It's not long now until clinics open again (come along, April 12), but while we count down the days until our next professional peel , No7 Laboratories' Resurfacing Peel 15% Glycolic Acid , £17, dropping today, will tide us over. It will normally cost £34 but is launching with an introductory price of £17.
The peel uses 15 per cent glycolic acid to dissolve the bonds holding dead skin cells to the surface of the skin for faces that are baby-smooth and more youthful-looking. In a trial 90 per cent of 77 women who tried the peel said that they'd hold off on booking a clinic peel after using this - quite the recommendation!
If you're not familiar with glycolic acid , it's part of the alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) family, which break down the dead layer of the skin on top, lifting away the top layer along with impurities and pollutants to reveal a luminous glow underneath. AHAs are particularly helpful if you’re trying to create an even skin tone and for refining the skin’s surface to make it more radiant, hence why you find them in peels. The peel's 15 per cent glycolic acid is fairly high if you're new to the ingredient – people normally start with five per cent and build-up so keep this in mind if this is your first foray into glycolic acid. You may experience some tingling which is completely normal.
Glycolic acid is joined by gluconolactone in the ingredients list, a mild polyhydroxy acid (PHA) that helps glycolic by gently exfoliating the skin with bonus antioxidant powers. PHAs penetrate more slowly than AHAs, offering up a gentler exfoliation that’s ideal for those of us with a weaker skin barrier.
MORE GLOSS: The best at-home face peels for clear, glowing skin