Chemist Confessions

You probably hear us often championing glycolic acid as the gold standard of exfoliation and a main active to consider having in your routine. However, AHAs are known to cause photosensitivity. Does that means we shouldn’t use glycolic acid during summer months during higher chances of sun exposure? We discuss the data, what skin types should and shouldn’t use glycolic acid, and how to best use this ingredient during summer.

This week we’re taking a break from skincare ingredients, and we’re talking about products. Specifically, toners! Toners will forever be a land of mystery. This category seems to always ends up in the spotlight, there are too many to choose from, and the claims can be all over the place. We decided to break down the product landscape, discuss some of the most popular toners of 2024, and weigh in on which toners we would want to use in our routine. It’s toner time!

When tranexamic acid started gaining popularity a few years back, it felt similar to CBD. Suddenly it seemed like every brand was using it, but there didn’t seem to be a lot of data shared on its effectiveness. In this episode, the chemists share the benefits that tranexamic acid can bring to skin, go through the testing (if any), and discuss whether or not it’s a worthy addition to your skincare routine.

Because of the limitations of azelaic acid, it only makes sense that azelaic acid derviative, potassium azeloyl diglycinate is on the rise! We dive into whether or not this is a good replacement for azelaic acid, what are its actual benefits, and how to use PAD in your skincare routine!

The chemists don’t talk about this ingredient as much as they probably should but azelaic acid has a solid amount of data behind it…at the prescription level 15-20% concentration. Naturally, you have to wonder if the 10% azelaic acid products you can purchase as a cosmetic would actually do anything for skin? They dissect the benefits of azelaic acid, discuss the formulation challenges behind this active, and ultimately how they would use a 10% azelaic acid product in their routine.

The chemists are gearing up for their 30 for 30 sunscreen challenge test! So naturally this is a great time to check up on some of the latest studies on sunscreens. We cover a large survey study on people’s sunscreen application habits (spoiler alert: it’s not great), an oil based vs water based cleanser study on sunscreen removal, a new J&J SPF50 vs SPF100 study, and an update on the ongoing studies on sunscreen’s impact on coral reef.

We’ve reached the 100th Episode! This week we’re going down memory lane ranking our top 5 podcast moments and our favorite skincare science. We also decide to reveal some true chemist “confessions”. We share what popular ingredients we might not be fully on board with and even what skincare steps we forget. Time for some fun!

We’re back in the realm of plant extracts in skincare! This is a realm where real clinical data is quite sparse. So even simple questions like “does this extract work?” can be difficult to answer. In this episode, we discuss 3 plant ingredients with just enough interesting testing data for us to say “this is worth trying”.

Journeying into the more controversial ingredients, we first have to talk about petrolatum. One common question that we haven’t answered yet is, “Will petrolatum clog my pores?” There’s a surprising amount of data to discuss on this subject and after, we share best practices on using petrolatum in your skincare routine.

Taking a break from plant stuff and antioxidants, let’s talk about the newer exfoliator on the block, gluconolactone. Uniquely, gluconolactone has been tied to many skin benefits, being called hydrating, brightening, exfoliating, to maybe even…acne fighting? Ultimately we dissect the data to discuss what exactly gluconolactone does for skin and how it compares to the classic AHAs. Tune in to learn if gluconolactone deserves a place in your routine and how to best shop for this category!