Here at Velettá, we place a strong emphasis on only using 100% natural, plant-based ingredients in our high-quality skin care products. We know that you care about what you put onto your skin every day, and so do we. This is why we always strive for the best ingredients, and we always strive to be honest and transparent about them. We don't want to hide anything from you, because we're just as passionate about our exclusive skincare formulas as you are. This month, let's shine the spotlight on another ingredient we use in some of our products, citric acid.
If you haven't heard of citric acid, we'd be surprised. This is because it can be found in most products on the market these days, from food to skincare products. While you don't exactly want to be putting raw lemon on your face every day, citric acid is enough to benefit you without the harsh acidity of a real lemon. Let's take a look at what you need to know about citric acid and why it is used in Velettá’s skincare products.
What is Citric Acid?
Citric acid is derived from citric fruits, and it is the main component of lemons and oranges that give it that tangy, acidic flavor. Back in 1784, a chemist called Carl Wilhelm discovered that citric acid could be isolated from citrus fruits, and ever since then, it has been included in many products on the market.
While it has its uses in things like food products as well, for the most part, you'll find it in skincare products and cosmetics. In food, it is typically used as a preservative and flavor.
Citric Acid is an AHA – What is That?
AHA stands for alpha hydroxy acid. AHA's in the cosmetic world tend to be naturally occurring exfoliators – but they're non-abrasive and can be left on. Typically, they're a lot less abrasive to the skin and more effective than traditional scrubs. When your skin goes out into the environment day after day, it is exposed to the sun, as well as particles in the air that can cause it to become too dry or too oily. These factors can prevent your skin from being able to get rid of dead skin cells so that new ones can take their place.
When your skin isn’t able to function like normal, this can lead to breakouts, clogged pores, and dullness of the skin. When you apply an exfoliant to your skin, you can keep it nice and clear of old, dirty skin cells. It can also help to prevent those annoying breakouts, and can even prevent the appearance of pores.
The Benefits of Citric Acid for Your Skin
Other AHAs in the cosmetic industry can be a bit too much for your skin, but they're used anyway. These include lactic and glycolic acid, and because they’re so potent, they can be a bit too much, especially if you’re someone who has sensitive skin. This is where citric acid can be super helpful. While it might not manage the skin as well as other AHAs, it certainly comes with a sensitive side, so it’s great for younger skin that just needs a bit of help maintaining normal skin function.
Citric acid can help shrink your pores, treat outbreaks and ongoing acne, brighten dull skin, and reduce the appearance of fine lines.
Another use for citric acid in skincare products is naturally being able to maintain the pH balance of the product it's in. This is important because our skin when it has a normal pH balance, is slightly acidic. This means that if ingredients are lower on the acidity scale, they can end up being irritating to sensitive skin.
Is It Safe For My Skin?
Don't worry – we would never put anything into our products that we wouldn't use on our own skin. We know that sometimes, ingredient names can be a bit intimidating, though. The word 'acid' is intimidating, as is 'citric.' However, we can assure you that citric acid is totally safe to use on the skin, especially in the amounts that we use. You might occasionally find other products in the beauty industry that put too much citric acid into their formulas, but all of our products here at Velettá are carefully curated to include a perfect balance of what your skin needs.
However, this doesn’t mean that you’ve got complete peace of mind just yet. We always recommend that you do a patch test on your skin first of any product in the skincare industry, including ours. This way, you can know whether your skin is too sensitive for it or not, and you save a potential outbreak of redness of itchy skin.
If you’ve got sensitive skin, citric acid is an effective exfoliant that is gentle, yet good at what it does.
