LÉ Blog
Should You Be Using PHA Gluconolactone Instead of Glycolic Acid?
There’s a (relatively) new chemical exfoliant in town – PHA (poly hydroxy acid) gluconolactone! It’s no secret that we love our AHAs (alpha hydroxy acid). These chemical exfoliants are tried and true ingredients, and we’re big proponents of them being used as staples in anyone’s routine to tackle anything from dry skin to wrinkles. That said, the gold standard AHA glycolic acid is not really made for everyone. For many people, glycolic acid may simply be too aggressive, leading to irritation,...
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Madecassoside - the real hero in Centella Asiatica "Cica" Skincare
Centella asiatica (a.k.a. All things “cica” in skinare) is a popular skincare ingredient that touts soothing benefits. You might be wondering what sets centella apart when it seems like every plant extract you hear about in skincare touts “soothing”, “anti-inflammatory (a big no-no since this is a drug claim but it’s out there)”, and “antioxidant” benefits. But hear it from the chemists! – very few of these ingredients actually have clinical evidence proving that they work in skincare. From t...
Read moreMandelic Acid - Should You Choose It Over Salicylic Acid or Glycolic Acid?
AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids) such as glycolic and lactic acid have long enjoyed the spotlight - and for good reason! These are your proven chemical exfoliants essential to most anti-aging, hyperpigmentation skin routines. Beyond these two, there are plenty of “new age” AHAs that get touted for similar skin benefits, and one of the newer kids on the block we want to shine a spotlight on is mandelic acid. As chemists, we always have to look at the available clinical evidence on these newer ingred...
Read moreHow Helpful is Skincare for Redness? (aka. Erythema)
One of the budding categories in the “soothing” skincare realm is dedicated to tackling skin redness (aka. erythema). However, tackling redness isn’t very straightforward because the external culprit for causing redness can be incredibly diverse. In this guide, we’ll help explain what is erythema, the causes of erythema, and what skincare ingredients to target for your skin redness scenario. Let’s Breakdown Erythema The most stripped-down definition of skin erythema is the temporary reddening...
Read moreChemists' Guide to Patch Testing Skincare at Home
One of the main “Chemists’ Skincare Commandments” we tout is that with any new product, we all should patch test, patch test, patch test! We know all too well that the skincare industry is never short of new, exciting, glitzy products to add to our skincare routine. As we integrate new products into our daily routines, the importance of understanding how skin reacts cannot be overstated. There are so many of us (yes, that’s us included) can get carried away, and if you’re not careful, you mig...
Read moreThe Chemists' Skin Exfoliation Guide for All
Back in the day, St. Ives Apricot scrub was probably the poster child for exfoliation. Even today, most people probably associate exfoliation with those amber scrubby beads. But! Since then, the entire exfoliation category has gotten a glow-up. Now you can choose from a wide range of exfoliating cleansers, serums, masks, sticks, pads, etc all with different strengths and efficacy levels to boot. So let’s take a closer look at why you should exfoliate, how to shop for the right exfoliant, what...
Read moreWhat's the deal with CBD serums & oils? - The 2023 edition
Back in fall 2019, we wrote a blog post on CBD in skincare when it was all the rage. During the early days of Covid lockdowns, it really felt like there was a new CBD miracle serum or oil every other week. Even now in spring of 2023, there are still a lot of questions and mystique around this ingredient. So it’s time to revisit CBD and see just what CBD does in skincare, if there are any new clinical studies that have come out on topical CBD, just who might benefit from CBD skincare, and how ...
Read moreWhat's a PHA in Skincare & How to Use
In our final podcast episode of 2021, we dedicated the meat of the episode on a chemical exfoliants update. That’s the alphabet clan of PHAs, AHAs, and BHA, and it resulted in a lot of curiosity about PHAs. Though PHA research is still relatively new and not as well-studied as classic glycolic acid, there’s still some really exciting data that validates it’s use as an exfoliator. In fact, we like gluconolactone so much we use 30% of it in our Baby Steps exfoliating treatment! So let’s do a de...
Read moreInflammaging: Why Tackling Inflammation is a Real Anti-Aging Move
Probably stemming from a combo of the pandemic, staying indoors, self-care, there’s been a lot of different skincare trends on the rise. A recent trend that we’re fully on board with is tackling skin inflammation. A majority of people don’t realize how impactful inflammation can be on skin and happens to be the catalyst for a lot of annoying skin concerns like dry skin, angry acne breakouts, and aging. In fact, a big part of managing skincare conditions such as eczema and psoriasis is managin...
Read moreDo thermal water sprays really work?
Do thermal water sprays really work? Does spritzing that magical hot spring water provide any proven skin benefits? Should I go with Avene or La Roche Posay thermal water? These are just a few of the questions we have gotten about thermal water based skin mists. We’ll admit, before our friends asked about decoding thermal waters, it wasn’t a topic we really thought much about. Some of the concepts and outrageous claims that came with them felt like it had BS all over it. We even ran a quick i...
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