 30% of glycolic acid. We can only guess what the actual amount of acid is in that compound, but legally they can state that theirs is 30%. When you shop you need to find out if their product is a compound or Free Acid Value. There is a huge difference.

30% Compound = Glycolic + water + other ingredients.

30% Free Acid Value = 30% Glycolic acid.

Therefore, the percentage of the "compound" is not reflective of the percentage of pure acid. When a product states the percentage of "glycolic compound", that percentage is only reflective of the total compound --NOT the percentage of glycolic acid. You will find that the acid may be as low as half the total percentage stated. Many companies do not state this difference and can mislead the consumer to "believe" that they are getting the full percentage of acid that the "compound" states.

I hope that I was able to clear up any confusion and explain these seemingly complicated items to you. Since you now have a better understanding of how an acid product is put together and you know of the importance of these things, we hope you enjoy shopping on our site knowing that we have everything in order for you.

Jennifer

Buffering - pH levels - Free Acid Values