Alfa Hydrox Oil Free Treatment 10% Glycolic AHA Anti Wrinkle

Price/Packaging:

 

50ml (1.7fl.oz) for ~13$ (on IHERB.com, drugstore.com, Ulta.com, amazon.com etc.). Packaging: opaque squeeze tube. Even though the opening on the top is quite small, I feel it is a little bit hard to control amount of dispensing product (often times I found myself with too much product). I wish the tube had a small nozzle. But nevertheless, this form of packaging should keep formulation safe from air ans light exposure.

 

Ingredients: 

 

Water, Glycolic Acid, Ammonium Hydroxide, Sodium Lactate, Green Tea Extract, Carrageenan (Sea Kelp Extract), Panthenol (Vit B5), Propylene Glycol, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, PVM/MA Decadene Crosspolymer.

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:

 

Nothing bad to say here. No irritating ingredients, only good ones, fragrance free. Well formulated alpha hydroxy acid exfoliant. AHAs not only exfoliate the top layer of the skin, but also generate healthy skin turnover and stimulate collagen production. So this treatment is indeed an anti-aging treatment and can reduce wrinkles when used consistently for a period of time. Besides glycolic acid itself (formulated at the right pH), there are some water binding ingredients (panthenol and sea kelp) and antioxidant (green tea), which add some more beneficial qualities to this product.

Consumer Thoughts:

 

This is quite a strong AHA product. My skin does not tolerate 10% glycolic acid that well. I did experience mild burning sensation on some thin areas of my skin at first. It did eventually go away after a month of consistent use (as my skin was getting more used to it), but it still comes back ones in a while. I do use this product only once a week, since it's so strong. In the future I will consider purchasing a product with no more than 8% AHA. It seems that my skin can tolerate salycilic acid better than glycolic acid, which happens in some people, as well as opposite (some people tolerate AHAs better than BHA). Overall, I did like this product, so it's unfortunate that it is a bit harsh for my skin.

Verdict:

 

One of the best AHA treatments in the budget friendly price segment. Highly recommended, if your skin can tolerate 10% glycolic acid.

5 out of 5.