Bravura London Salicylic Acid

Today's star is the Blue Bottle

The Claims

"This 2% daily salicylic acid exfoliator is the perfect choice for treating skin complaints such as blackheads, enlarged pores, congested skin and acne where the skin is oily. Because these skin conditions are caused by the skin being clogged by excess oil and dead skin, using a peel daily will give far superior results than using a stronger peel once a week."

The Ingredients

Distilled Water, 2% Salicylic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Hydroxide.

With such a small ingredients list I thought I'd break down what salicylic acid is here in the post, (although I'll put the definitions in the colour coded list ofc)

What is Salicylic Acid?

Salicylic acid is a BHA or beta hydroxy acid derived from the metabolism of salicin, which is an anti-inflammatory agent usually found in the bark of the willow tree. It can be found in other fruits and vegetables such as kiwis, olives and almonds to name a few.

What makes it so good for oily/acne prone skin?

Salicylic acid is an exfoliant which can give many of the benefits of a good scrub without the risk of damaging small blood vessels and creating micro-tears in the epidermis.

With the ability to penetrate through the cell membrane right into pores it helps to reduce the over production of sebum, softens and exfoliates dead skin cells that have built up within the pore and allowing room for new cell growth.

Not only that, but there's more, salicylic acid increases cell turnover, meaning the marks really bad pimples can leave will fade faster, and for extra bonus points, it can increase collagen production leading to smoother, fresher looking skin.

Immediate Concerns

The concerns that sprang to my mind was that, it would hurt, that my face would peel like you see sometimes on those nip & tuck shows, and that I'd be left with a bright red face, flaky face.

Thankfully none of those concerns came to fruition, while a couple of blemishes I had stung a little when I first applied the product, after the initial quick sting there was no further pain. I followed the instructions to the letter, which recommend leaving the product on for only two minutes at first, then slowly increasing the amount of time to ten minutes maximum.

I'm now at the point where I leave it on for ten minutes, and at no point has my face gone red or flaky. Although everyone is different and those with sensitive skin may find it reacts differently for them, this product is really aimed at oily/combination skin types, which (alas) I suffer from.

How did it fair?

I have a lot less blemishes than I used to get, only really getting a few around hormonal times, but those that I do get clear up really fast. My skin is super soft, and I feel like my moisturiser is sinking in and working rather than sitting on top of my skin.

My Conclusion

I think that this is a really important step in my skin care routine now, one that I wouldn't like to skip out. I don't think I could ever go back to manual exfoliation, it just doesn't cut it for me.

Next time on the blog

Bravura London - Glycolic Acid 10%