Naruko AMPM BHA Skin Renewal Serum

Having very high hopes for this product I was very disappointed when I finally had a chance to look at the ingredients in this serum. Since Neutrogena discontinued my favourite BHA exfoliant (3in1 Hydrating Acne Treatment), I am looking for a new one. Sadly enough there are not as many good choices of BHA exfoliant on the market as there are of AHA exfoliants. BHA or salicylic acid is oil soluble (vs AHA being water soluble), so it is good at penetrating pores and unclogging them, as well as reducing inflammation. It is generally recommended for people with oily or acne prone skin. I have somewhat dry skin, but I find it perfect for taking care of blackheads, preventing and treating breakouts, and exfoliation for better cell turnover.

I have already mentioned that I usually buy Naruko products so to say blindly. There are no lists of ingredients on the website, only description of few key ingredients, which is not very helpful. So it is always a risk. But I do have unexplainable warm feelings towards this brand, and for some reason I go to the lengths to find great products in the line (with most other brands I would have given up a long time ago). 

Packaging/Pricing:

 

30ml (1.05fl.oz) for 35$ (here). Price is pretty average for a serum, neither it is super cheap, nor bank breaking. Bottle is ridiculously cute. I do not usually have weakness for the packaging, but I have to admit this one is definitely noteworthy (picture doesn't give it a justice). Otherwise the opaque glass bottle with a dropper is a good choice for storing any serum.

 

Ingredients:

 

Active: Salicylic Acid 2%

Inactive: Water, Alcohol, Methyl Propanediol, Niacinamide, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Lactate, Gluconolactone, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide, Glycerin, Xanthan Gum, Panthenyl Ethyl Ether, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Allantoin, Saccharide Isomerate, Trisodium EDTA, Glycolic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Essential Oils of Tea Tree, Orange, Spearmint, Lemon, Lime, Peppermint, Niaouli, Phenoxyethanol, Methylisothiazolinone, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbomate.

Excellent (only beneficial ingredients, proven research)

Good (mostly beneficial, not extensive research or just not quite outstanding properties)

OK (mostly thickeners, emulsifiers, mild preservatives, pH adjusters, all that is necessary, but not a skincare per se) 

Bad (irritants and anything bad that shouldn't be in a skincare, usually fragrance)

Ingredients Discussion:

 

Let's start with all the good points. This serum is formulated at a correct pH (between 3 and 4) for salicylic acid to be effective. There are also two more exfoliants present: glycolic acid (AHA) and gluconolactone (PHA or polyhydroxy acid). These should make this product very efficient at exfoliation. Glycerin, saccharide isomerate and hyaluronic acid are skin identical/water binding ingredients that keep skin moisturised. There is also an anti-irritant (allantoin) present in the mixture. One of my favourite ingredients, niacinamide, not only serves as cell-communicating ingredient, but also as melanin suppressor (to keep hyper pigmentation at bay). Excellent, isn't it?

Unfortunately company included alcohol as a second ingredient (just to clarify, if you find alcohol listed in the lower third of ingredient list, you should not worry). I get why so many brands still use it. Alcohol is a good anti-bacterial agent/preservative. It also makes a good mixing media. And also it allows ingredients to penetrate into the skin better. Skin is pretty good at keeping external substances out (which is very good for our health). The process of delivering all the beneficial ingredients from a skin care product to the skin layers is a complicated one. Alcohol does it by disrupting/destroying protective barrier, to create a delivery channel. Unfortunately, it creates a pathway for infection to penetrate from outside and for moisture escape from inside. Alcohol dries out the skin and causes cell death. Using alcohol to disinfect the wound is fine, but using it on a regular basis in skin care is not healthy for the skin.
There are 6 essential oils present in the formulation (orange, lemon, lime, spearmint, peppermint, niaouli), that would not do any good for the skin either (tea tree being the only exception). They add fragrance to the serum, but also add irritation to the skin. Considering that alcohol already makes it easy for inflammation to set in, their presence becomes even more harmful.

Verdict:

 

Not recommended. I could even overlook presence of essential oils, for the rest of the formulation is really good. But alcohol being second ingredient on the list is very very bad news.

2 out of 5.