The SkinCeuticals Glycolic Renewal Cleanser That Made One Acid-Wary Editor Reconsider Her Routine

Contrary to most skin-care junkies, when I think of the words “acid,” and “skin” in the same sentence, my mind immediately goes to Freddie Krueger’s face from Nightmare On Elm Street, which is absolutely not what anyone’s skin-care goals should resemble. Needless to say, I’ve always been a little timid when trying to incorporate acids into my routine — and that — paired with my finicky combination-prone epidermis pretty much makes me the perfect contender for tossing anything labeled “acid” out my window before it ever has the chance to touch my face.

 

My fear of the harsh-sounding ingredient has held me back from trying a lot of skin-care products on the market, but after a chat with some cosmetic chemists and a dermatologist in the beauty field, I noticed that the AHA, glycolic acid, popping up on my radar non-stop. It’s a less-scary sounding acid once you know what it can do.  It’s friendly toward combination skin and comes in a variety of percentages, so if you tend to fall on the drier side, you can use a lower percentage, but if you’re more acne-prone, you can try a higher one. With the launch of the new SkinCeuticals Glycolic Renewal Cleanser, I mustered up the courage to try it. It contains 8% glycolic acid as well as other soothing ingredients like glycerin and aloe leaf extract. 

 

The first thing I noticed about this cleanser is how unique the texture of it is. It comes out in a very concentrated, gel-like form and feels very delicate and not-at-all-sticky to the touch. It also has a very minimal, but fresh scent, which makes it appealing to me because I’m very picky about fragrances in cleansers. 

 

The other thing I really loved about this cleanser was how well it lathered up without becoming too foamy or thick. It mixes really well with water to create this soapy, lightweight texture that feels super refreshing on the face. Once I began cleansing, I also noticed how gentle it felt on the skin, despite being an exfoliating acid. It did not sting or burn — and once I washed it off, my skin did not feel excessively dry. Not bad for an acid, I’d say.

 

Final Thoughts

So my Krueger fears were completely unwarranted, and in all seriousness, I was really happily surprised about how well my skin took to this product. The cleanser felt more hydrating, soothing and way gentler than I expected — especially considering the glycolic acid  was actually exfoliating and deep cleaning my skin. And I have to say, after trying this cleanser, I’m not so scared of acids after all.

 

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