Holy Grail Glycolic Foaming Face Wash: Neostrata

As you know I'm a huge skincare fan. Anything and everything, I like it all. Over the past few years my routine has expanded by quite a bit. Just by learning more about ingredients and different steps to take as you see different concerns. Through the process of that I've definitely got some brands that are my absolute favorites. One of those being Exuviance, which is a brand by NeoStrata. I hadn't yet had the opportunity to try the actual NeoStrata products theirself though. Well that opportunity presented itself through one of their best and probably most favorite products which is the Foaming Glycolic Wash. So before I get into the product itself I'm going to introduce you to the brand because I've enjoyed learning about them so much and that is no exaggeration!

​I'm gonna start by giving you their biography and then I'm gonna hit the points of which I think are the coolest about them:

"The creators of NeoStrata Company, Inc., Drs. Eugene Van Scott and Ruey Yu are internationally recognized for making the ground breaking discovery that Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) have profound beneficial effects on human skin. They discovered that AHA compounds such as Glycolic Acid and Lactic Acid are beneficial both in the treatment of dermatological conditions, encouraging cell turnover, and in stimulating prematurely aged or damaged skin to rejuvenate itself, thereby revolutionizing the treatment of aging skin.

NeoStrata Company, Inc. located in Princeton, NJ, develops and markets a comprehensive range of clinically-proven, dermatologist developed skin care brands including NeoStrata®, NeoStrata® SKIN ACTIVE, Exuviance®, Exuviance® AGE REVERSE, CoverBlend®, and Psorent™. Our advanced therapeutic and cosmetic dermatological products feature unsurpassed Polyhydroxy Acid technology to meet the needs of every skin type and are available worldwide through consumer outlets, physicians' offices and spas."

So basically the two founders of this company, found 2 of the most key and well known ingredients that are in "anti aging skincare" and skincare all together. They discovered Glycolic Acid which is the most effective AHA because it's the smallest molecule which can penetrate the deepest of all the AHA's. They also discovered Lactic Acid which is my favorite AHA and it sits more so on the top layer of the skin, it's a bit more gentle, it's a great stepping stone into AHA's in my opinion. So I'm over the moon, to finally be trying their products. 

Also:

"Drs. Eugene Van Scott and Ruey Yu are co-inventors, with more than 100 U.S. and foreign patents and are authors of numerous journal articles. They wrote the chapter in the definitive textbook for the field of cosmetic dermatology, "Alpha Hydroxy Acids, PolyHydroxy Acids, Lactobionic Acids and Their Topical Application" in the Textbook of Cosmetic Dermatology."

I know I'm nerding out right now...but I've experienced their work through Exuviance and now with the "mother" company itself. So now that I've geeked out enough over the founders and the company, let's talk about the face wash. It's 20 Bionic/AHA and it "enhances skin clarity and texture". So before I give you the jist on my experience, which was amazing incase you don't want to learn about why it's effective you can stop here and know that it's amazing as long as your skin has a good tolerance of AHA's.

So an AHA is Alpha Hydroxy Acid and they "work on all skin layers to increase cell turnover for reduced appearance of pore size and enhanced skin clarity and texture. AHAs help decrease melanin clumping and the appearance of dark spots, leaving skin with a more even, brighter tone. AHAs help volumize the skin to smooth wrinkles from the inside out." I will spare you the many details and characteristics of all the AHA's since we're just dealing with Glycolic Acid which is one of them. 

Glycolic Acid is: "a natural constituent of sugar cane, exfoliates the skin by enhancing cell turnover, evens the distribution of pigmentation, refines the appearance of pore size and helps smooth the look of fine lines and wrinkles. NeoStrata products formulated with Glycolic Acid deliver optimal effectiveness at an ideal pH and concentration. Amphoteric formulations are designed to minimize redness and irritation potential."

So in a previous post I mentioned that cleansers didn't always have a proper ph balance. Thus, you needed a toner to help balance the skin's pH. This is balanced properly on both accounts. 

So for example, I have a mild cleanser that has no real toning or ability to penetrate the skin deeper than just cleanse the very top layer of residue and left over makeup, etc. So therefore I would use a Glycolic Toner afterwards to get the extra benefits. So for me this combines both steps. It can be used morning and night and it's suggested to do that as long as the skin tolerates it. Which I also love. I'm not saying you necessarily need the AHA toner. This is a product for skin types that are used to "acid toning" and that should be considered before trying it. 

This product claim is:

"A potent, pH-balanced, foaming facial cleanser for experienced Glycolic Acid users who prefer a deep cleansing.
High strength, pH-balanced, soap-free face wash
18% Glycolic Acid smoothes skin texture
Lactobionic Acid gently enhances cell renewal
Recommended for experienced Glycolic Acid users

Our most potent cleanser is formulated in an amphoteric system to capture the benefits of Glycolic and Lactobionic Acid while minimizing the potential for irritation. Formulated with 18% Glycolic Acid and 2% Lactobionic Acid to gently exfoliate, unclog congested pores, and enhances cell renewal it prepares skin for optimal benefits of the regimen that follows. pH balanced. Not recommended for patients with sensitive skin. Soap-free, fragrance-free. Dye-Free. Paba-Free. Formulated with 18% Glycolic Acid and 2% Lactobionic Acid."

The pH in this is 4.5 and 3.4 oz in a pump bottle packaging. The price is $40. I've been using this for several weeks and I use just one pump which is enough for my entire face. It's still going strong, doesn't even feel like I've used much of it. It's also available as a duo if you want to save more money, which is what I will do seeing as I want this as my primary cleanser. There isn't a ton of ingredients in this which I also really like especially when it comes to cleansers. 

Those ingredients are:
"Aqua (Water), Glycolic Acid, PEG-8, Alcohol Denat., Arginine, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Ammonium Hydroxide, Lactobionic Acid, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Propylene Glycol, Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract, Methylparaben, Chlorphenesin."

So to get down to it on how it performed and how it felt, it was definitely a change. I've been using AHA's for about 2 years I guess. Started with Lactic Acid and been switching to Glycolic for the last 6 months. This cleanser actually tingled my skin when I first used it. Not so much now since my skin has adjusted to it. A "tingle" is pretty common with acids. It shouldn't burn. If it burns, I advise you to stop. That goes for any skincare product not just acids. This has made my skin brighter for sure, more even in pigmentation, and my texture has maintained a smooth and soft feel to it. It doesn't have anything that would strip the skin or leave it feeling tight and uncomfortable. It was the perfect addition to my specific routine. 

For reference my skin is not sensitive, has minor redness sometimes, larger pores, normal skin type as far as oil production goes. So I'm not overly oily or dry. I rarely break out and my skin tolerates new products well, it's not tempermental. I hope that helps you some in your decision.

My final thought is: it's fantastic if you're looking for a bump in your skincare game. There's a reason why it's one of their most popular products, and if I were going to try AHA I would start with NeoStrata seeing as how they're the leaders in the game. The price is not that much when you consider that you might have to go through several duds trying to find the correct thing for yourself by other brands and cheaper alternatives, and thus wasting your money and spending more money than if you had started with the correct products for your skin concerns. Which is why I implore you, to try a brand that is known for it's products that are "right on the mark". Instead of taking a chance on something that isn't working well enough, or even worse could be "too much" for your skin. So all I'm saying is do your research. Get in contact with a dermatologist and let them look over product ingredients for you, contact customer service for recommendations based on your concerns, start slow and build from there. That's my best advice. I always tell you to invest in your skin. If your skin looks good, your makeup will look good. Therefore, invest in skincare and save some money when it comes to makeup in the process. If you're not the biggest makeup fan, still invest in your skin because we only have this skin and thus, we should treat it as the precious organ (yes it's an organ. The largest organ actually on the body) that it is.

Link:: http://https//www.neostrata.com/product/neostrata+resurface+foaming+glycolic+wash.do

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